Arc vs Pillar
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Arc
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The AI coach that lives on your iPhone and Watch — not in someone's cloud. Now on iPhone Duo Arc builds you a real training plan across the sports you actually do — running, cycling, walking, swimming, and strength — then adapts it week to week based on how your body is responding. Unlike coaching apps that ship your data off to a server, Arc's AI coach runs privately on your device: offline, fast, and yours. Train the way you actually train Mix running, cycling, walking, swimming, and strength in one plan. Add or drop activities anytime and Arc folds them into your current block — no starting over. Meet your coach — now on your wrist Ask Arc anything: get a pre-session briefing, ask why today is easy, or check whether you're on track for your event — right from your Apple Watch. Answers are handled privately through Apple's on-device and Private Cloud Compute models. Show it a photo, too: snap a race elevation sign, a gym whiteboard, or a screenshot from another app, and Arc reads it and answers. A plan that adapts — and explains itself Arc watches your readiness, your training load, and how each session actually went, then adjusts the days ahead. Every suggestion comes with a "Why this?" breakdown showing the exact signals it weighed and which way each one pushed — no black box. Because life happens Injured, sick, traveling, or just need a break? Tell Arc from the Today screen and it reshapes your plan for you. Days off count as rest, not missed — and your event date never moves. When you're ready, ask Arc how to ease back in. Training built around your body • Cycle-aware readiness — if you track your cycle in Apple Health, Arc factors your phase into readiness and your weekly plan (read-only; nothing is ever written back). • Daily check-ins — muscle soreness, chafing, and saddle soreness feed your readiness score, so run and ride niggles both count. • Readiness at a glance — on your Lock Screen, in the Dynamic Island, and on your watch. Serious analytics, made readable See your Performance Management Chart — Fitness, Fatigue, and Form plotted together over time — so you can watch fitness build and freshness peak for your big day. Track your acute-to-chronic load balance in plain English before it turns into an overuse injury. Event day, dialed in Turn your goal time and course into an even-effort pacing plan that eases the climbs and lets you run — or ride — the descents. Arc even tells you whether your current fitness is on track for the goal. Got more than one event? Add your tune-up B and C races and Arc fits them into your build with a light taper and easy day around each. Fits your world • Log by swiping on Today, ask Siri, or tap a Control Center button • Personal records, achievements, and gear-mileage tracking • Pods — share progress and weekly challenges with friends • Fully localized in English and Spanish Arc Pro Free to start. Arc Pro unlocks the AI coach, the Performance Management Chart, event pacing, injury rebuilds, and more. Your AI endurance coach — prescriptive, adaptive, transparent, and private. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://largentlabs.com/arc/privacy.html
Pillar
Improve your posture and focus with this app that uses your AirPods' motion sensors to detect slouching. It provides gentle nudges and tracks your progress over time, integrating with Pomodoro timers for enhanced productivity. No camera or extra wearables are required.
- Live posture reading via AirPods motion sensors
- Gentle, responsive nudges for slouching
- Integrated Pomodoro focus and break timer
- Daily tall-time goal and streak tracking
- Weekly trend and session insights
- Live Activity and widget support
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Sit tall through a focus block — without a coach nagging you. Pillar reads head and neck position from the motion sensors in your AirPods and quietly tells you when you slouch. No camera. No wearable to buy. No photo of you. HOW IT WORKS • Put your AirPods in and start a session — open-ended, or a Pomodoro focus/break block. • Pillar measures your own tall and slouched angles once, so the threshold is yours rather than a population average. • While you work it watches your head pitch. When your head drops forward and stays there, you get a quiet haptic or a soft cue. The moment you straighten, it stops. • At the end you get a score for the session — and over weeks, the trend and one pattern worth acting on. WHY IT WORKS THIS WAY Posture and focus are one loop. The Pomodoro timer is the reason to keep the AirPods in, and the AirPods are the reason the timer knows you slouched. WHAT'S INSIDE • Live posture reading during a session, calculated on your iPhone • Nudges that escalate gently and back off when you respond • Pomodoro focus and break cycles, scored cycle by cycle • A daily tall-time goal and a streak • Insights: your weekly trend, your best hour and your worst one • Live Activity on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island • Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets • Quiet hours, call detection, walking detection, and a choice of cues WHAT YOU NEED AirPods with motion sensors — AirPods Pro (1st, 2nd or 3rd generation), AirPods (3rd or 4th generation) or AirPods Max — worn and connected, plus the Motion & Fitness permission. Without them Pillar still opens, but it cannot measure your posture. PRIVACY Head position is analysed on your iPhone. Raw motion data never leaves the device. There is no account, no camera, and no photo of you anywhere in the product. PILLAR PREMIUM Free: one posture session a day — with everything in it. Live tracking, nudges, your own calibration, Pomodoro cycles, Insights, widgets. One session. Premium: no daily limit. As many sessions as you want, any length, every day. • Annual — $28.99 per year • Weekly — $7.99 per week, with a 7-day free trial Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation. Subscriptions renew automatically unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel in your Apple Account settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://pillar.glowd.tech/terms-of-use.html Privacy Policy: https://pillar.glowd.tech/privacy-policy.html Subscription Terms: https://pillar.glowd.tech/subscription-terms.html Pillar is a posture-awareness and focus tool. It is not a medical device and does not diagnose, treat or prevent any condition. AirPods, AirPods Pro and AirPods Max are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Pillar at every 10 days against Arc's monthly. Pillar also leads on iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.5). Arc's advantage is device support (3 vs 1). On price, ads and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Arc sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Pillar sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Arc ships an update monthly, Pillar every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Arc | Pillar |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Number of ratings | — | 1 — better |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Every 10 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | — | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 26.5 | 18.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 11 MB | 27 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Largent Labs, LLC | Maksym Pustovit |
In-app purchases
Arc
- Pro Monthly7 Days trial$4.991 Month
- Pro yearly7 Days trial$39.991 Year
Pillar
- Pillar Premium Weekly7 Days trial$7.997 Days
- Pillar Premium Yearly$28.991 Year









