How to make a step counter app for iPhone

Which step counters earn

On October 16, 2026 the US top 100 grossing Health & Fitness chart included Stompers (number 36), StepsApp (53), WeWard (64) and WalkFit (89). WeWard pays people for walking, a different model, but it counts steps the same way.

App	Released	US ratings	Top grossing rank	Monthly revenue, our estimate
WeWard (walking rewards)	Sep 20, 2022	125,829	#64	$2.64M–10.57M
StepsApp	Oct 10, 2015	300,702	#53	$1.27M–5.08M
Stompers	May 22, 2024	12,221	#36	$687K–2.75M
WalkFit	May 1, 2019	164,944	#89	$238K–952K
Pacer	Feb 14, 2013	334,447	outside top 100	not in the top 100 grossing
Pedometer++	Oct 1, 2013	183,676	outside top 100	not in the top 100 grossing
Sweatcoin (coins for steps)	Sep 1, 2016	400,421	outside top 100	not in the top 100 grossing
StepUp	Nov 18, 2015	144,313	outside top 100	not in the top 100 grossing

Appto data as of October 16, 2026. Rating growth September 16 to October 16, 2026. Rating counts and chart positions from the US App Store on October 16, 2026. Revenue is our estimate, not Apple data.

Pacer, Pedometer++, Sweatcoin and StepUp have at least 144,313 ratings each. Their rating growth says they should be in the grossing chart, yet from September 24 to October 16, 2026 none of them appeared in the top 100 once. So they make their money mostly outside the App Store or make little, and we give no revenue estimate for them. In this niche the rating count predicts money poorly.

A 2024 newcomer passed the veterans

Stompers launched on May 22, 2024. It has 12,221 ratings, 25 times fewer than StepsApp, and it ranks higher in the grossing chart. In the month from September 16 it added 3,560 US ratings. A niche where the well-known step counters launched in 2013 to 2016 lets a newcomer in when it gives people a reason to open it every day.

Where to get step data

There are two sources. CoreMotion's CMPedometer counts steps but keeps only the past seven days, and a query for an earlier date returns only what is available (Apple documentation, October 16, 2026). HealthKit keeps the whole history. The system records steps automatically on iPhone and Apple Watch (HKQuantityTypeIdentifier.stepCount), so on the very first launch a person may already see years of history.

Build the step counter on HealthKit and keep CMPedometer for the live count on screen. One subtlety. HealthKit does not tell the app whether the person denied read access, the app just sees an empty result. Explain the empty screen and point to the Health settings.

What goes into version 1

• Today and the goal. Steps for the day in large type and progress toward your own goal.
• History from HealthKit. Days, weeks and months, without waiting for new data to pile up.
• A widget and the Lock Screen. Steps visible without opening the app.
• Streaks. How many days in a row the goal was met. A simple reason to come back tomorrow.
• No account. Data stays on the phone, no server needed.

Friend challenges, feeds and leaderboards need a server and accounts. They can wait.

How the niche charges

All eight step counters in the table are free to download (US App Store, October 16, 2026). StepsApp, Stompers and WalkFit charge inside the app. Sweatcoin and WeWard reward people for walking, a separate market with its own partners. A new step counter without a server can keep the step count free and sell history, widgets and themes as one purchase or a subscription.

Risks

• A free alternative is already on the phone. Apple's Health and Fitness show steps. People pay for presentation and habit, the count itself is free.
• Many look-alikes. There are hundreds of step counters on the App Store. The difference must show on the first screenshot.
• Health access. Explain which data you read and why before the system asks.

How we counted

Appto estimates revenue from 30 days of App Store rating growth, before Apple's commission. It is our estimate, not Apple data. In half of the cases the estimate is within 2x of the real figure, in four out of five within 3x, and for large apps it tends to run low. Ads, web sales and Google Play are not included. The method is explained in our article on estimating app revenue.

Next steps

In the book 50 iPhone App Niches the step counter is niche 32, with an angle the leaders lack, five version 1 screens and a task for the agent.

You can build such an app in Appto. Appto rechecks the niche on fresh App Store data, builds the screens, code and widgets with the agent, prepares the store screenshots and text, and submits to Apple from your account or shows you what to press in App Store Connect.