The Official Rowing Apps Behind the World's Leading Rowing Machines

There is no shortage of rowing apps. EXR, Kinomap, Ergatta, etc. The ecosystem is rich, and many of these third-party tools are genuinely excellent. But this blog is not about them.

What we are looking at here is different: the official app by each rowing machine manufacturer. The one the company stands behind. Because how a brand approaches its own software tells you a great deal about how they think about the sport, their athletes, and the future of connected fitness.

We've divided the rowing machine manufacturers into two categories: Classic Rowing Machines and The New Breed of Rowing Machines.

Classic Rowing Machines

Classic rowing manufacturers built their reputation on the machine itself. The hardware came first, the engineering, the feel, the measurement accuracy. Software was added to serve the athlete and add on the experience. The upside? These apps tend to be open, data-rich, and integrable with your broader training ecosystem. You are not locked in.

WATERROWER— WaterRower Connect App

WaterRower machines are known for their distinctive aesthetic. The companion app, WaterRower Connect, carries a similar spirit: approachable, well-designed, and genuinely useful at multiple levels of experience. The experience extends to Apple Watch, with a companion app that keeps key workout data right on your wrist.

The free version covers everything most rowers need.

• It tracks all key metrics: stroke rate, split, calories, watts, distance, time, and heart rate.

• Stores your full workout history for ongoing performance analysis.

• Syncs with Apple Health and Strava.

• Is compatible with all hardware surrounding WATERROWER, from S4 to SmartRow to LightRing.

• It can be used without an account, and works across session types: distance, time, intervals, or free rowing.

• For newcomers, WaterRower Connect includes an onboarding tutorial with a "learn to row" video, a detail that reflects the brand's consumer-facing positioning.

• A Workout of the Day feature.

• Community layer (where rowers can share progress, compete, and celebrate milestones) make it a social platform as much as a training tool.

The premium tier adds:

• Instructor-led classes, mainly CITYROW content embedded directly in the app.

• Scenic virtual rowing sessions.

• Training programs.

• More advanced session screens.

• More advanced data analysis.

WaterRower Connect is designed for the broadest possible audience, from first-time rowers to dedicated enthusiasts. The free tier is genuinely complete, and the premium layer adds depth without gating core functionality.

Concept2 — ErgData App

Concept2 is the most widely used rowing machine in the world and ErgData their official companion app.

ErgData is free and connects via Bluetooth to all Concept2 PM5 monitors. The data display is clean: pace, split, stroke rate, watts, heart rate zones and the app gives you full control over how that information is presented on screen, with multiple display configurations to choose from.

One of ErgData's standout features is Real Time Loop, a live virtual course where you row alongside other Concept2 users around the world. You can build workouts entirely from scratch, setting intervals based on distance, strokes, time, and rest, giving coaches and self-coached athletes alike granular control over their training structure. Including a Workout of the Day feature as well.

On the integrations side, ErgData syncs automatically with the Concept2 Online Logbook, from where workouts can be pushed to Strava, Garmin Connect, Apple Health, and TrainingPeaks. Apple Watch support provides real-time heart rate display during training.

It is built for the athlete who wants accurate data and a clean path to analysis.

RP3 — RP3 App & Portal

RP3 is in a different category entirely. This is a machine and app system designed for serious rowers: elite athletes, master rowers, coaches, and anyone who wants to understand every single stroke at a high level.

The centerpiece is the RP3 force curve, a real-time visualization of the force applied through each stroke.

The app connects to the machine's precision sensor system, which is engineered to simulate the on-water rowing environment as closely as possible. After each session, workouts are automatically uploaded to the RP3 Portal, a web-based platform where athletes and coaches can manage training history, conduct their own reporting, and analyze performance over time with tools that go significantly beyond what any in-app dashboard provides.

One unique feature of the RP3 app is its On Water mode, which reflects the company's roots in rowing. The app can be taken directly into the boat, allowing rowers to record stroke rate and heart rate data during on-water sessions. It also enables live data broadcasting, so coaches and spectators on shore can follow performance metrics in real time.

The app can be used without an account, but its real value emerges through the portal over weeks and months of accumulated data. This is software built for people who treat rowing as a performance discipline.

The New Breed

The new generation of rowing machines took a different philosophy: design the machine and the software together, from the ground up. The hardware and the experience are inseparable. The result is a more native, more integrated, and often more visually immersive product. The trade-off is that you are "stuck" in their ecosystem.

Four brands define this category:

Hydrow is the premium streaming rowing experience: world-class coaches, filmed on real waterways, on an embedded HD touchscreen. Their content library goes well beyond rowing, covering Pilates, yoga, strength, and more. The latest model introduced HydroMetrics, an AI system that scores each workout across Precision, Power, and Endurance.

Peloton brings the full weight of its ecosystem to rowing. If you are already in the Peloton universe, the Row is a natural extension; if you are not, it is one of the most complete connected fitness platforms you can buy into.

Aviron app is built around games, multiplayer competition, and adaptive racing and the touchscreen doubles as a full entertainment hub.

Augletics is the data-serious option of the new breed and have designed a very nice rowing machine around it. Includes the Augletics Digital Coach which guides you through your workout, motivates you, and even allows you to improve your rowing technique thanks to sensor-based feedback.

The Bigger Picture

Classic manufacturers apps give you precise measurement tools that talk to the rest of your training stack and add another level of entertainment to your training. New breed manufacturers give you a more immersive product, but one where the software and machine are deeply entangled. Neither is better than the other, they simply serve different athletes, different contexts, and different definitions of what a rowing session is for.