Best Samsung Health alternatives (2026)

Quickstart

Samsung Health asks for a Samsung account, its maker says, and this page lines up six Android apps next to it. Pacer and Kinoku count steps, Hevy and Kinoku log gym sets, while Google Health and Zepp pair with other watch brands. Groups follow what each app’s pages say it is for, A to Z within a group.

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Which apps can stand in for Samsung Health?

Samsung’s own pages name two things that can push people away: the account it asks for and the phones it does not support. Others want a gym log with sets and reps. The six apps here split into three groups by what their own pages say they are built around.

• Apps built around a watch brand: Google Health and Zepp. Google Health’s listing says “The Fitbit App is now Google Health”, and Zepp calls itself “The official app for Amazfit”. Each plays the part Samsung Health plays for a Galaxy Watch, for a different maker’s watch.
• Step counters on the phone that also log workouts: Kinoku and Pacer. Pacer’s step counter “will track your steps automatically if your phone is with you”, and Kinoku counts steps next to its run and gym logs.
• Apps built around one kind of training: Hevy and Strava. Hevy is a gym log that lets you “Track your lifts with an intuitive, simple to use interface”, and Strava records runs and rides for a community of people who follow each other.

Side by side

Every cell below comes from a sentence the app’s maker published, or from the one dated Hevy test, and “Not stated” marks a topic none of its pages covered.

Each app, in its own words

Google Health

Best for: People who own a Fitbit or a Pixel Watch and want its own app.

Google renamed the Fitbit app to Google Health, and it is Google’s home for Fitbit and Pixel Watch data.

• What it does well: Its listing says you can “Sync Google Health with your Fitbit, Pixel Watch, your favorite health tracking apps, and your medical records (available in select countries).” You can “Log your metrics and track patterns, like sleep, workouts, nutrition and menstrual cycles.” Google’s blog says it works with hundreds of apps and devices “integrated through Health Connect, Apple Health or the Google Health APIs”.
• What its pages say about accounts and devices: Google’s help page says you need a Google account to use Google Health. A second help page says that a phone with no Fitbit or Pixel Watch connected shows a shorter app, with only the Today and Health tabs. The listing adds that “Some features require Google Health Premium subscription (sold separately)”.
• Where it is the better pick: A Samsung Health user who is moving from a Galaxy Watch to a Fitbit or a Pixel Watch.
• Where Google Health differs: It swaps a Samsung account for a Google one, so it does not answer a wish for no account at all. Official listing: Google Play.

Zepp

Best for: Amazfit watch owners who want steps, strength logs and meal photos.

Zepp is the companion app for Amazfit watches, bands and rings, and some of it works with no watch at all.

• What it does well: Its listing says “It captures daily activity such as steps and calories burned, and advanced training data like pace, distance, speed, strength logs, and recovery insights.” For food, you can “Snap a photo of your meal and instantly get calories, weight, and macronutrients. No watch required, just the Zepp App.”
• What its pages say about accounts and cost: Amazfit’s help page lists “6 methods to register an account”, from a Xiaomi or Google account to email. The listing says “The core experience of the Zepp App is free”, and “Zepp Aura Premium Subscription is available for a monthly or yearly fee”. It carries the Contains ads label.
• Where it is the better pick: Someone trading a Galaxy Watch for an Amazfit, or someone who logged meals in Samsung Health and would rather snap a photo than type each one.
• Where Zepp differs: The listing says your data is “regionally stored, encrypted” on Amazon’s cloud and never sold, so it lives on a server rather than only on the phone. We found no Zepp page that mentions Health Connect. Official listing: Google Play.

Kinoku

Best for: Android users who want steps, GPS runs and gym sets in one record with no account.

Kinoku keeps steps, runs and lifting together on an Android phone, and you never make an account for it.

• What it does well: The phone counts steps for free, with a daily goal ring, streaks and a consistency heatmap. GPS runs are free with pace, splits and a route map, and the gym log holds sets, reps, weights and routines with no cap on routines. The free Wear OS app logs sets and records runs from the wrist.
• What it reads from Samsung Health: Kinoku reads Health Connect, which is where Samsung Health writes your steps, workouts, heart rate and sleep once you link the two. From there Kinoku takes steps, sleep and heart readings, plus runs, walks, rides, hikes and swims from the past seven days. All of those reads are free, and the Health Dashboard shows seven days of readings for free, with longer ranges in Pro.
• Where it is the better pick: Someone who wants a real gym log next to their steps and runs with no Samsung account, or who wants to keep Samsung Health for a Galaxy Watch and do the training log somewhere else.
• What Kinoku does not do: Kinoku is built for Android first, so there is no iPhone app yet. There is no Samsung Health importer either: Kinoku reads at most a year of daily readings and one week of workouts from Health Connect, and gym sessions you logged in Samsung Health do not come in as sets. It has no meal log, no stress or blood oxygen readings of its own, no feed, and no sync between two phones. Step trends and hour-by-hour movement are Pro.

Pacer

Best for: Walkers who want a step counter that starts with no login.

Pacer is a pedometer app built around daily walking, with GPS tracking on top.

• What it does well: Its listing says “Our free step counter app will track your steps automatically if your phone is with you”, and “No website login needed.” A “GPS activity tracker tracks outdoor fitness activities on a map”. You can “Create walking groups to burn calories together with friends & family” and follow “Daily exercise plans designed by pro trainers”.
• What its pages say about Samsung Health: “Pacer Pedometer syncs with Fitbit, Garmin, Google Fit, Samsung Health and other step counter apps”. The listing does not say which data moves in which direction, or whether the link runs through Health Connect.
• Where it is the better pick: A Samsung Health user who mostly watched the step count and wants the quickest start, with walking groups for company.
• Where Pacer differs: The listing carries the Contains ads label and the In-app purchases label, and it names no gym log or watch app of its own. Official listing: Google Play.

Hevy

Best for: Lifters who want a social gym log with set types and a Wear OS app.

Hevy’s homepage calls it a free workout tracker for both iPhone and Android, and every feature its listing names is about lifting.

• What it does well: You can “Mark sets as Warmup, Normal, Drop sets, Failure and Supersets”, and “Follow your friend’s progress by following their lifts and copying their routines”. The Wear OS app lets you “Easily track your workouts on your Wear OS Watch”. The listing says “No ads and free.”
• What its pages say about accounts: None of the pages we opened on October 12, 2026, states an account rule. In our emulator test on September 6, 2026, Hevy opened on a sign-up screen with Google, email and log-in buttons, and we found no guest path.
• Where it is the better pick: A lifter whose friends already log on Hevy and who wants to see and copy their routines.
• Where Hevy differs: Its pages name no step counter and say nothing about Health Connect, so a Samsung Health user who also watched daily steps would keep a second app for that. The listing carries the In-app purchases label. Official listing: Google Play. Versus page: Kinoku vs Hevy.

Strava

Best for: Outdoor runners and riders who want segment times and a feed of friends.

Strava calls itself “the free app where building community meets fitness tracking”, and it records outdoor workouts with GPS.

• What it does well: Strava’s listing names five sports, from running and cycling to yoga, and more than 40 other types. Segments let you race other people for a leaderboard spot, and the Wear OS app adds a tile and a complication that start a recording.
• What its pages say about cost and data: Strava’s support page answers that recording and sharing your activities cost nothing. The listing puts the Training Log in the subscription, and the privacy policy says your data is held in the United States. For Health Connect, Strava sends the time, distance and calories of its GPS activities.
• Where it is the better pick: A runner or rider who used Samsung Health to record outdoor workouts and now wants a feed of friends and segment times.
• Where Strava differs: Its pages name no step counter. For lifting, the listing says sets from “your favorite device or strength app” show up in Strava, so another app does the logging. Official listing: Google Play. Versus page: Kinoku vs Strava.

What Samsung’s pages say Samsung Health needs

Most reasons to look elsewhere come from three lines that Samsung publishes itself, and each one is worth reading before you switch.

1. An account: Samsung’s support page says that from app version 6.15 on, you sign in to a Samsung account before you can use Samsung Health. The same account carries your data to a new phone, because Samsung’s sync page tells you to sync your Samsung Health profile with it.
2. A supported phone: The listing says it “Requires Android 10.0 or later” and that “Tablets and some mobile devices are not supported”. It adds that features vary by country, carrier and device model.
3. A Galaxy phone for some parts: The listing ties the Knox-protected service to Galaxy models released after August 2016, and says it is not available on a rooted phone. Sleep detail is described “with Galaxy Watch”, and the gym machine links run through Galaxy Watch.

None of this stops a non-Samsung phone from running Samsung Health, and Samsung’s listing does not limit the app to Galaxy phones. The point is narrower: if you want no account, or your phone is one of the devices Samsung does not support, the app has no workaround on the pages we read.

Keeping Samsung Health and adding a second app

You do not have to delete Samsung Health to try another app, because Health Connect lets the two share data on the phone. Samsung’s developer page says steps, exercise, heart rate and sleep “are synchronized between Samsung Health and Health Connect”, and that Samsung Health writes to Health Connect “as soon as data is created or changed”. Samsung adds that this has worked since Samsung Health version 6.22.5 in October 2022.

Here is what that means for Kinoku in practice.

• Steps: Kinoku reads the steps Samsung Health writes. If Kinoku is also counting on the phone, it keeps one count for each minute, so the same walk does not show up twice.
• Workouts: Runs, walks, rides, hikes and swims from the past seven days arrive as Kinoku workouts with their time and distance, and with heart rate where Health Connect holds it. Gym sessions do not arrive as sets.
• Recovery readings: Sleep, resting heart rate and heart rate variability (how much the gap between heartbeats varies) feed Kinoku’s daily score.
• The other way: Kinoku writes finished workouts and the steps it counted back to Health Connect, so Samsung Health or any app you allow can read them.

Strava’s support page describes a narrower link, sending GPS activities to Health Connect and reading weight. Google’s blog says Google Health works with apps through Health Connect too. Pacer, Zepp and Hevy did not mention Health Connect on any page we opened.

When is Samsung Health still the better pick?

Samsung Health stays the simpler choice in three cases, and Samsung’s own pages give the reasons.

• You wear a Galaxy Watch: Samsung’s developer page says watch data is sent to the Samsung Health app on your phone. Sleep detail is described “with Galaxy Watch”, and the gym machine links through Life Fitness, Technogym and Corehealth are for Galaxy Watch wearers too.
• You want meals, sleep and stress in one app: The listing covers meals and snacks, plus heart rate, stress and blood oxygen in its daily condition view. No other single app on this page names all of those.
• You like family challenges: Samsung Health Together lets you challenge friends and family, and you would rebuild that group elsewhere.

For a Galaxy Watch owner who also lifts, the two-app setup above often works better than a full switch, because Samsung Health keeps the watch and a second app keeps the training log.

How this list was checked

We opened every page quoted here on October 12, 2026, and each one is published by the maker of the app it describes.

• Samsung’s statements: Each sentence about Samsung Health is quoted from Samsung’s support site, its developer site or its Google Play listing, and each one is numbered in the sources.
• Other apps: Each app fact is a sentence from its Google Play listing, its help centre or its homepage. Hevy’s sign-up screen is the one exception, an observation from our emulator test on September 6, 2026, which we did not repeat for this page.
• Kinoku: We checked Kinoku’s lines against the app’s own code, above all which Health Connect records it reads, how many days back, and which views are Pro.
• Left out: Garmin Connect is a common pick for Samsung Health users, and its support pages did not open for us, so it is not on this list. Samsung Health itself is the anchor, not an entry.
• Order: Watch-brand apps come first, then phone step counters, then apps for one kind of training, and each group runs A to Z. No app paid for its place.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a Samsung account to use Samsung Health?

Yes, on any recent version. Samsung’s support page says that with Samsung Health version 6.15 and later, you must sign in to your Samsung account to use the app. Your data then moves to a new phone by syncing your Samsung Health profile with that account. Kinoku and Pacer are the two apps on this page that start with no account or login.

Does Samsung Health work on phones that are not made by Samsung?

Samsung’s listing does not limit the app to Galaxy phones, but it sets conditions. It requires Android 10 or later, says tablets and some mobile devices are not supported, and adds that features vary by country, carrier and device model. The Knox-protected service is named for Galaxy models from after August 2016, and it is not available on a rooted phone.

Is there an app like Samsung Health that works without any account?

Kinoku asks for no account at all, and it counts steps, records GPS runs and logs gym sets on the phone. Pacer’s listing says no website login is needed to start counting steps. Google Health needs a Google account, and Zepp’s help page lists six ways to register one. Hevy opened on a sign-up screen in our test, and Strava’s site offers a free sign-up.

Can Kinoku read my Samsung Health steps and workouts?

Yes, through Health Connect, once you link Samsung Health to it. Samsung’s developer page says steps, exercise, heart rate and sleep sync to Health Connect. Kinoku then reads steps, sleep and heart readings, and it brings in runs, walks, rides, hikes and swims from the past seven days. Gym sessions logged in Samsung Health do not come across as sets.

Can I move my old Samsung Health history into another app?

Not in one step with any app on this page. Samsung’s pages describe moving your history to a new phone through your Samsung account, not into another app. Health Connect carries what Samsung Health writes from the day you link the two. On its first sync, Kinoku reads 30 days of daily readings such as steps from Health Connect, or a year if you allow history access, and only the past week of workouts. Older Samsung Health records stay in Samsung Health.

Which app keeps my Galaxy Watch data if I try something else?

Samsung Health does, and you can keep it for that job. Samsung’s developer page says watch data goes to the Samsung Health app on your phone, and from there it can sync to Health Connect. So a second app that reads Health Connect, such as Kinoku, can show your Galaxy Watch steps and sleep while Samsung Health stays installed.

Which Samsung Health alternative has a real gym log?

Hevy and Kinoku both log sets, reps and weights by hand. Hevy lets you mark warmup, drop, failure and superset sets and copy a friend’s routine. Kinoku keeps the sets in the same record as your steps and GPS runs. Zepp’s listing names strength logs, and Strava shows sets that another strength app recorded.

Can I use Samsung Health and another app at the same time?

Yes. Samsung’s developer page says Samsung Health adds or updates its data in Health Connect as soon as it changes, so any app you allow can read it. When Kinoku’s own phone count and Health Connect report steps for the same minute, Kinoku keeps one of them, so a walk is not counted twice.

Which of these apps track meals the way Samsung Health does?

Google Health’s listing names nutrition among the things you can log, and Zepp’s listing describes logging a meal from a photo with no watch needed. Samsung Health itself records daily meals and snacks. Kinoku, Pacer, Hevy and Strava do not name a meal log on their pages, and Kinoku has no food log today.

Are these Samsung Health alternatives free?

Each one has a free way in, with a paid layer of a different size. Pacer calls its tracking free and carries the Contains ads label, and so does Zepp, which also sells Zepp Aura Premium. Hevy describes itself as free with no ads and has in-app purchases. Strava sells its Training Log, and Google Health puts some features behind Premium. Kinoku logs steps, runs and lifts for free, and Pro adds step trends and longer health history.

Which of these apps keep my data on the phone rather than a server?

Kinoku is the one app here whose pages say no Kinoku server holds the record and no account is needed, and Pacer’s pages do not say where its data goes. Strava’s privacy policy says your data is stored in the United States, and Zepp says its data is stored by region on Amazon’s cloud. Google Health and Samsung Health tie your data to a Google or Samsung account. Android’s own backup can still copy Kinoku’s data to your Google account when you turn it on.

Which Samsung Health features does Kinoku leave out?

Kinoku has no meal log, no stress or blood oxygen readings of its own, and no family challenges like Samsung Health Together. It has no iPhone app yet and no sync between two phones. Kinoku reads the sleep and heart readings a watch app writes to Health Connect, but it does not record sleep on its own.

Related pages

• Best Google Fit alternatives: The same question for Google Fit users, with Samsung Health as one of the options.
• Free workout trackers with Health Connect: What each tracker says it reads from and writes to Health Connect.
• Best workout apps without an account: Gym trackers you can open and use with no sign-up.
• Kinoku vs Hevy: Two gym logs side by side, with the account wall and the free limits.
• Kinoku vs Strava: The feed, the subscription and the archive, set next to each other.
• Health Connect: Every kind of data Kinoku reads and writes, and how the workout import works.
• Steps: How Kinoku counts steps, and what the free and Pro views show.
• Best Fitbit alternatives: The same question for Fitbit owners, now that the Fitbit app has become Google Health.

Which one fits you

• Choose Google Health if you wear a Fitbit or a Pixel Watch, and a Google account is fine with you.
• Choose Zepp if you wear an Amazfit watch, or you want to log meals from a photo, and an account and ads are fine.
• Choose Kinoku if you want steps, GPS runs and gym sets together on an Android phone, with no account, and you may keep Samsung Health for the watch.
• Choose Pacer if you mostly walk, you want to start with no login, and ads do not bother you.
• Choose Hevy if your training is mostly lifting, your friends log on Hevy, and an account is fine.
• Choose Strava if you run or ride, your friends are on Strava, and a feed matters more to you than a step count.