Comparison

Simple Pace vs Active Metrics

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

Head to head
About

Simple Pace

Effortlessly convert between distance, time, pace, and speed. This tool simplifies race planning with split calculators and quick access to common race distances. Enjoy a private, ad-free experience with customizable settings.

Highlights
  • Pace Calculations
  • Split/Lap Calculator
  • Common Distances Lookup
  • Live Pace Tracking
  • Customizable Settings
  • Privacy Focused
Features
Read full description

Distance, time, pace and speed, always in sync. Change any one and the others follow. A lock holds the value you care about while you work out the rest. On a relay team, or waiting for a runner at a race? ETA tells you the clock time they reach you, with a live countdown that carries on to the Lock Screen, up to three alerts, and on iOS 26 and later an alarm that rings even on silent. Tap when they arrive and the leg is saved with the pace they really ran. FREE • Four linked calculators: tap any value to edit it, tap a unit to switch between miles and kilometers. Every row keeps its own units. • Race distances built in: 400 m, 5k, 10k, half-marathon, marathon, and ultras from 50k to 100 miles. • Share card: send your distance, time and pace as an image. • Make it yours: light or dark, eight accent colors with matching app icons or the Multicolor theme that gives distance, time, pace, and speed each their own color, reorderable sections, and the Classic interface if you prefer it. • Accessibility: VoiceOver, Voice Control, Dynamic Type, Sufficient Contrast and Reduced Motion. • All calculations work offline. Seven languages. PRO (one-time purchase, no subscription) • Splits: plan even, negative or positive splits at any interval from 100 m to 10 miles, by halves, thirds, quarters or fifths, or an interval of your own, then export the table. • ETA: made for relay exchanges and race spectators. Each runner gets a card with the arrival clock time, a live countdown, estimated progress, up to three alerts and a note. On iOS 26 and later, an alarm rings like an alarm clock before they arrive, even on silent and in a Focus, with Snooze. The countdown also runs on the Lock Screen, in the Dynamic Island and as a badge on the main screen. Tap Arrived to save the leg with the pace actually run; finished legs stay in a list you can edit and share. Bought the app during the paid period (October 2024 to February 2025)? Pro is already yours. No ads. No tracking. No account. Anonymous usage analytics can be switched off in Settings. It's just me, a runner, building the pace calculator I want to use. Send feedback from inside the app and I'll answer.

About

Active Metrics

Features
Read full description

Am I improving? It's the question behind every run and the one your watch never quite answers. I'm an indie developer and a runner, and I built Active Metrics because I wanted that answer on my own wrist. Every feature in it exists because I wanted it mid-run. THE ANSWER Training load (CTL/ATL/TSB), VO2max trends, a race predictor, and weekly trends for resting heart rate, HRV, and efficiency come together into one honest picture: is the training working? A training status verdict says whether you're building fitness, holding steady, or digging a hole. Personal records pop up on their own the moment you earn them. SHOULD I PUSH TODAY? Glance at your readiness score and know. Recovery time after hard efforts and adaptation scores for heat, cold, hills, and endurance tell you whether today is for pushing or easing off before you have put your shoes on. YOUR DATA, EXACTLY WHERE YOU WANT IT 24 data fields, five layouts. Go dense 4×2 for race day, big 2×2 for an easy long run. Focus pages give heart rate, pace, or power the whole screen, and every metric colors itself to the state your body is in. WORKOUTS THAT COACH YOU Build intervals with heart-rate, pace, or power targets. Drift off target and your watch nudges you back: a banner, a buzz, a spoken cue in your headphones. Laps and turns are announced without breaking stride, and your music picks right back up. SEE WHAT HAPPENED OUT THERE Scrub the map and every chart together. Tap the spike in your heart rate and the map jumps to the exact spot it happened. Splits, zones, and insights you can act on. Export any workout as GPX or TCX. ROUTES, ON AND OFF THE GRID Follow a GPX route with turn-by-turn cues on your wrist, download offline trail maps before you lose signal, or ask your watch to create a loop at whatever distance you feel like today. SHARE YOUR RUN, LIVE Heading out alone? Send someone you trust a private link and they can follow your live location until you're safely back. The link dies the moment your workout ends. No account for you, no app for them. SENSORS Foot pods, power meters, speed and cadence sensors, and FTMS indoor trainers pair straight to the watch. FREE AND PRO Recording is free, forever — every sport, every data screen, your history and personal records. No account, no time limit. Pro unlocks the answers: readiness, training load, trends, insights, and the race predictor, plus route generation, turn-by-turn navigation, offline trail maps, and live sharing. Pro is an auto-renewable subscription: $7.99 per month or $49.99 per year, each with a one-month free trial. Family Sharing included. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in Settings > Apple Account > Subscriptions. PRIVACY, PLAINLY No analytics, no crash reporter, no ad SDKs, no third-party code at all. No account, no login. Your workouts stay on your device and in HealthKit — nothing leaves unless you choose to share it, and a live beacon is seen only by the person you sent it to, only while you're out. Health data is never used for advertising, marketing, or data mining. Full policy: activemetrics.app/privacy. Questions or ideas? I love hearing new ideas: support@activemetrics.app REQUIREMENTS Requires Apple Watch on watchOS 26 or later, paired with an iPhone on iOS 26 or later. Route generation covers the United States; importing and navigating GPX routes works anywhere in the world. Continued use of GPS and live beacon running in the background can decrease battery life. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://activemetrics.app/privacy

Screenshots

Simple Pace4 screens
Active Metrics3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Simple Pace at 18.0 against Active Metrics's 26.2. On price, update cadence, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Simple Pace sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and Active Metrics sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Simple Pace ships an update every 2 weeks, Active Metrics every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Simple Pace versus Active Metrics: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSimple PaceActive Metrics
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (37 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews75.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings37 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, Apple Watch
Requires iOS18.0 — better26.2
Further details — not scored
Size55 MB33 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCamp Four Software LLCSpears Software LLC

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Simple Pace

One-time4
  • Small Tip$0.99
  • Go Pro$2.99
  • Medium Tip$4.99
Show 1 more
  • Large Tip$9.99
2 purchases

Active Metrics

Subscriptions2
  • Active Metrics Pro Monthly1 Month trial$7.991 Month
  • Active Metrics Pro Annual1 Month trial$49.991 Year

Questions

Is Simple Pace free?
Simple Pace is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Active Metrics free?
Active Metrics is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Simple Pace or Active Metrics have ads?
Neither Simple Pace nor Active Metrics shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Simple Pace or Active Metrics?
Simple Pace ships an update every 2 weeks, and Active Metrics every 3 weeks. Most recently, Simple Pace was updated on October 16, 2026 and Active Metrics on September 29, 2026.

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