It is a well-known fact that a sedentary lifestyle is the root cause of many health-related issues, which is why pedometer apps are perfect towards taking those steps towards fitness.
People who consider walking as their principal form of exercise often have a daily goal to fulfill. Pedometer apps are a great way to count your steps and see if you can keep up with your desired step goal.
No matter your fitness level, these apps can help you achieve your goals – be it losing weight or walking a desired number of steps, or something else. I’ve been using them religiously post Thanksgiving! That’s why I’ve compiled this list of the best pedometer apps and for those new to fitness, I’ve included what these apps are and how to choose the one that most suits your requirements.
Best Pedometer Apps
Accupedo Pedometer
Accupedo Pedometer is a simple and easy way to count your steps. The app keeps counting your steps automatically as you walk. It tracks your steps, no matter where you place your phone – be it in your pocket, backpack, or elsewhere.
However, putting your phone in loose-fit pants can hamper the app’s ability to accurately count your steps, as it causes your phone to move randomly.
Some of the most significant features of Accupedo Pedometer are Apple Watch syncing, daily log history, daily/weekly/monthly/yearly charts, custom personal settings, etc. Besides tracking your steps, Accupedo tells you things like calories burnt, distance covered, and time spent walking too.
Furthermore, the app makes it easier to share your daily logs on various platforms and tell the world about your progress.
Accupedo Pedometer is free to install on Android and iOS, with premium subscriptions starting at 1.99 USD/month or 9.99 USD/year.
It works on:
- iOS
- Android
ActivityTracker Pedometer
ActivityTracker Pedometer makes it possible to calculate your daily steps using your smartphone without wearing any fitness bands. This simple app tracks all your daily activities and motivates you to be more active.
Interestingly, ActivityTracker doesn’t use your phone’s GPS to work. So it is not battery-hogging. It can accurately monitor your steps, calories burnt, distance, active time, etc.
ActivityTracker Pedometer comes equipped with a plethora of cool features like individual weekly targets, monitoring prioritization, hourly/daily/weekly/monthly tracking, progress notifications, interface customization with one of the seven available accent colors, and more. You can also import/export your data to another device or Google Drive.
ActivityTracker Pedometer is available for free on Android and iOS with in-app purchases.
It works on:
- iOS
- Android
Fitbit
Fitbit is indeed among the finest and most popular step trackers available today. Individuals can either use Fitbit as a standalone app or use it along with a Fitbit tracker/smartwatch.
While the app can track basic stats well, it reaches its fullest potential when paired with the smartwatch. Once paired, Fitbit can precisely track your day-to-day activities, workouts, sleep, nutrition, steps, and whatnot.
Besides tracking steps, distance, calories burnt, floors climbed, and active minutes, Fitbit offers its users some amazing features. These include video and audio workouts, relaxing sounds for meditation, sleep scores, bedtime reminders, calorie intake tracking, heart rate tracking, etc.
At present, you can install Fitbit for free on Android and iOS and later opt for its paid plans to unlock advanced features.
It works on:
- iOS
- Android
Google Fit: Activity Tracking
Google Fit aids users in reaching their walking goals and maintaining their fitness by auto-tracking each step. The app tells you real-time stats about your walks, runs, or biking.
Interestingly, Google Fit has collaborated with organizations like WHO and AHA and introduced an activity goal called ‘Heart Points.’
Acquiring sufficient heart points each day/week can help you avoid various heart diseases, improve sleep, and ensure your psychological well-being. In addition to it, you can use your phone camera to measure your respiratory rate as well as your heart rate.
Google Fit also lets you see information from your favorite apps and devices to get the entire picture of progress.
At the time of publication, Google Fit is free in both the Play Store and the App Store.
It works on:
- iOS
- Android
Samsung Health
Samsung Health lets you track your steps, weight, diet, food, sleep, etc. and helps you maintain a healthier lifestyle. The app has an intuitive user screen, showing you different health records on the home screen.
Samsung Health allows users to quickly add or edit things like daily steps, activity time, etc., for easier management.
The app can be your ideal companion for tracking and managing all your fitness activities like walking, running, bike riding, swimming, and more. Other handy features of Samsung Health are sleep pattern monitoring, fitness programs, meditation tools, menstrual cycle tracking, etc. Also, pairing the app with the Galaxy Watch opens up the vista for a more detailed analysis.
And the best part? Samsung Health offers all these useful features without charging you even a penny on Android and iOS.
It works on:
- iOS
- Android
StepsApp – Step Counter
StepsApp is a great way to count your steps automatically. This pedometer app is a good choice if walking and staying fit is your priority.
StepsApp provides its users with some really wonderful features, such as today’s widget, charts and animations, Google Fit integration, active calorie tracking, distance tracker, notifications, weekly report, etc.
Besides, StepsApp lets users customize the app by choosing between six colors and 20+ languages. Plus, you can share your achievements on social media straight from the app and show everyone how you’re making progress.
Currently, StepsApp is a free app on Android and iOS with in-app purchases that unlock premium features.
It works on:
- iOS
- Android
Apple Health
Apple Health is a fantastic app for all Apple users to get aware of their fitness and health info in one place. Users can securely view their health data from their iPhone, Apple Watch, and other compatible third-party apps and devices.
The app allows you to easily track your steps, sleep, and vitals. Apart from that, Apple Health offers numerous other features like interactive charts, trend analysis, personalized sleep schedules, health checklists, reminders, menstrual cycle tracking, and more.
Apple Health is free for all iPhone users and available only on the App Store.
It works on:
- iOS
Step Tracker – Pedometer
Using Step Tracker – Pedometer, calorie and step tracking has become effortless. Step Tracker auto-tracks your steps, routes, etc., in real-time. FYI, the app has a minimalistic, intuitive UI that shows your walking data in graphs so that you can understand everything better.
Some of the best features of Step Tracker include targets and achievements, run tracking, sensitivity level adjustment, data syncing with other fitness apps, stunning themes, and so on.
Presently, Step Tracker is free to install on Android. But users have to opt for in-app purchases to unlock extra features.
It works on:
- Android
So, now that we’ve gone through the apps that’ll help track your step count let’s take into stock what you should consider when choosing one and for fitness newbies, what these apps are actually.
What Are Pedometer Apps?
A pedometer or step tracker apps are digital tools that track an individual’s steps and walking distance within a certain timeframe. Such applications track the total steps you walk each day and store that data in the app to monitor further.
Generally, pedometer apps utilize your smartphone’s built-in sensors to track your steps and estimate the distance and calories burnt from that step count.
How Do Step Counter Apps Work?
When we walk, our body inclines to the side as we move forward. This keeps repeating with every step we take, creating a pendulum-like motion. A pedometer app counts each of these tilts of our hip area as a step. Nowadays, with the rapid development of technology, we can use our smartphones as step trackers using dedicated apps.
These apps utilize your device’s built-in sensors or GPS to calculate your steps and approximate distance you covered. While pedometers are a great way to track your steps, you have to remember that these apps are never fully accurate. Nonetheless, depending on how powerful and precise your smartphone’s sensors are, this accuracy can reach an almost perfect level.
Some Factors to Consider While Choosing a Pedometer App
As we mentioned earlier, one can find a plethora of pedometer apps to try in the market today. However, not all of them are reliable.
Therefore, for accomplishing your walking goals and staying fit, choosing the right pedometer app is vital. Here are some of the important factors you should consider before going for a specific app:
#1. Presence of Essential Features
A good pedometer app should have essential features like step counting, distance and calorie tracking, progress tracking, daily/weekly/monthly reports, goal setting, and more.
#2. Accuracy
While it is clear that no pedometer is completely accurate, a decent step tracker app should track the steps, distance, and calories burnt as precisely as possible. For example, a pedometer app that can’t even differentiate between a slight shake and an actual step is certainly not worth your time.
#3. Battery Life
A pedometer app that quickly drains your battery is not the one you should look for. It’s a no-brainer that apps that predominantly use GPS to track your steps consume more of your smartphone’s battery than apps that don’t. The latter app uses your phone’s built-in sensors instead of GPS to detect motion. So, they help preserve the battery.
So, what are you waiting for? Break out those walking shoes and let’s start step tracking!
Author’s Note
The ever-increasing prevalence of the sedentary lifestyle has been the cause of a wide range of health issues, such as obesity, heart disease, metabolic syndrome, and so on. Walking has proven to be an effective method to combat these complications and maintain fitness in humans.
A pedometer or step tracker app can track your steps, distance covered, and calories burnt and help you stay fit. In this article, we have curated the best pedometer apps that you should try without further delay.
Now that you know the best pedometer apps to track your steps, don’t wait any longer. Install them ASAP and reach the fitness level you always wanted to achieve.
Happy walking!👣