At a glance
Each cell comes from the product's own App Store listing, website or help center, linked below the table. "Not stated" means we couldn't find it there, not that the feature is missing.
| Pacer | StepUp | Google Health (formerly Fitbit) | Stride: Fitness Challenge | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phones | iPhone, Android; Apple Watch | iPhone, Android; Apple Watch app; syncs most wearables | Google Health app | iPhone (iOS 15 or later) |
| Group challenges | Yes, individual or team vs team | Yes, private groups with start and end dates or ongoing | No challenges or groups; weekly leaderboard with friends | Yes, individuals or teams, in weekly rounds |
| What counts | Steps; also tracks distance, calories and GPS routes | Steps; also tracks distance, floors and calories | Weekly steps or cardio load | Steps, workouts of 20+ minutes, or both |
| Group size | Not stated | Up to 15,000 people | Friends added one by one | 15 free; 50 on the company plan |
| Price | Free challenges; optional Premium (e.g. $49.99/year); Pacer for Teams for workplaces | Free, "no features locked behind paywalls"; optional "Support StepUp" purchases | Leaderboards free | Free up to 15 people; company plan $199/month for up to 50 after a 14-day trial |
| Sign-up | Not stated | Not stated | Google Account | No account |
| App Store ratings (US) | 4.9 from 337K ratings | 4.8 from 151K ratings | n/a | Not enough ratings to show yet |
Sources (checked 8 Nov 2026): Pacer App Store listing and free step challenge page; StepUp Pedometer Step Counter App Store listing; Google Health Help: connect with friends and what's new in the redesigned app; Stride App Store listing and site.
Fitbit (now Google Health)
Fitbit used to be the default answer for group step challenges. On 27 March 2023 it removed Challenges, Adventures and open groups (9to5Google). In 2026 the Fitbit app became the Google Health app; Google's help center says groups and the community feed are gone and that you can compare weekly step totals or cardio load with friends on a leaderboard (what's new, connect with friends).
What it does better than Stride: if everyone already uses Fitbit, there is nothing new to install, and the cardio load leaderboard isn't limited to steps. Where it falls short for groups: no challenge with dates, teams or a shared goal, and kids can no longer have friends in the app.
Pacer
Pacer is a pedometer and walking app with a large community. Its site says creating a step challenge, inviting people and the live leaderboard are free, that it runs on iPhone and Android, and that it supports individual and team-vs-team challenges (Pacer). It also has Pacer for Teams for workplaces.
What it does better than Stride: Android support, so a mixed group can play together; GPS route tracking, personalized fitness plans and guided workouts; an Apple Watch app; a long track record with hundreds of thousands of App Store ratings; and a dedicated workplace product. If your group is mostly walkers, Pacer is a strong pick.
StepUp
StepUp Pedometer Step Counter is built around competing with friends. Its listing says it is free with no paywalled features, works across iPhone, Android and wearables such as Apple Watch, Fitbit, Garmin, Oura and WHOOP, and supports private groups from a few friends up to 15,000 people, with group chat, start and end dates, step-report export for admins and a "Mystery Mode" that hides today's counts until tomorrow (App Store listing).
What it does better than Stride: far larger groups, every major phone and wearable, group chat, report export for organizers, and it is free at any size. For a big step challenge across mixed devices, StepUp is likely the better choice. (There is also a different, much newer app from another developer called "StepUp: Social Step Counter"; check the developer name before you download.)
Stride: Fitness Challenge (ours)
Stride is a group fitness challenge app for iPhone. One person starts a challenge and shares a four-character code; everyone's points land on one shared weekly board. Each challenge picks a rule: steps and workouts (5 points for a 10,000-step day, 10 points for a workout of 20 minutes or more, up to five a week), most steps, a daily step goal, or workouts only. Teams are ranked by average points. Steps and workouts come from Apple Health or can be logged by hand, wheelchair users can count pushes, and there are no accounts: the server keeps only a display name, a random device ID and weekly points.
Where it's the better fit: small groups (up to 15 free) on iPhone where some people lift, swim or cycle rather than walk, and where nobody wants to sign up for anything. Where it isn't: groups with Android phones, groups larger than 15 that don't want to pay, people who want distance or GPS routes, and anyone who wants an app with a long public track record. Stride is new and doesn't have enough App Store ratings to show yet.
How we checked
On 8 November 2026 we read each product's US App Store listing, official website and help-center pages, and only included features those pages state. Features and prices change, so check the linked pages before you choose. If something here is wrong, tell us via Stride support and we'll fix it.