What's the best app for Concept 2 Rower?

The Concept 2 is the gold standard for indoor rowing machines, the piece of kit that lasts forever, is found in gyms, homes and rowing clubs around the world and the benchmark for comparison of indoor rowing performances.  Indoor rowing is a great way to get fit, low impact but works 86% of the major muscle groups resulting in an awesome whole-body workout, but when it comes to brining your workout into the connected world of smartphones and tablets, enhancing your workout experience, tracking and recording results and following a program we find lots of people asking What's the best app for Concept 2 Rower?   

Why use an app with your Concept 2 Rower?

Firstly it's worth talking about why you might want to use an app with your Concept 2 rowing machine.  The machine itself comes with a performance monitor which tracks a variety of stats, but it is functional rather than inspiring and standalone rowing in 'isolation' isn't for everyone.  So if you want to track your progress over time, share results, follow a structured program, or perform a connected workout with other rowers or trainers then it's probably time to think about getting connected and find out what's the best app for Concept 2 rowers!  

How do you connect a Concept 2 to an App?

In our opinion the best way to connect your Concept 2 to a digital device is to use the PM5 Performance Monitor which comes with built in Bluetooth.   The PM5 opens up a world of connectivity where almost any modern smartphone or tablet device can be connected to the Concept 2 Rower and because the PM5 is standard on all new and recent Concept 2 ergometers you can use the widest selection of apps. 

There are a number of alternative ways that you can connect your Concept 2 to a digital smart device to allow you to run a rowing app, but these tend to come with some restrictions or limitations.  For example you can connect an Android device to the PM5 monitor directly via a USB cable but this option isn't available for Apple iOS devices and not all apps support this method.    

What is the best app For Concept 2 rower?

You have your Concept 2 rower setup with a PM5 monitor and are ready to connect, but what is the best app to give you an enhanced workout experience? We'll try and answer that question below by reviewing the best Concept 2 apps we have found, looking objectively at their ratings, explaining the types of workouts available, sharing some of the best things about each app, some of the things that people dislike about each app, as well as the cost of subscription and other insights.

1. asensei

asensei appstore rating: 4.8 stars No of asensei ratings: 3000+ Read the unfiltered appstore reviews for asensei

What type of workouts does asensei offer?

Workout with a trainer or coach as you row. In every workout there is a coach on-screen rowing beside you, helping you to keep the correct pace and talking you through your workout.  The built in asensei coach watches you as you workout and gives you realtime feedback to help keep you on track. 

One of the strongest features of the asensei app is that it also provides structured multi-week training programs that are automatically personalized for you so that the targets are challenging but achievable.  

Workouts are mainly rowing based from HIIT to endurance, but also include bodyweight exercises, stretching, drills and skills.

asensei is the highest rated rowing app in the appstore, at 4.8 stars and is the best Concept 2 app for rowers with by far the most ratings (Kinomap has a similar number of ratings, but is for cycling and running too).

Screenshots of the asensei app 

What do people Like about asensei?

• The coaches are great and there's a lot of variety so your training will not be boring. Coaches include Olympic Champion Eric Murray, there are programs from British Rowing, Shane Farmer from Dark Horse Rowing and studio coach Johan Quie.
• asensei offers several dedicated beginner training programs, which introduces the basics of the Concept 2 machine setup, gives you guidance on basic rowing technique and offers a number of example workouts to allow you to experience different types of training sessions.
• Structured programs for lots of different goals - e.g. work through a 6 week training plan to improve your 2k times, but with personalized targets, advanced training for a 6k, or Master The Basics of rowing with British Rowing.
• 3rd party connectivity - Apple Health integration is supported and heart rate monitors are supported.
• It's easy to use.  There's always a workout recommended for you when you open the app so you don't need to choose one (and it's pre-loaded for you), connecting is done automatically during the workout itself so you can get started quickly.
• There are a lot of workouts in asensei, these are organized by program/coach and a search feature is included in the latest version of the asensei app to allow you to sort by coach, duration, or keywords like ladder workout, HIIT or pyramid workout.
• When you have no internet connectivity offline workouts are possible with asensei - with some restrictions as this applies to the pre-loaded Up Next sessions only.
• Workouts come with an asensei curated music playlist as you workout, meaning you are not just rowing with a coach, but you have a soundtrack too.  You can choose your own music through Apple Music or even use a 3rd party app such as Spotify.  Unlike some apps music is not tied to each workout so if you have a favorite workout you can change music each time you perform it depending upon your mood.
• With all these benefits and the high appstore rating asensei is many people's choice for the best app for Concept 2 rowers.  

What People Dislike about asensei

• Concept 2 users can connect asensei to Strava via the excellent Concept 2 Logbook integration built in to the app, but direct connection to services like Strava is not currently possible with the asensei app.   
• Although the asensei app runs on both iPhones and iPads there is no Android version.  asensei offers some suggestions for the most affordable way to obtain a suitable reconditioned iOS device but the fact remains that Android only users will be disappointed. 
• The chat-style interaction on the home page in asensei is not to all users taste and some features are harder to discover than on other apps. asensei do offer a comprehensive support site and good email  support via support@asensei.com 
• The Apple Watch is not currently supported for Heart Rate Monitoring.

What does asensei cost?

The asensei rowing app is free to download with no obligation or credit card required.  A number of free trial* workouts are available to allow you to try the different coaches and styles of workouts.

There are various flexible subscription plans including monthly, annual, family. 

• A monthly subscription is $19.99 with no minimum term, cancel anytime. All signups for plans are via the asensei.com website.
• An annual asensei subscription costs $150, although a 5% saving is available if you sign up for the recurring billing and a further 15% is available for signups to the asensei newsletter.
• Family plans are great value, starting at $200 for 2 people, $240 for 3 or $275 for 4 members.  Each family member gets their own login and custom programs.

*It's worth noting that those who sign up for a free trial with asensei often get sent discount codes which can offer considerable savings over list prices.

What connectivity options does asensei offer?

• Concept 2 Logbook - every stroke you take during a workout is logged with asensei, your warmups and paddling are captured as rest rowing and your main workout appears as a structured workout in the logbook.
• asensei features full Apple Health integration meaning that your asensei workouts automatically appear in the Apple Health app on your iPhone.  
• Heart rate monitors are supported and you can connect them to your monitor or directly to your phone.
• asensei stores all the details of your workouts for you in their training journal.  You have the option to share a summary of your workout with friends after each session (or from the training journal at a later time)
• Strava, Garmin, Training Peaks integration are all possible via the Concept 2 Logbook which is really easy to setup.

Who is asensei best for?

asensei is great for people who enjoy fun and challenging workouts featuring great music and want to improve their rowing while they workout.

If you are learning to row and want to be guided through the basics of the rowing stroke and rowing machine of choice then asensei's focus on technique and guided learning is invaluable.

For athletes who are training for a specific goal such as rowing a 2km race or a 6km race or to master the fundamentals the structured programs offered by asensei are designed to develop your technique and fitness and are personalized based upon your ability.

If you who want to learn technique from the very best coaches and athletes then the asensei app features Olympic Champions, National Governing Body expert coaches and Collegiate Rowers and is one of the best rowing apps for Concept 2 rower.

2. ErgData

ErgData appstore rating: 2.9 stars No of ErgData ratings: 462+ Read the unfiltered appstore reviews for ErgData Website. www.concept2.com/ergdata

ErgData is Concept 2's own app for their family or ergometers which includes the BikeErg and SkiErg, as well as the RowErg but we're only covering the rower here.  As the name suggests the primary focus of this app is providing you with additional data compared to the bare PM5.  The ErgData app allows you to configure and display all the data available from the rowing machine and syncs it with the Concept 2 Logbook.  

ErgData allows you to connect to the Concept 2 rowerg via Bluetooth.  You can also use ErgData to program workouts in a more intuitive fashion than on the PM5 and it tracks your workouts in the app and syncs results to 3rd party services Apple Health directly.  

The ErgData app requires the Concept 2 PM5 monitor with Bluetooth connectivity and then provides basic workout and tracking functionality.  In the app you can set up a wide range of different workout types based on distance, time, calories, or fixed/variable intervals - basically anything you can program on a PM5 can be configured in ErgData instead, and it programs the PM5 for you. 

The app also includes the ability to see an overview of your workout history via the Concept 2 Logbook integration.  

What type of workouts does ErgData offer?

ErgData doesn't come with preprogrammed workouts, but you can simply setup your own workout as you would do on a monitor with the advantage of a nicer user interface, tracking and connectivity with your digital world.  You can also save favorite workouts and access Concept 2's Workout of the Day (WOD) automatically, which is a nice touch.

Screenshots of the ErgData app from Concept 2

What do people like about the ErgData app?

• The ErgData app is tightly integrated with the Concept 2 ecosystem.  If all you want to do is program a workout, have it appear on the PM5 and in your concept 2 Logbook then this app is ideal for you.
• You can sync your workout results with both the Concept 2 Logbook and Apple Health.
• The ErgData app is free
• This free app is essentially an easier way to setup a workout and to save or share the results.  It does this well and you can configure a wide range of workouts. 

What do people Dislike about the ErgData app?

• No coaching - if you want to learn how to row or improve your technique or mindset then this is not for you.
• While you workout there is little to occupy the mind, it's basically just the stats on-screen - no scenery, split targets, video of a trainer or coach or such like.
• Other than the Workout of the Day there are no pre-built workouts so you have to program every workout manually - although of course you can save them once you have built them.
• There is no music to accompany workouts.
• There's no concept of a structured workout program to work towards a goal.
• Workouts don't set you personalized goals, coaching or give insights as you workout, just data.  You can set a target heart rate, time or pace with ErgData.
• The interface for Ergdata is very utilitarian - it displays data, including some nice graphs, but it has a spartan feel to it.

What does ErgData cost?

The ErgData app is completely free and there are no paid-for upgrade options.  

Who is ErgData Best For?

If it's data from your Erg that you seek, then ErgData is a good option.

People who want to row without an instructor or coach and have an easier way to program their own workouts and have them sync to their digital devices via the Concept 2 Logbook or Apple Health should consider ErgData.

If you like to just follow a randomly chosen workout each day, the Concept 2 WOD is a nice option.  And of course the ErgData app is free so is an ideal best app for Concept 2 rower for those on a tight budget!

3. CityRow Go

CityRow Go Appstore Rating: 4.6 CityRow Go No of ratings: 33 Read the unfiltered appstore reviews for CityRow Go Website. www.cityrow.com

CityRow Go is an app designed for people who like to workout in a rowing studio style.  CityRow have their own physical studios where members can workouts and the CityRow Go app brings rowing based fitness workouts to your Concept 2 with a range of sessions from HIIT to Endurance. 

Screenshots of the CityRow Go app for the Concept 2

What do People Like about CityRow Go?

• Wide selection of studio-style workouts, some of which incorporate weights, some of which feature yoga and mobility.
• The workouts have a high production value, filmed in CityRow's own studios, although they are all filmed in the same location.
• There's a good selection of different instructors, they all have the distinctive CityRow upbeat style.
• 14-day free trial means that you can try it for yourself before you sign-up for the relatively expensive subscription.
• The app has a lot of functionality, allowing you to rate workouts, mark them as favorites, you can program basic workouts yourself and you can view your workout history.
• Your workouts come with upbeat music - which is good for most people - but note you can only control the volume, not skip tunes or change to your own music source like with some other apps.

What do People Dislike About CityRow Go?

• CityRow Go is the most expensive subscription of all reviewed Concept 2 rower apps, by some margin, at $29.99/month
• There is limited heart rate monitor support in the CityRow Go app.  There is a companion Apple Watch App but that only works with the City Row Max rower, not the app and there's currently no support for other heart rate monitors.
• CityRow Go doesn't support offline workouts - you have to have a decent internet connection to stream the CityRow workouts.  So if your home gym or your regular gym don't. have great internet access you might want to look elsewhere.
• Instructors don't consistently display great rowing technique so watch out for bad habits forming.  Typically a CityRow Go workout is about fitness rather than form and the instructors are focussed on giving you an enjoyable workout rather than improving technique  'a good number of the classes and instructors are great but for a rowing focused app there are too many jobbing aerobic instructors with poor technique and badly structured workouts'
• The CityRow Go setup process takes a little longer than for most apps, you are asked for more personal data than with some other apps this is at least partly to let the app understand what type of sessions you are looking for.

What does CityRow Go cost?

CityRow Go is the most expensive subscription of all apps reviewed at $29.99/month. 

The annual option is $289 which works out at just over $24.08 per month. 

Subscriptions are only available from the CityRow Go website.

Who is CityRow Go for?

The CityRow Go app is suited to people who enjoy the studio style classes and want an enjoyable workout on and off the rower, rather than getting involved with the subtleties of indoor rowing technique, racing or improvement.  

4. EXR

EXR Appstore Rating: 3.6 stars EXR No of ratings: 18 Read the unfiltered appstore reviews for EXR EXR Website. www.exrgame.com

Row in virtual worlds with Zwift-style 3D graphics which give you scenery to look at as you workout.  The EXR app allows you to row and train in a limited number of completely virtual works such as Lake EXR, as well as reconstructions of the famous Charles River in Boston and Lake Bled. 

Screenshots of the EXR app 

What do people Like about EXR?

• With 3D Zwift-style graphics EXR creates an immersive world, which means you can row some of your favorite locations, as well as some spaces that don't exist in the real world such as EXR Lake. 
• You can customize your rowing avatar and boat, unlocking more skins as you progress with your achievements, similar to many computer games.
• There are a reasonable number of built in training sessions in the EXR app for subscribers, including standard rowing distances and workouts classified by type, such as aerobic workouts and anaerobic workouts.  It's also possible to create your own training session.
• Badges, achievements and challenges - as you achieve milestones you will be rewarded with badges and achievements, this can help incentivize you to keep you coming back to the app and build fitness.
• Functional capacity tests are available which help you understand your capabilities at any given time.

What do people dislike about EXR? 

• No ability to race multiplayer which is one of the key features of the Zwift app that appears to have inspired EXR.  The website says this is coming soon, although it was originally expected around the end of 2021 and at the time of writing (2nd half of 2022) it looks like the feature is now in beta testing so keep watching out for this to land.
• The 3D graphics mean that you will need a fairly powerful phone.  The developers explain what hardware you will need to run EXR here, but the essence is that you'll want a device that is as powerful as possible, and probably not more than a year or two old.  You do also have the option to reduce the graphics quality if your device is struggling.
• There are only a limited number of virtual environments to row - Bled, Boston and Lake EXR - although the developers promise that more are coming soon.
• Some of the User Interface could be slicker, the app is locked to landscape and certain parts of the UX are really quite small and tricky to read/use when hot and sweaty.  In addition I seemed to have to kill the app to get back to the main menu while rowing which feels like an omission or a bug.
• There is no rowing coaching in the app, so if you are new to rowing, or want to improve your technique or learn new skills you will need to look elsewhere.
• There's currently no ability to create an account in the app, you have to signup online.

What does EXR Cost?

The EXR app costs $9.99/month or $83.88/year if paid annually.

Subscriptions renew automatically and can only be purchased via the EXR website.  Payment can be made via Apple Pay, credit card or bank transfer.

Who is EXR for?

If you love Zwift then EXR is the closest thing to that type of virtual experience specifically aimed at Concept 2 rowing machine users.  It's at an earlier stage of development than Zwift but it's immersive worlds are fun to explore and train in and it deserves to be in the conversation about the best app for Concept 2 rowing machines.

Note, if you really have to workout with the original Zwift then there are some hacky options for using Zwift with a rowing machine.

4. KinoMap

Kinomap Appstore Rating: 4.5 No of ratings: 841 Read the unfiltered appstore reviews for KinoMap Website. www.kinomap.com

The basic premise of the Kinomap app is that you choose a real-world video and train along with it as if you were in that location.  You can watch your icon progress on the map as you follow the video. You can join contestants all around the world and challenge them live through multiplayer scheduled sessions or train on your own.  The app works with bikes, treadmills and rowing machines although some features such as changing incline/resistance don't apply to rowing machines such as the Concept 2 rower which doesn't allow for dynamic resistance adjustment.   

Screenshot of the Kinomap app - rowing 'through' a real-world video

What do people like about KinoMap?

• Rowing along to a video in a beautiful spot or through an interesting location can be relaxing.  Some of the videos have a soundtrack of the oars in water, some even come with birdsong.  Locations are as diverse as Stockholm and South Pacific islands. 
• User Generated Content - it's possible to create your own workouts and submit your own videos helping to drive and improve the community.
• There are some coaching and training videos available - although these are generally separate to the outdoor on-location rowing sessions - they are essentially youtube sessions for indoor rowing brought into the app.
• The app supports a wide range of rowing machines, even allowing you to use your device's camera to detect your stroke cadence if your machine isn't one that can be connected. 

What do people dislike about KinoMap?

• Kinomap is not designed just for rowing, the majority of users are cyclists, followed by treadmill runners and the range of videos available for each sport loosely reflects the popularity of each.
• Range of outdoor rowing videos is relatively limited.
• Kinomap is much better on an iPad than on an iPhone - the screen becomes quite cluttered on a small display, although there are options such as immersive mode that allow you to reduce the amount of information displayed, plus you can mirror your screen to a remote computer.
• Videos of rowing on water have the disadvantage that they tend to show mostly water with perhaps a bit of scenery in the background.
• Most of the scenic videos don't have any coaching or encouragement.
• There's no music available when you workout.
• Lack of training programs as part of the app.  There are individual training sessions but combining these with a scenic video isn't possible.

What does KinoMap cost? 

KinoMap costs Euro 11.99 ($12.65)/month, Euro 89.99 ($94.96)/year if paid annually, or a lifetime membership is available for Euro 269.99 ($284.91).

Subscriptions to Kinomap can be made in-app through your iTunes or Google Play accounts.

Who is KinoMap for? 

Kinomap is great for users who are looking for something to distract them while they workout, rather than those training with a particular goal in mind.  Users who like rowing with nice scenery and relaxing sounds will enjoy Kinomap. 

If you use a stationary bike or like to run as well as row then you gain access a much wider range of videos on Kinomap. If you enjoy contributing to a community you can add videos of your own, as the rowing options are not as extensive as for the other activities.

Frequently Asked Questions About Concept 2 Apps

Can I run Concept 2 apps if I have a PM3 or a PM4?

It is possible to run a limited number of Concept 2 apps with the legacy PM3 and PM4 performance monitors.  There is a dedicated "Ergdata for PM3 PM4" app available from Concept 2.  Unlike the newer PM5 the PM3 and PM4 monitors do not feature Bluetooth connectivity so you must connect with a wired connection.

If you are on an iOS device you can't connect via a regular cable, you have to rely on a 3rd party 'smart' cable that may be available from liverowing.com.  This cable is notoriously unreliable and support is erratic so our advice is to upgrade your PM3 or PM4 to a PM5 and connect via Bluetooth if you want reliable access to the best app for Concept 2 rowers.

Does the Ergatta app work with a Concept 2?

The Ergatta app does not work with the Concept 2 rowing machine, it only works with the Ergatta version of the WaterRower.  This is a physical add-on to the standard WaterRower and costs about $549 if you are upgrading your WaterRower or can be purchased as a more expensive version of the regular WaterRower models.  Ergatta only runs on this dedicated tablet screen although there is a companion app for your smart device which allows you to view results.

What is the top rated Concept 2 Rowing app in the Apple appstore?

Of all the rowing apps reviewed asensei is the highest rated Concept 2 app in the Apple Appstore with a rating of 4.8 stars.  asensei's combination of great workouts, the very finest coaches and trainers and structured programs is a winner for those who have tried it.  The rating comes from a huge number of reviews over a period of years so can be considered a reliable indicator of the best app for Concept 2 rower. 

Does Zwift work with a Concept 2 Rowing Machine?

Unfortunately Zwift have confirmed that they will not support rowing anytime soon.  So if you are looking for on-water courses then this is not for you.

There are a few ways that you can still connect your rowing machine to the Zwift app but each of these come with compromises, not least of which is that you are rowing on land rather than on the water and you'll also need two devices, one to connect to the Concept 2 and one to run Zwift.

The EXR app has a number of similarities to Zwift, with cartoon-style 3D graphics and virtual worlds, however it is a relatively new app with key features such as multiplay still to be released fully and quite a limited range of virtual spaces.