Comparison

Hold Fast vs The Fast

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

Head to head
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.

About

The Fast

Track your fasting periods with a visually engaging timer and home screen widgets. Review your history in a calendar view and share your progress as an image. An account is optional for local use, with cross-device syncing available.

Highlights
  • Customizable fasting timer
  • Home screen widgets
  • Live Activities support
  • Fasting history calendar
  • Shareable progress images
  • Optional account for sync
Features
Read full description

Fasting, at your pace. Choose a duration and start. A slowly moving record marks the time, with elapsed time and time remaining always within reach. ON YOUR HOME SCREEN Small and medium widgets keep your fast in view. Choose elapsed time or time remaining. The larger widget shows both, with the full record and progress. Live Activities keep the timer on your Lock Screen and Dynamic Island on supported iPhones. A MONTH, ON RECORD Browse your fasting history in a simple calendar. Finished goals retain their record color. Early endings appear in gray. Open any day to see each fast. YOURS TO SHARE Share one fast or your whole month as a single image. Include record details and exact times when you want to. LIGHT BY DESIGN Use the timer, history and widgets without an account. Your records stay on your device unless you sign in to save them across devices. Optional Apple, Google or email sign-in lets you keep records across devices. Free to use. No ads. The Fast records time. It does not provide medical or dietary advice.

Screenshots

Hold Fast4 screens
The Fast4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: The Fast at none against Hold Fast's 2. The Fast also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 5 days) and iOS requirement (16.4 vs 18.0). 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. The Fast 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 Hold Fast against 5.0 for The Fast. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 4 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Hold Fast ships an update every 5 days, The Fast daily. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Hold Fast versus The Fast: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHold FastThe Fast
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings)5.0 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings24 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 daysDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS18.016.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size10 MB31 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperByron SotoPrime Adventure LLC

Customer experience

Hold Fast

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

The Fast

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Hold Fast

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly$2.991 Month
  • Yearly$19.991 Year
None

The Fast

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Hold Fast free?
Hold Fast is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is The Fast free?
The Fast is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Hold Fast or The Fast?
Hold Fast and The Fast are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 2 and 4 ratings respectively.
Do Hold Fast or The Fast have ads?
Neither Hold Fast nor The Fast shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Hold Fast or The Fast?
Hold Fast ships an update every 5 days, and The Fast daily. Most recently, Hold Fast was updated on October 31, 2026 and The Fast on October 31, 2026.

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