PEAKVO2 vs VO2Max Hiit Workout: Wrist Training or a Free Phone App?

An athlete in workout gear on exercise equipment during a training session Run these workouts on your iPhone, or hands-free on Apple Watch. Get PEAKVO2

PEAKVO2 and VO2Max Hiit Workout both run science-based VO2 max protocols like the Norwegian 4x4 and Tabata, and both let you build custom intervals, so they overlap more than most. VO2Max Hiit Workout is a free protocol app for iPhone and iPad. PEAKVO2 runs its protocols on Apple Watch with heart rate zones and VO2 max tracking. Pick VO2Max Hiit Workout for a free phone and iPad app; pick PEAKVO2 for wrist-native training with heart rate zones.

This is a closer match than most comparisons, because both apps are built around the same evidence-based protocols and both let you customize them. VO2Max Hiit Workout is a genuinely good, free, precise app. So the honest question is narrow: do you want the protocols on your phone or iPad for free, or the same protocols guided on your wrist with heart rate zones and a tracked trend?

PEAKVO2 vs VO2Max Hiit Workout at a Glance

PEAKVO2 VO2Max Hiit Workout
Shared protocolsNorwegian 4x4, TabataNorwegian 4x4, Tabata
Extra protocolsHIIT 30/30, Billat, Ronnestad, VO2 3x3 and 5x3, TempoWingate, conventional 60/60
Custom intervalsYes, build your ownYes, adjust work, rest, rounds, intensity
Apple WatchRuns on the wrist, no phone neededNot advertised; iPhone and iPad
Heart rate zonesTied to each protocolNot advertised
VO2 max trendYes, tracked over timeNot stated
Field testBuilt-in beep and Cooper testsCooper and half Cooper
PlatformiPhone and Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision
Price3 workouts free, then $0.99/mo, $9.99/yr, $19.99 lifetimeFree

What VO2Max Hiit Workout Is

VO2Max Hiit Workout is a free, science-based protocol app built by athletes and modeled on the research. It ships the Norwegian 4x4, Tabata (20/10), Wingate (30/240), and a conventional 60/60, and lets you fully customize any of them, adjusting work, rest, rounds, and intensity. The developer highlights timers precise to the second and low battery use, and the app adds a Cooper test and half Cooper for a VO2 max estimate. It runs on iPhone and iPad. If you want a free, no-nonsense, customizable app for VO2 max protocols, including Wingate, it is a strong choice.

What PEAKVO2 Is

PEAKVO2 is an interval training app for iPhone and Apple Watch, built around 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 the heart rate zones each protocol depends on, and it lets you build your own custom intervals too. 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. It is a training app, not a testing service. Its focus is running these protocols well on your wrist and showing the number move.

The Core Difference: A Free Phone App vs Wrist-Native Training

Because the protocol libraries overlap and both let you customize, the difference comes down to where and how you run them. VO2Max Hiit Workout runs on iPhone and iPad, is free, and lets you reshape any protocol. That combination is its strength, and if you train from your phone and like tweaking the numbers, it fits well.

PEAKVO2 puts the wrist first. The same core protocols run natively on Apple Watch with haptic cues and heart rate zones, so you can train hands-free with the phone away, and your VO2 max trend is tracked over time. Both apps let you customize and both offer a Cooper-based field test, so neither of those is the deciding line; the deciding line is wrist guidance, heart rate zones, and tracking on one side, and a free iPhone and iPad app on the other.

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.

Get PEAKVO2 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.