Comparison

Fasting Well vs Hold Fast

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

Head to head
About

Fasting Well

Track your intermittent fasting journey with science-backed insights. Monitor your progress through different metabolic stages and view your history with a visual heatmap. Offers built-in plans and detailed scientific articles.

Highlights
  • Stage-aware fasting progress visualization
  • Live timer with customizable ring
  • Six built-in fasting plans
  • Journal and weekly progress charts
  • Science-backed articles on fasting
  • Calendar heatmap of activity
  • Privacy-first, on-device data storage
Features
Read full description

Fasting Well is a beautiful, science-grounded intermittent fasting tracker. Designed for the moments your fast actually happens — at home, in transit, before bed — with the kind of polish you'd expect from an app you open every day. EVERY FAST IS A JOURNEY A fast isn't a single state — it's a sequence. Anabolic. Catabolic. Fat-burning. Ketosis. Deep ketosis. Fasting Well shows you exactly where you are in that journey, with stage-aware visuals and a quiet narration of what's happening inside. WHAT YOU GET (FREE) • Live timer with the ring you'll want to watch • Six built-in plans: 16:8, 18:6, 20:4, OMAD, 24h, 36h • Stage-aware progress: see Anabolic → Ketosis unfold • Notifications when you cross a stage or hit your goal • Journal of your last 30 days with a weekly chart • Five long-form science articles, beautifully illustrated • Calendar heatmap of recent activity • Dark and light themes that look right on every screen WHY ANOTHER FASTING APP Because the popular ones either gutted their free tier or never felt like apps you'd open without a reason. Fasting Well is built to be the home screen icon you actually like seeing. PRIVACY-FIRST Your fasts and weight data stay on your device — no account, no cloud sync, no servers we own. To make the app better we collect anonymous usage signals (e.g. "a fast was started on the 18:6 plan" or "an article was opened") through PostHog. These contain no personally identifying information and can be turned off entirely in Settings → Privacy. SCIENCE-BACKED, NOT WELLNESS-HYPE Built on peer-reviewed fasting research. No talk of "detox." No supplements to sell. Just the metabolic story your body is actually telling. FASTING WELL PRO Go deeper with Pro: build custom fasting protocols, log your weight and watch the trend, unlock advanced statistics (12-week heatmap, completion rate, best streak), share beautiful fast cards, and pick from every accent color. Pro is a monthly or annual subscription, or a one-time lifetime purchase — and the core tracker stays free forever. QUESTIONS, FEEDBACK hello@fastingwell.app We're a small team. Every email gets read. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://fastingwell.app/privacy

About

Hold Fast

This app provides a clean and reliable timer for intermittent fasting. It offers customizable plans, progress tracking, and live activity updates without ads or clutter. Focus on your fasting goals with an intuitive interface.

Highlights
  • One-tap fasting start
  • Live Activity and Dynamic Island timer
  • Home and Lock Screen widgets
  • Popular fasting plans included
  • Sun Up to Sun Down plan
  • Fasting history and trend charts
  • Start and goal reminders
Features
Read full description

Fasting works. Remembering when you started, when to stop, and whether you're on track? That's the hard part. Hold Fast makes it effortless. Whatever your reason for fasting, Hold Fast keeps up. Some people fast to manage their weight. Others do it for metabolic health, steady energy, sharper focus, longevity, spiritual practice, or simply the discipline of it. Hold Fast doesn't push one goal on you. It just tracks your fast, cleanly and reliably, so you can focus on why you started. Tap once to start your fast. Watch the timer count up on your Home Screen, Lock Screen, and Dynamic Island, without even opening the app. Hit your goal, log the win, and build a streak you can actually see. That's the whole idea: a fasting app that gets out of your way. No noise, no clutter, no ads. Just a clean timer and the data that keeps you consistent. WHY YOU'LL STICK WITH IT • One tap to start, so your fast is always a glance away • Popular plans built in: 14:10, 16:8, 18:6, 20:4, and OMAD • A unique Sun Up to Sun Down plan that tracks your fast to local sunrise and sunset • Streaks and history that make progress feel real and keep you coming back FEATURES • Live Activity and Dynamic Island for real-time progress • Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets in every size • Full fasting history with a month calendar and weekly trend charts • Start and goal reminders so you never miss your window • Private by design. Your data syncs across your devices through your own iCloud, never our servers • Export your complete history to CSV anytime • Sign in with Apple, or just start as a guest • Beautiful in dark mode, with full Dynamic Type support HOLD FAST PRO Go further with a Pro subscription: • Monthly: $2.99 per month • Yearly: $19.99 per year (best value) • Start free with a 7-day trial Payment will be charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. Your subscription automatically renews unless it is canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period, and your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel your subscription anytime in your Apple Account settings. Start your first fast today, and finally hold fast. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://holdfasthq.app/privacy Questions or feedback? Email support@holdfasthq.app. We read every message.

Screenshots

Fasting Well4 screens
Hold Fast4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Fasting Well at none against Hold Fast's 2. Hold Fast's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 months). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Hold Fast sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Fasting Well asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Fasting Well against 5.0 for Hold Fast. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 2 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Fasting Well ships an update every 3 months, Hold Fast every 5 days. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Fasting Well versus Hold Fast: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFasting WellHold Fast
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings22
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFreemiumFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size45 MB10 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperGeneralizableByron Soto

Customer experience

Fasting Well

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Hold Fast

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Fasting Well

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Hold Fast

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly$2.991 Month
  • Yearly$19.991 Year

Questions

Is Fasting Well free?
Fasting Well is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Hold Fast free?
Hold Fast is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Fasting Well or Hold Fast?
Fasting Well and Hold Fast are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 2 and 2 ratings respectively.
Do Fasting Well or Hold Fast have ads?
Neither Fasting Well nor Hold Fast shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Fasting Well or Hold Fast?
Fasting Well ships an update every 3 months, and Hold Fast every 5 days. Most recently, Fasting Well was updated on October 31, 2026 and Hold Fast on October 31, 2026.

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