The Best Heart Rate Tracker App for iPhone in 2026
Almost every “heart rate tracker” for iPhone is really one of four different products wearing the same name. Picking well is mostly a matter of knowing which one you are actually shopping for.
Disclosure: 70 BPM is our own app. Its limitations are listed alongside everyone else’s, and where another app is the better answer this article says so.
If you are still deciding which kind of app you need rather than which product, start with the four categories of heart rate app — this page is the product roundup that follows from it.
Heart Analyzer — the best general tracker
Free with an optional subscription, 4.7 stars from nearly 22,000 ratings, iOS 17.5 or later, iPhone, iPad and Watch. Turns your Apple Health heart data into charts, reports and widgets, and is the closest thing here to a complete heart dashboard. Best for: most people who just want more than Apple Health shows. Limitation: the deeper analysis is behind a subscription.
HeartWatch — best if you refuse subscriptions
$8.99 once, 4.7 stars from over 13,600 ratings, iOS 11 or later. Tracks heart rate across waking, sleeping and workout states, with a Watch app that alerts you to hold a target zone. Paid once, no recurring cost. Best for: long-term tracking without a subscription. Limitation: no iPad app.
Welltory — best for depth
Free with a subscription, 4.7 stars from over 132,000 ratings, iOS 16 or later. The most established app in this space by a wide margin, built around heart-rate variability and correlating stress against sleep, work and workouts. Best for: people who want the most analysis available and will invest time learning to read it. Limitation: subscription, and a real learning curve — covered in more detail here.
Zones for Training — best for workouts
Free, 4.8 stars from over 19,000 ratings, iOS 17.6 or later. Reads Apple Health workouts and shows intensity by zone. Best for: training rather than general health tracking. Limitation: built around workouts, so it has little to say about the other twenty-three hours — see the zone app comparison.
70 BPM — best for knowing what caused a reading
Free, no subscription, iOS 18, iPhone only. Reads the heart-rate history Apple Health already holds and draws it against your actual calendar events, so a spike arrives labelled with the meeting or block it happened during. Nothing leaves the device — no account, no upload. Best for: answering “what was that?” rather than “how fit am I?”
Limitations: it measures nothing itself, so a watch or other source must be writing to Apple Health. No Apple Watch app. No zones, no HRV scoring, no recovery number. Requires iOS 18. And it is new — a handful of ratings against competitors with tens of thousands, which is a fair reason to weigh it carefully against the field.
Comparison
| App | Best for | Price | Platforms | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heart Analyzer | General tracking | Free + sub | iPhone, iPad, Watch (17.5+) | 4.7 (21,996) |
| HeartWatch | No subscription | $8.99 once | iPhone, Watch (11+) | 4.7 (13,624) |
| Welltory | Analysis depth | Free + sub | iPhone, iPad, Watch (16+) | 4.7 (132,283) |
| Zones for Training | Workouts | Free | iPhone, iPad, Watch (17.6+) | 4.8 (19,138) |
| 70 BPM | Calendar context | Free | iPhone (iOS 18+) | New |
Prices, ratings and OS requirements taken from each app’s App Store listing on 26 August 2026, and they change. This is a comparison built from published information and product capability, not a hands-on long-term test of every app — verify anything decision-critical on the listing itself.
Which one
- Want more than Apple Health, nothing specific: Heart Analyzer.
- Hate subscriptions: HeartWatch, or 70 BPM if calendar context is the appeal.
- Want serious analysis: Welltory.
- Training: Zones for Training.
- Never want health data leaving your phone: 70 BPM.
FAQ
What is the best heart rate tracker app for iPhone?
It depends what you want it for. Heart Analyzer is the strongest general tracker, Welltory the deepest analysis, Zones for Training the best for workouts, HeartWatch the best one-off purchase, and 70 BPM the one that tells you what a reading corresponded to in your day. There is no single winner because they answer different questions.
Do I need a heart rate app if I have an Apple Watch?
Often not. Apple Health already stores your data, charts daily and weekly ranges, tracks resting and walking averages and sends high, low and irregular rhythm notifications. A third-party app is worth adding when your question is one Health cannot express — such as which meeting a spike happened during, or how much of last week was spent in zone 2.
Can an iPhone measure heart rate without a watch?
Yes, through apps that use the camera and flash against a fingertip. That works for an occasional resting reading but is unsuitable for continuous or exercise monitoring. Continuous tracking needs a wearable writing to Apple Health.
Is there a free heart rate tracker app with no subscription?
70 BPM and Zones for Training are both free with no subscription. HeartWatch is a single $8.99 purchase. Heart Analyzer and Welltory are free to download but gate their deeper analysis behind a subscription.
70 BPM shows the heart rate Apple Health already holds against your calendar. Free, on device, no account.
See 70 BPM ›