Comparison

Pacecraft vs Shift

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

Head to head
About

Pacecraft

Features
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Pacecraft is a running coach that builds a training plan around your fitness and your race, then sends every session straight to your Apple Watch. It is free, there is no account to create, and your health data stays on your device. Most training plans treat every runner the same. Pacecraft starts from where you are today. It reads your recent runs and cardio fitness from Apple Health, works out your current fitness, and predicts your times from 5K to the marathon, with an honest range rather than a number designed to flatter you. BUILT AROUND YOUR RACE Choose your distance, date and goal, and Pacecraft builds a plan that fits the weeks you have left. Set a marathon, half marathon, 10K or 5K, and it structures the whole block for you, from easy running through threshold, intervals and long runs. STRAIGHT TO YOUR WATCH Every session arrives in the Workout app on your Apple Watch with its pace and heart rate targets already in place. Outside, it guides you on pace. On the treadmill, it switches to heart rate so the alerts stop fighting you. TRAINING THAT KNOWS THE COURSE Add the route for your race and Pacecraft reads its climbs, its descents and the short bridges that tend to arrive late on tired legs, then works the right preparation into your training so nothing on the day comes as a surprise. HONEST COACHING Pacecraft tracks your form, training load and recovery, and tells you plainly when to ease off. If your goal has drifted out of reach it will say so, rather than pretending everything is on track. As your fitness changes, it updates the paces for the sessions still to come, without touching the ones you have already run. FREE AND PRIVATE There is no account, no subscription and no adverts. Pacecraft runs on your device, and your health and training data never leaves it. Granting Apple Health access is optional. You can also enter a recent time by hand and use the plan without it. Pacecraft provides general training information and is not medical advice. Consult a qualified professional before starting or changing a training programme.

About

Shift

Features
Read full description

Shift is an interval timer made as simple as possible (but not any simpler). Set up in seconds: β€’ Work β€’ Rest β€’ Repeat How long you exercise – how long you recover – how many rounds. That’s all. Tap Start and Shift takes it from there. Finished workouts stay in History, so your last workout can be your next preset. Load it and go. A few essentials: β€’ Voice cues or simple tones that don’t lower your music β€’ Keeps time in the background β€’ A Live Activity on your Lock Screen and Dynamic Island β€’ A workout display you can turn sideways β€’ Made for iPhone and iPad Completely free. No ads, no paywall, no subscriptions. No accounts, analytics or tracking. Your workouts stay on your device.

Screenshots

Pacecraft3 screens
Shift4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Shift at every 4 days against Pacecraft's every 8 days. On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pacecraft ships an update every 8 days, Shift every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference Β· 5 level
Pacecraft versus Shift: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPacecraftShift
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 8 daysEvery 4 days β€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad β€” better
Requires iOS26.526 β€” better
Further details β€” not scored
Size4 MB30 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBarnaby RitchleyJorick van Meijeren

In-app purchases

None

Pacecraft

No in-app purchases

None

Shift

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Pacecraft free?
Pacecraft is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Shift free?
Shift is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Pacecraft or Shift have ads?
Neither Pacecraft nor Shift shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pacecraft or Shift?
Pacecraft ships an update every 8 days, and Shift every 4 days. Most recently, Pacecraft was updated on October 1, 2026 and Shift on October 16, 2026.

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