Comparison

Start Stretching vs Yoga | Down Dog

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

Head to head
About

Start Stretching

Improve your physical flexibility with guided stretches designed for beginners. This app offers simple instructions and a built-in timer to make daily stretching convenient. Track your progress and integrate with your health app to monitor your fitness journey.

Highlights
  • Beginner-level stretches
  • Easy-to-follow graphics and instructions
  • Configurable stretch durations
  • Built-in timer
  • Health app integration
  • Statistics tracking
  • Automatic stretch cycling
Read full description

Start Stretching is a stretching coach intended for healthy individuals who are seeking to improve their physical flexibility. The app is an entry point into the world of flexibility training for anyone with the capability to perform a few basic movements. The app features a routine of beginner level stretches designed to help people improve their health and mobility, whether you have a minute or 10 to spare each day. Simple graphics with easy to follow instructions and a built-in timer make stretching convenient. Integration with the Health app allows tracking stretching time as a workout. ---------------------------------------- Why Stretch With Start Stretching? ---------------------------------------- - Basic stretches, clearly described – both textually and graphically - Configurable stretch durations for difficulty adjustment - Integration with the Health app to record your stretching workouts - Statistics tracking - Stretch hold length timing - Automatic cycling through the stretch routine

About

Yoga | Down Dog

This app generates a unique yoga, meditation, Pilates, or HIIT workout every time you start. It's fully customizable to your skill level, focus, pace, and time, offering over a million possible configurations. Syncs with Apple Health and is available in multiple languages.

Highlights
  • Brand-new yoga practice every time
  • Over ten styles of yoga
  • Customizable focus on 19 body areas
  • Choice of 6 yoga teachers
  • Includes meditation, Pilates, and HIIT
  • Syncs with Apple Health
  • Available in multiple languages
Features
Read full description

Down Dog builds a brand-new yoga practice every time you press start — tailored to your level, focus, pace, and time. With over a million possible configurations, no two sessions are the same. Whether you're brand new to yoga or have been practicing for decades, Down Dog adapts to where you are today. OVER TEN STYLES OF YOGA Vinyasa, Restorative, Yin, Wake-Up Yoga, and more. Easily switch between styles to get the practice that's right for you. BEGINNER FRIENDLY Start with Beginner 1 and build up at your own pace. Unlock new poses and more variety as you level up. TARGET WHAT MATTERS TO YOU Use the Boost feature to focus your practice on any of 19 body areas - backbends, hip openers, core, shoulders, and more. Select a primary and a secondary boost to customize every practice, or get more variety in your routines by rotating through them all. TOTALLY CUSTOMIZABLE PRACTICES "Like" poses to see them more often. "Dislike" poses to skip them. CHOOSE YOUR VOICE Choose from 6 different yoga teachers to be guided by a voice you love. STAY CONSISTENT Set daily, weekly, or monthly goals. Build streaks and develop a practice that works for your schedule. YOUR FULL WELLNESS TOOLKIT One subscription unlocks our full library of practice types, all in one app: Meditation - guided sessions for stress, sleep, focus, and mindfulness Pilates - core, posture, and stability HIIT - fast, efficient workouts that build strength and cardio fitness Switch between them anytime. No extra downloads, no extra fees. SYNCS WITH APPLE HEALTH Track your practice alongside the rest of your wellness data. MULTIPLE LANGUAGES All yoga practices are available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Italian, Russian, Mandarin, Japanese, Korean, Turkish, Polish, and Ukrainian “I LOVE your app. I am a physician and I recommend it to my patients all the time, for those suffering from anxiety and panic disorder to those with low back pain. I can’t thank you enough for bringing yoga back into my life- making it so accessible, approachable, and convenient.” -James “Love it, as always. You guys have changed my life. I’m not a T-Rex anymore and I can move without back pain. Thank you :)” -Sharon “Restorative mode is perfect for my 71 year old body!” -Margaret “I am absolutely thrilled with the quality of this practice. I felt like I was in a studio and I was really sweaty and challenged. Well done!” -Emily “After just one Yin session, I can feel a *huge* difference in my flexibility.” - Alexandra Integrates with the Apple Health app! Down Dog's terms and conditions can be found at https://www.downdogapp.com/terms Down Dog's privacy policy can be found at https://www.downdogapp.com/privacy

Screenshots

Start Stretching4 screens
Yoga | Down Dog4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Yoga | Down Dog at none against Start Stretching's shown. Yoga | Down Dog also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 4 months) and ratings volume (327K vs 3.6K). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support 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. Start Stretching sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Yoga | Down Dog sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Yoga | Down Dog holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Yoga | Down Dog has 327K ratings behind it against 3.6K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 80% of Start Stretching's written reviews are positive against 93% of Yoga | Down Dog's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Start Stretching ships an update every 4 months, Yoga | Down Dog every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Start Stretching versus Yoga | Down Dog: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStart StretchingYoga | Down Dog
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (3.6K ratings)4.9 (327K ratings) — better
Positive reviews79.8% of reviews92.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings3.6K327K — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#121 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB101 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperYogasoft ApplicationsYoga Buddhi Co.

Customer experience

Start Stretching

All ratings3,509 ratings
Positive90.7%
Neutral4.3%
Negative5.0%
Written reviews243 reviews
Positive79.8%
Neutral4.9%
Negative15.2%

Yoga | Down Dog

All ratings327,161 ratings
Positive98.9%
Neutral0.7%
Negative0.4%
Written reviews1,827 reviews
Positive92.5%
Neutral2.7%
Negative4.8%

User reviews

Start Stretching

From 3.6K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Simple and easy to use
  • 🚀 Straightforward stretching routine
  • 💪 Helpful for improving flexibility
  • ⏱️ Effective timer and countdown features
  • 📊 Useful statistics and progress tracking

Room to improve

  • 🔍 Limited number of stretches
  • 🤔 Lack of customization and progression options
  • 💰 Premium version not worth the cost
  • 🤯 Confusing instructions and interface for some users

Yoga | Down Dog

From 327K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🧘‍♀️ Helps with chronic illness
  • 🤸‍♀️ Customizable practices
  • 🕰️ Flexible duration and pacing
  • 🎶 Variety of music options
  • 🧠 Calming and mindful experience

Room to improve

  • 🧠 Can be stressful with too much customization
  • 🤸‍♀️ Expectations for poses may be unrealistic for beginners
  • 🔌 Offline access removed
  • 🔇 Music volume can overpower instructions
  • 🔍 Lack of diversity in instructors and models

Bugs and requests

Start Stretching

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Occasional freezing or looping issues
  • Inconsistent behavior with left/right stretch variations

Requested features

4 requests
  • More stretching exercises and routines
  • Ability to create custom stretching programs
  • Guided audio or video instructions
  • Integration with fitness tracking apps

Yoga | Down Dog

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Syncing issues causing practices to go out of sync
  • Inability to cast to TV
  • Draining battery life due to background activity

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add a library of pose explanations and modifications
  • Allow adjusting music volume separately from instructions
  • Offer a Yoga Sculpt option
  • Add a meditation component to practices
  • Provide a way to exclude certain poses from a practice

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Start Stretching

One-time1
  • Start Stretching Premium$1.99
7 purchases

Yoga | Down Dog

Subscriptions7
  • Down Dog Membership$2.991 Month
  • Pro Membership$3.991 Month
  • Down Dog Membership$7.991 Month
Show 4 more
  • Pro Membership2 variants$12.991 Month
  • All Access Subscription2 variants$12.991 Month
  • All Access Subscription$99.991 Year
  • Pro Membership2 variants$99.991 Year

Questions

Is Start Stretching free?
Start Stretching is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Yoga | Down Dog free?
Yoga | Down Dog is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Start Stretching or Yoga | Down Dog?
Yoga | Down Dog is rated higher. Start Stretching averages 4.6 out of 5 from 3.6K ratings, while Yoga | Down Dog averages 4.9 from 327K ratings.
Do Start Stretching or Yoga | Down Dog have ads?
Start Stretching shows ads; Yoga | Down Dog does not.
Which is updated more often, Start Stretching or Yoga | Down Dog?
Start Stretching ships an update every 4 months, and Yoga | Down Dog every 2 weeks. Most recently, Start Stretching was updated on November 11, 2026 and Yoga | Down Dog on November 13, 2026.

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