step counter apps to use with friends
If you want to walk against your friends, the most-rated app built for it is StepUp (142,744 ratings, 4.85): private groups, daily leaderboards, friends on iPhone or Android, and nothing to buy but optional tips. Pacer (333,819, 4.9) has walking groups and clubs, and Stompers (11,178, 4.77) turns the day into a game with items. If you only want a friend to see your steps, the iPhone already does that in the Health app, with nothing to install. Seven picks below, one need each, and our own app labeled in the last row.
Seven picks, one need each
| app | best for | ratingsaverage | Android friendsper its description or Google Play | purchaseslisted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| StepUp | friends, family or a group, for free | 142,7444.85 | yes | tips only, $1.00 – $25.00 |
| Pacer | the most-rated, with walking groups and clubs | 333,8194.9 | yes | $3.99 – $49.99 |
| Stompers | a daily game against your friends | 11,1784.77 | yes | $1.99 – $59.99 |
| Stridekick | friends on different fitness trackers | 4,3614.55 | not stated | $12.99 – $549.99 |
| Social Steps | a simple head-to-head | 5,1774.73 | not stated | $1.99 – $9.99 |
| StepBet | putting money on it | 23,3114.8 | not stated | $10.99 – $119.99 |
| Angel Step | ours: company without a scoreboard | 15.0 | no | $8.99 – $88.99 |
All seven are free to download. Figures from the US App Store, checked ; "Android friends" means the app's own description says friends on other phones can join, or that we found its Google Play listing — not that we tested it.
How these were picked
We searched the US App Store for "steps with friends", "step challenge", "walking app with friends" and "step counter friends", and kept the apps that came up for more than one of them, still get updates, and say in their own description that you walk with or against other people. "Best for" is read off those descriptions and the store's numbers, not off a month of living with each app. That is also the limit of this list: it can't tell you which group will keep using one.
For a group: StepUp and Pacer
StepUp describes private groups "for a few friends or up to 15,000 people", daily, weekly and monthly leaderboards, group chat, and a Mystery Mode that hides today's counts until tomorrow. It says friends can compete "across iPhone, Android & different wearables", and the only things it sells are tips named "Support StepUp", from $1.00 to $25.00 — so the groups themselves cost nothing. Pacer, the most-rated of the seven at 333,819 ratings, describes walking groups, clubs and friendly challenges "no matter what phone they use"; it sells a premium subscription ($3.99 – $49.99).
As a daily game: Stompers
Stompers makes each day a new round: sync Apple Health, add friends, and "play a new game every day", in its own words. It has 11,178 ratings at 4.77, a Google Play version for Android friends, and sells a subscription called Super Stompers plus coins ($1.99 – $59.99). It is the one to pick if your group likes the race more than the walk.
Across devices, or with money on it
Stridekick is built for friends who wear different fitness trackers; its description says you can create free challenges that last up to 7 days with up to 10 people, and it sells Stridekick Pro ($12.99 – $549.99). Social Steps is the plainest head-to-head: add friends and see who hits their goal (5,177 ratings, 4.73). StepBet is different in kind: you put money into a game's pot and win a share back if you reach your step targets, which is the whole motivation (23,311 ratings, 4.8; memberships $10.99 – $119.99).
Without installing anything
The iPhone can already share steps. In the Health app, Sharing lets you choose topics from your health data and share them with someone in your contacts — Apple's own example is a notification about a steep decline in activity — and stop at any time. That is sharing, not a contest: they see your numbers, nobody ranks anyone. Activity sharing in the Fitness app is the version with rings and competitions, but Apple says the friend you add needs an Apple Watch; you can add up to 40 friends. If your friends don't wear one, Health sharing or one of the apps above is the way. Where the count itself comes from is on where to see your steps on iPhone.
If you'd rather not compete
Full disclosure: we make the last row. Angel Step has no leaderboard and no shared score on purpose — it is a step counter for walks that clear your head, and a race tends to undo that. You can invite someone with a link or a code — when they take their first walk, a sky opens for both of you — and each of you walks toward your own number, with a widget on the home screen and lock screen that reads Apple Health. It is iPhone-only, free to download, with no ads and no account, and it has one rating so far — which is why it is last. Why a walk like that helps is on why a walk clears your head.
Sources
- Rating counts, averages, descriptions and purchase lists: each app's US App Store page and the iTunes Lookup API, checked .
- Stompers for Android: its Google Play listing, checked the same day.
- Health app sharing: Apple, iPhone User Guide, Share your data in Health on iPhone.
- Fitness activity sharing needs the friend to have an Apple Watch, up to 40 friends: Apple Support, If you can't share your Activity rings, published 10 March 2026.
Updated