If you’re looking to step up your fitness game, a pedometer is a great place to start. By tracking how many steps you take in a day and the distance you’ve walked, you can gain insight into how much physical activity you’re getting and make sure it’s enough. If your daily walk isn’t quite hitting the mark, a pedometer app can motivate you to get moving!
Check out our list of the best pedometer apps on the market today. These apps are simple to use and will help you keep track of your activity levels so you can meet your health goals.
Table of Contents
Best Apps For Pedometer
We updated this guide in November 2021 to ensure all step counter apps vetted by the Wellness Lab at the Good Housekeeping Institute are available and correctly priced. We also added more apps, including Sweat and WW, plus highlights about why we love each app and things to consider before you download.
Keeping track of your physical activity can be hard without a Fitbit, Apple Watch, or other workout tracking device — especially for people who walk as their main form of exercise. The easiest solution is to download a step counter app, most of which work by using the built-in GPS on your cell phone.
That’s what the experts at the Good Housekeeping Institute found when they surveyed dozens of the latest step counter apps, as part of their continued coverage of fitness-related products, from treadmills to training shoes. “If you’re looking to track your activity, these inexpensive, if not free, apps are a great way to get started,” says Rachel Rothman, chief technologist at the Good Housekeeping Institute. “Then if you really get into it, you could make the investment in a smartwatch or other wearable fitness tracker, which will likely offer more health-related metrics, like a heart rate monitor and sleep tracking.”
Step counter apps work as pedometers, and are perfect for any fitness level, whether you’re walking to lose weight or just trying to get to 10,000 steps a day. It’s important to keep in mind that these pedometer apps aren’t always as accurate as wearable fitness bands, and they can’t monitor heart rate. While many of these apps are free to download, most of them offer some kind of premium version or subscription with added features.
These are the best step counter apps and pedometer apps to download on the App Store or Google Play in 2021:
1
Pacer
pacer
PACER
With an impressive 4.9 star rating in the App Store, Pacer pedometer is an activity tracker, step counter, and more all in one app. Even though the free version works as a pedometer, upgrading to the premium version gets you so many more insights on your progress — like how your activity stacks up against that of other users.
Cost: free, $30/year for premium subscription
Get it for iOS or Android.
2
Fitbit
Best Step Counter Apps – Fitbit
FITBIT
Guess what? You don’t actually need a Fitbit tracker in order to use the Fitbit app! In addition to being a step tracker, this app can also log your food and hydration each day while managing your health and fitness goals.
Cost: free
Get it for iOS or Android.
3
CharityMiles
Best Step Counter Apps – Charity Miles
CHARITY MILES
Charity Miles lets you donate money to the charity of your choice based on how much you walk, run, or even bike. The free step counter app syncs steps with your phone’s Health Kit or Strava, an app for running and cycling. Some of the charities you can donate to are the ASPCA, Habitat for Humanity, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and She’s the First, to name a few.
Cost: free
Get it for iOS or Android.
4
Sweat
step counters
SWEAT
Sweat is another comprehensive fitness app with a step counter baked into its platform. It’s designed for women, by women — it was co-founded by Kayla Itsines, the Australian fitfluencer whose 13+ million Instagram followers also know her as the creator of Bikini Body Guides. Our consumer testers had mostly good things to say about Sweat; one noted that the app “is more comprehensive and allows for a wider ranger of approaches.” The step counter itself is on par with others we tested, though if you’re going to fork over $10 a month for Sweat, you’ll also want to step up to some of its other content, which ranges from pilates to post-pregnancy workouts.
Cost: $10/month
Get it for iOS or Android.
5
GoogleFit
Best Step Counter Apps – Google Fit
GOOGLE FIT
This is one of the best step counter apps for Android because it was developed directly by Google in a collaboration with the American Heart Association. It tracks way more than just steps: it monitors all of your physical activity and lets you set fitness goals by working with the other health apps you have on your phone already.
Cost: free
Get it for iOS or Android.
6
WW
step counters
WW
WW (formerly known as Weight Watchers) isn’t just about counting calories anymore. The program has embraced a more holistic approach to weight management and overall health. Activity tracking is a big part of that, hence the app’s built-in step counter. Through the new PersonalPoints program, members earn rewards for hitting activity targets, whether it’s reaching 10,000 steps in a day or taking one of the virtual HIIT classes that come with the $10 monthly membership. “We like that the WW app is focusing more on activity, since it has so many benefits beyond weight control, from mood to energy to sleep,” says Amy Fischer, a registered dietician based in New York City.
Cost: $10/month
Get it for iOS or Android.
7
MyFitnessPal
Best Step Counter Apps – My Fitness Pal
MY FITNESS PAL
MyFitnessPal is often considered one of the best calorie counting apps, but not many people know that it also has a step tracking feature. The app can use the motion detection sensors in your phone or an external device, like a Fitbit for example. If you also use it to track your food intake, your daily calorie bank will adjust appropriately depending on how many daily steps you log. There’s also the option to customize your step goals so you stay motivated and on track for weight loss.
Cost: free, $50/year for premium ad-free version
Get it for iOS or Android.
8
MapMyWalk
Best Step Counter Apps – Map My Walk
MAP MY WALK
Similar to the popular running app (both are from Under Armour!), MapMyWalk tracks your workout and displays your route on a map. While you’re working out, it shows you all kinds of stats that track your performance, including distance and step count. Something to keep in mind: Since it uses your phone’s GPS tracking feature, you might notice your battery life declining if you keep the app running in the background.
Cost: free, $30/year for premium version
Get it for iOS or Android.
9
StepsApp
Best Step Counter Apps – Steps App
STEPSAPP
StepApps has a sleek interface that you can customize to one of six fun colors. On iPhones, you can swipe on your home and lock screen to view the app’s widget — it conveniently shows you how many steps you’ve logged at a glance. Plus, people who use wheelchairs can use this step counter app as long as they have an Apple Watch.
Cost: free, $3 for ad-free pro version
Get it for iOS or Android.
10
ActivityTracker
Best Step Counter Apps – ActivityTracker
ACTIVITYTRACKER
What really sets this pedometer app apart from the rest is the ability to toggle between different views. You can track your steps and activity in a bar graph by day, week, and month — even down to the hour. If you upgrade to the pro version, you can import and export data, and you get the ability to use the app on your Apple Watch.
Cost: free, $5 for pro version
Get it for iOS or Android.
11
AppleHealth
Best Step Counter Apps – Apple App
APPLE APP
If you want to keep track of your steps without downloading anything extra, you can use the Health app that’s built in on your iPhone. If you have an Apple Watch, this is also where you can find the stats it tracks (like how much you’ve been standing and exercising).
Cost: free
Get it for iOS.
12
Sweatcoin
Best Step Counter Apps – Sweatcoin App
SWEATCOIN APP
This app pays you in “Sweatcoins” that can be used to buy certain products, like headphones or athletic clothes, depending on how many steps you log. Since you need to keep the app open in the background to earn credit, people complain that it drains their phone’s battery life. Just note that there’s a cap on the amount of Sweatcoins you can earn per day, but you can use the virtual currency to upgrade to a higher threshold so you can earn more.
Cost: free
Get it for iOS or Android.
best free step counter app
Google Fit is a good start for step counter apps. It keeps track of a lot of stuff, including steps, time active, and more. The app also supports all Wear OS smartwatches as well as Xiaomi Mi Bands. Additionally, the app integrates with other apps, including Runkeeper, Strava, MyFitnessPal, Lifesum, Sleep as Android, and many others. Google Fit does a relatively decent job of being a pedometer. It makes some mistakes. However, it’s nothing that you won’t also see in other apps as well. Pedometer apps in general just aren’t as reliable as you get with hardware. In any case, Google Fit is completely free with no in-app purchases or ads. Again, it’s a good start.
See also: Everything you need to know about Google Fit
Leap Fitness Step Counter
Price: Free / $2.99
Leap Fitness – best fitness tracker apps
Leap Fitness Step Counter is one of the simpler pedometer apps. It works well for the minimalists out there. The app requires no sign-in, no cloud service, and also no GPS tracking. It just counts your steps with the sensors on the device. Some of the other features include themes, report graphs, and optional backup to Google Drive. All of the features are usable in the free version. However, the pro version goes for a very reasonable $2.99 and it should remove any advertising. It does have the occasional problem, but most seem to like it. We did too.
See also: The best health apps for Android
MyFitnessPal
Price: Free / $9.99 per month / $48.99 per year
MyFitnessPal with yoga bar
MyFitnessPal is one of the most powerful step counter apps. It also does a whole bunch of other things. Most people use the app for calorie counting, macro tracking (as in, how many carbs one consumes daily), fitness tracking, water tracking, and, you guessed it, step tracking. It tracks steps via other apps. Thus, you’ll need something like Google Fit to track the steps and then MyFitnessPal overlays that data with other stuff.
Head to head: The top calorie-counting apps compared
Pedometer by ITO Technologies
Price: Free (with ads)
Pedometer by ITO Technologies screenshot 2021
Pedometer by ITO Technologies is another simple pedometer app. This one also works best for planned workouts. The app has a start/stop button. Thus, you can use it for that run or walk you planned on taking. The app also keeps track of things like burned calories, distance, walking/running time, and speed. This one may not work as well as a 24/7 step counter like you see with fitness bands or other apps. That said, the app is completely free (with advertising) so it’s a little difficult to complain too much about a lack of features. It’s definitely good for what it does, though.
Pacer Health Pedometer
Price: Free / $3.99 per month / $19.99 per year
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Pacer Health – best pedometer apps and step counter apps
Pacer Health’s Pedometer and Step Counter app is one of the more popular step counter apps. It lets you tweak the step counter sensitivity in a lot of ways. Thus, it has a good chance of being accurate for your needs. The app also features GPS step tracking (optional), a no-login experience, and support for both Fitbit and MyFitnessPal. The premium (read: subscription) version includes some additional features like workout tools and coaching. Thankfully, the subscription price isn’t overly bad. Other than the occasional hiccup, the app also works pretty well.
See also: The best fitness tracker apps for Android
Runkeeper
Price: Free / $9.99 per month / $39.99 per year
Runkeeper best fitness apps
Runkeeper is one of the most popular pedometer apps. In fact, tracking your runs and walks is the whole point of the app. The app features workout-tracking, goals, fitness routines, progress reports, and more. It also includes community challenges, exercise rewards, and other little things for motivational purposes. The subscription version also includes better workout support, better progress tracking, and live tracking support. The free version should work for most people mostly because the subscription price is a little much for what it provides.
Runtastic Steps
Price: Free / $2.99-$4.97 per month
Runtastic Steps – best pedometer apps
Runtastic is another powerful and popular pedometer app. The free version should have everything you need. That includes a step tracker, integration with Google Fit, activity overviews (progress tracking), and support for other apps and wearable devices. It also tracks your calories burned. Runtastic also has a variety of other apps for tracking other stuff such as sleep, biking, and general fitness with their main app. This one does require a subscription to get the best features. However, it’s reasonably priced. We didn’t find any issues with this app and neither did most Google Play reviewers.
See also: The best running apps for Android
Zombies, Run! and The Walk
Price: Free trial / $4.99 / $3.99 per month / $24.99 per year
Zombies, Run! and The Walk are two very popular fitness apps. They try to add some fun to the proceedings. Players walk, run, or bike while they listen to a story. Their distance progresses them through the story. Thus, in order to hear the next part of the tale, you have to keep going. Of course, if you don’t keep going, you lose the game. The games don’t necessarily keep track of every individual step. However, they do keep track of your overall distance. Zombies, Run! has a free trial with the first several missions included. The full version goes for $3.99 per month or $24.99 per year. The Walk is free with a $4.99 pro version. Neither price is unreasonable for what you get.
See also: The best augmented reality games and AR games for Android
Your fitness band’s app
Price: Free
Fitbit screenshot 2019 – best running apps
Most people going for fitness end up buying a fitness band or fitness tracker of some sort (like Fitbit, for instance). Most of these fitness trackers have their own apps. The apps keep track of everything your hardware records, including steps, sleep, calories burned, stairs climbed, and how active you are. In some cases, they even track your heart rate. This is an optimal solution for those with fitness trackers. Those with hardware fitness trackers should definitely try out the apps that come with them first. They’re almost always free, are usually at least somewhat customizable, and work best with the hardware they were designed for.
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