Comparison

PowerQuest vs Pace Buddy

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side β€” with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

PowerQuest

Features
Read full description

Never sure what to put on the bar? PowerQuest writes your weeks for you. Tell it once how much to add and how often, and it works out the load for every session β€” raising it at the pace you set. No notebook, no mental maths between sets. YOUR PROGRAM, IN TWO MINUTES β€’ Start from a ready-made plan: 5Γ—5, 5/3/1, hypertrophy, no-equipment home circuit, Hyrox prep, running plans from 5K to marathon β€’ Or build your own from a catalogue of 230+ movements β€’ Expert settings (% of 1RM, deload, double progression) stay hidden until you want them DURING THE SESSION, YOU WRITE NOTHING DOWN β€’ It all runs in the app: the exercise, the suggested load, the reps, and a rest timer that starts on its own β€’ No watch needed β€” on iPhone or in your browser β€’ Live GPS distance and pace, no accessory required AND IF YOU HAVE A WATCH β€’ Apple Watch and Garmin β€” 45 models β€’ Weight, reps, rest timer: all on screen, phone stays in the bag β€’ Running: your pace, your target range, and how far is left β€’ Your watch tells you in plain words when you're too fast or too slow, as you run β€’ Gym busy? Swap or add an exercise straight from the watch β€’ Works offline β€” a session finished without signal is never lost NOT JUST IRON Strength, running, cycling, yoga, mobility, and racket matches (tennis, padel, badminton, table tennis) scored from your wrist. Workouts done elsewhere come in too: PowerQuest reads Apple Health. WITH YOUR COACH A coach can assign you sessions, follow your stats and message you. You join with a code. Their cue travels with the exercise: it shows on your phone, on your watch, and during rest β€” right before the set it applies to. A safety cue is flagged as one, so you can't miss it. YOUR PROGRESS, WITHOUT WRITING ANYTHING DOWN Personal records, training load, consistency, per-exercise curves β€” all computed from the sessions you complete. Plus a recap of your week, month and year: sessions, kilometres, sets, weight lifted, and the split by muscle group. WITH FRIENDS, NEVER WITH STRANGERS A feed limited to the friends you've accepted β€” no public stream, no anonymous followers. Leaderboards for running, cycling, strength and records, by week, month or year: you only appear if you switch it on, and friends see totals β€” never a session's detail, your heart rate or your route. FREE, AND THERE'S NO CATCH Everything is open from day one. The subscription (from €0.99/month) removes ads β€” it unlocks no features. Download PowerQuest and turn every session into measurable progress. β€” Terms of Use (EULA): https://fabduv.github.io/powerquest-legal/terms/ Privacy Policy: https://fabduv.github.io/powerquest-legal/privacy/ Subscriptions PowerQuest is free to use with ads. Optional "No Ads" subscriptions remove all advertising: β€’ Solo β€” monthly or yearly, removes ads for your account. β€’ Coach (15 athletes) β€” monthly or yearly, removes ads for you and your 15 oldest active athletes. β€’ Coach (unlimited) β€” monthly or yearly, removes ads for you and all your active athletes. Prices are shown in the app in your local currency. Payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in Settings β†’ Apple ID β†’ Subscriptions.

About

Pace Buddy

Features
Read full description

Set a goal. Get a plan. Let your watch coach every run. Pace Buddy answers one question every day: why run today? You pick a goal β€” a 5K, a 10K, a half, a marathon, or just the habit of running more β€” and Pace Buddy turns it into a training plan where each day is the next step toward it. Your progress is always in front of you. Then your Apple Watch takes over. It runs each workout hands-free, guiding you by voice. Leave your phone at home. WHAT IT DOES β€’ Goal to plan. Choose a race or a habit and get a training plan built around it, laid out day by day. β€’ Your watch coaches you. Pace, heart rate, distance, and the current step on screen β€” and in your ears. Pace Buddy speaks each step change, a heads-up before the next one, the halfway point, and every split with its pace. β€’ Pace nudges. On a pace-target run it tells you when you drift β€” speed up, ease off β€” and when you're back on. β€’ Fully offline on the watch. No phone, no signal needed. Cues play over the watch speaker, AirPods, or any Bluetooth headphones. β€’ Saved to Apple Health. Every run is saved as a workout with its route and an effort score, so it counts toward your rings. β€’ Paces that fit you. Your targets come from your recent 5K time β€” type it in, pick a run from Health, or run the built-in 5K time trial. Run a faster 5K and Pace Buddy offers to update the rest of your plan. β€’ Just want to run? Quick Start gives you an easy run, a long run, a tempo, intervals, or a fartlek with no setup at all. β€’ Stays in step. Reminders on training days, a watch-face complication, the Smart Stack, and "ask Siri for today's run." Your plan lives in your own iCloud and reaches your watch automatically. NO LOCK-IN No account. No subscription. Your identity is your own iCloud, your health data stays in Apple Health, and a plan someone shares with you opens straight in the app. Pace Buddy is the coach β€” the goal and the plan are yours. The run itself needs an Apple Watch: live GPS, heart rate, and voice coaching all happen on your wrist.

Screenshots

PowerQuest4 screens
Pace Buddy3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Pace Buddy at none against PowerQuest's 6. Pace Buddy also leads on ads (none vs shown). PowerQuest's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs fortnightly) and iOS requirement (17.6 vs 26.6). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. PowerQuest sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Pace Buddy asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PowerQuest ships an update every 4 days, Pace Buddy fortnightly. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences Β· 2 level
PowerQuest versus Pace Buddy: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPowerQuestPace Buddy
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 4 days β€” betterFortnightly
AdsYesNo β€” better
In-app purchasesYesNo β€” better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS17.6 β€” better26.6
Further details β€” not scored
Size38 MB18 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperFabien DuvacherMarcello Mascia

In-app purchases

6 purchases

PowerQuest

Subscriptions6
  • Sans pub β€” Solo$0.991 Month
  • Sans pub β€” Coach 15$8.991 Month
  • Sans pub β€” Solo$8.991 Year
Show 3 more
  • Sans pub β€” Coach illimitΓ©$17.991 Month
  • Sans pub β€” Coach 15$89.991 Year
  • Sans pub β€” Coach illimitΓ©$179.991 Year
None

Pace Buddy

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PowerQuest free?
PowerQuest is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Pace Buddy free?
Pace Buddy is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do PowerQuest or Pace Buddy have ads?
PowerQuest shows ads; Pace Buddy does not.
Which is updated more often, PowerQuest or Pace Buddy?
PowerQuest ships an update every 4 days, and Pace Buddy fortnightly. Most recently, PowerQuest was updated on October 31, 2026 and Pace Buddy on October 31, 2026.

Other comparisons