What frustrates people about push-up and rep-counter apps
Across 1,543 written App Store reviews of 9 push-up and rep-counter apps, unhappy reviewers of auto-counters most often say counting or detection is unreliable (38, 25.2%) or describe bugs (38, 25.2%). Unhappy reviewers of plan apps most often cite price or paywall (83, 59.3%) and being asked to subscribe after paying once (33, 23.6%). Shares are of 1–2★ reviews; written reviews are not ratings.
A study of 1,543 written App Store reviews across 9 apps (reviews dated Aug 2012 to 2 Oct 2026)
Push-up apps fall into two groups. Auto-counters use the camera, the proximity sensor or face tracking to count reps for you. Plan apps give you a sets-and-reps programme, such as "0 to 100 push-ups", and you log the reps yourself. We read what unhappy reviewers say about each group.
Written reviews are not ratings. Apple's review feed returns written reviews only, and written reviews skew more negative than star-only ratings. The share of negative reviews here is not any app's App Store average.
Key findings
- Auto-counters (6 apps, 792 reviews, 151 rated 1–2★): the top complaints are tied. 38 (25.2%) say counting or detection is unreliable (missed reps, double counts, the sensor not registering), and another 38 (25.2%) describe bugs or crashes. Price comes third at 30 (19.9%), then camera or setup trouble, such as lighting or phone position, at 24 (15.9%).
- Plan apps (3 apps, 751 reviews, 140 rated 1–2★): price or paywall leads at 83 (59.3%). Another 33 (23.6%) describe paying once and later being asked to subscribe. Nearly all of those (32 of 33) concern one long-running app that, according to reviewers, moved to a subscription.
- All 9 apps together (291 reviews rated 1–2★): price or paywall 113 (38.8%), bugs 47 (16.2%), counting or detection 43 (14.8%), paid-then-subscription 35 (12.0%).
Shares are of 1–2★ reviews, and one review can fall into several categories. See Method for how well each rule held up when checked by hand.
Complaint categories (1–2★ reviews)
| Category | Auto-counters (n=151) | Plan apps (n=140) | All (n=291) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Counting or detection unreliable | 38 (25.2%) | 5 (3.6%) | 43 (14.8%) |
| Bugs, crashes, freezing | 38 (25.2%) | 9 (6.4%) | 47 (16.2%) |
| Price, subscription, paywall | 30 (19.9%) | 83 (59.3%) | 113 (38.8%) |
| Camera, lighting, positioning | 24 (15.9%) | 1 (0.7%) | 25 (8.6%) |
| Paid once, then asked to subscribe | 2 (1.3%) | 33 (23.6%) | 35 (12.0%) |
| Billing, refunds | 2 (1.3%) | 12 (8.6%) | 14 (4.8%) |
Every number for every category, for both groups and both time windows, is in the CSV download. We also had a "programme design" rule, but it was right only 8 times out of 20 in our hand check, so we do not report it here; it stays in the CSV, flagged, only for transparency.
What reviewers say
- "This app sometimes misses counts or counts 1 pushup twice."
- "…won't work in anything but great lighting."
- "Paid for this app years ago now I have to pay a subscription fee to use it."
- "Requires too much tapping between sets."
What this suggests
- For auto-counters, trust in the count is the product. When a counter misses reps, people stop using it, however good the rest of the app is. Clear setup guidance (lighting, framing) and a way to correct a wrong count both matter.
- Changing the pricing model loses trust. In plan apps, the strongest negative reaction comes from people who had already paid and were then asked to pay again.
- The sample is small. This category has far fewer written reviews than recovery or appearance apps. Only 74 of the low-star reviews fall within the last 24 months, so we pooled all available years. Older reviews describe older versions of these apps.
Method
- Apps that had written reviews (9): Push Up Counter & Tracker ("Puuush"), PushFit, PushFit Pro, Pushup RPG, CounterUps, PushNow, Push Up Counter – 100 Pushups (Foxyfitness), Push ups: 100 pushups trainer (Fitness22) and Push Ups Trainer Challenge.
- Grouping: the first 6 apps are auto-counters and the last 3 are plan apps. The Foxyfitness app is grouped by its listing and review content.
- Apps with no written reviews: four more apps were checked but had none in these storefronts: AI Rep Counter: HealthBuddy, AI PushUp Counter, PUSHUP – AI Rep Counter, and Push Up Counter: AI Tracker.
- Our app is excluded: RepSquad is not in the data.
- Source: Apple's public customer-review RSS feed (most-recent sort, up to about 500 reviews per app per storefront). Storefronts: US, UK, Canada, Australia, India, New Zealand and Ireland. Collected on 4 Oct 2026. App IDs were confirmed with the iTunes Lookup API.
- Sample: 1,543 written reviews, of which 291 are rated 1–2★, dated 17 Aug 2012 to 2 Oct 2026. The last 24 months alone contain 473 reviews, 74 of them low-star; that subset is in the CSV download.
- Categorisation: published keyword rules (regular expressions) applied to each review's title and text. Reviews can match more than one category. Every rule is listed in the CSV download.
- Hand checks: we read 20 random matches per category and counted how many the rule got right: bugs 95%, paid-then-subscription 95%, counting or detection 85%, camera or setup 75%, price 70%, and programme design 40% (not reported).
Limitations
- Written reviews are not ratings. The share of negative reviews here is not any app's App Store average.
- Old and new versions are mixed. The reviews cover many years, so older complaints may describe versions that have since been fixed.
- Small groups. Both groups are small, and one app accounts for most "paid then subscription" reviews.
- Keyword rules have limits. We measured how often a rule was wrong, not how many complaints it missed.
Data and downloads
Download the data (CSV): pooled category counts for all collected reviews and for the last 24 months, for all 9 apps and for each group, plus sample sizes, star and storefront breakdowns, hand-check precision and the keyword rule behind each category. Per-app rows give sample sizes only.
Cite this study
escapethematrix.app. (2026, October 4). What frustrates people about push-up and rep-counter apps: 1,543 App Store reviews analysed. https://www.escapethematrix.app/research/rep-counter-app-reviews/
How RepSquad approaches these issues
Disclosure: RepSquad is our app. Everything below comes from its App Store listing.
- Counting and feedback: you point the camera and RepSquad counts the reps. After each set it gives an A/B/C form grade with a rep-by-rep breakdown. It supports 11 exercises.
- Setup is honest: RepSquad is also camera-based. It needs portrait orientation with your full body in frame, and good lighting helps. It has the same physical limits as other camera counters.
- Price: push-ups, squats and jumping jacks need no account. Groups, Rep Battles and the leaderboard are free with an account. Premium is available monthly, annually or weekly, and there is also a one-time lifetime purchase.
- Privacy: all AI processing runs on the device, and video never leaves the phone.
Honest caveat: RepSquad is new, with 3 US ratings as of 4 Oct 2026.
RepSquad — Workout Tracker
Point the camera and RepSquad counts every rep, with an A/B/C form grade after each set across 11 exercises. All AI runs on the device; video never leaves the phone.
View on the App Store