PEAKVO2 vs VO2 Max Pro: Track It or Train It?

A wrist wearing an Apple Watch, the source of the VO2 max data these apps read Run these workouts on your iPhone, or hands-free on Apple Watch. Get PEAKVO2

VO2 Max Pro and PEAKVO2 are not really competitors: one tracks your VO2 max, the other trains it. VO2 Max Pro reads your VO2 max from Apple Health and shows your fitness age, trends, and age percentile benchmarks. PEAKVO2 runs the guided protocols that raise your VO2 max and includes built-in field tests. Use VO2 Max Pro to watch the number; use PEAKVO2 to move it.

A lot of "VO2 max apps" fall into one of two camps: trackers that display and interpret the number your Apple Watch already estimates, and trainers that give you the workouts to improve it. VO2 Max Pro is a tracker. PEAKVO2 is a trainer. That is the whole comparison, and it is why they pair well rather than replace each other.

PEAKVO2 vs VO2 Max Pro at a Glance

PEAKVO2 VO2 Max Pro
Primary jobTrain VO2 maxTrack and interpret VO2 max
Runs workoutsYes, eight guided protocolsNo
Field testsBuilt-in beep and Cooper testsNo
VO2 max sourceTrend tracked, plus direct field testsRead from Apple Health
Fitness ageNot the focusYes, biological age insights
Age percentile benchmarksSee our VO2 max by age guideYes, interactive charts and percentile badge
New-data notificationsNot the focusYes, alerts on new VO2 max data
Apple WatchRuns workouts on the wristReads watch data via Apple Health
Price3 workouts free, then $0.99/mo, $9.99/yr, $19.99 lifetimeFree

What VO2 Max Pro Is

VO2 Max Pro is a VO2 max tracking app. It connects to Apple Health, reads the VO2 max your Apple Watch estimates, and turns it into insight: instant notifications when new data syncs, trend and progress charts, a fitness or biological age read on what your number means, and benchmarks that show where your VO2 max falls by age and gender, including a percentile badge and interactive charts you can switch between male and female ranges. It runs privately, with data staying on your device. It does not run workouts; its job is to help you understand and monitor the number.

What PEAKVO2 Is

PEAKVO2 is an interval training app for iPhone and Apple Watch, built around raising VO2 max. It runs eight validated protocols, the Norwegian 4x4, Tabata, HIIT 30/30, Billat 30/30, Ronnestad 30/15, VO2 Max 3x3, VO2 Max 5x3, and Tempo Run, with full-screen color-coded phases, automatic transitions, a haptic tap at each switch, and heart rate zones. It runs natively on Apple Watch with no phone needed, tracks your VO2 max trend over time, and includes built-in beep and Cooper field tests so you can measure your VO2 max directly, not only from your watch's passive estimate. It is a training app, not a testing service.

The Core Difference: A Dashboard vs a Gym

VO2 Max Pro is a dashboard. It is very good at showing you the number, what it means for your fitness age, and how you compare to others your age, and it does that better than a training app does, because analytics is its entire focus. But a dashboard cannot raise your VO2 max; it can only report it.

PEAKVO2 is the training that changes what the dashboard shows. The protocols it runs, especially the Norwegian 4x4, are the ones proven to raise VO2 max, and its built-in field tests let you check progress directly. If you want to understand and monitor your VO2 max, VO2 Max Pro is a clean, free way to do it. If you want that number to go up, you need the training, which is what PEAKVO2 is for. For context on what the number means, see our guide to a good VO2 max by age.

Who Each One Is For

Build your aerobic engine with PEAKVO2

Guided VO2 max protocols, the Norwegian 4x4, Tabata, REHIT, and more, on iPhone and Apple Watch, with heart rate zones, built-in beep and Cooper tests, and your VO2 max tracked over time. Three workouts free.

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Cristian Serb

I'm the developer of PEAKVO2. I built it because I was doing the Norwegian 4x4 myself and wanted the timing handled on my wrist so I could just train. I took my own VO2 max from about 41 to 51 with it. PEAKVO2 on the App Store.