How to choose a freediving app in 2025

There’s a rule about training tools: they should make you more consistent, not more confused. The tool that gets used consistently beats the tool with the most features.

Freediving apps follow the same principle. The best app isn’t the one with the most bells and whistles-it’s the one that actually supports your training progression week after week.

Most freedivers choose apps based on screenshots and feature lists. They download three different apps, try each one for a week, then either stick with whatever feels familiar or give up on structured training entirely. That’s not app selection. That’s just digital window shopping.

What actually matters in a freediving app

Here’s what determines whether an app will help your freediving or just clutter your phone:

Structured progression, not random workouts. The app should guide you through systematic training blocks, not just offer a collection of protocols you can pick randomly. Your Tuesday session should connect to your Thursday session, which should build toward next week’s training. (This is the core principle from Progressive Training: Why Freedivers Need to Stop Winging It-structure beats randomness.)

Progress tracking that drives decisions. Not just logging today’s numbers, but building a complete training history you can analyze. Can you look back six months and see how your CO2 tolerance has progressed? When you have a bad session, can you identify what led to it by reviewing previous weeks? The app should allow you to capture feedback notes - so you can spot patterns that would be invisible session by session. Data without historical context is just digital hoarding.

Training philosophy that matches reality. Some apps are built around maximizing personal bests. Others focus on building capacity through consistent moderate training. Make sure the app’s approach aligns with how you actually want to train, not how you think you should train.

Comparing the main options

Appneist - The complete training solution

• ✅ Professional coaching programs from world-class athletes (including Linda Paganelli, 2023 World Championship silver medalist)

• ✅ Comprehensive progress tracking with full training history

• ✅ Structured progression with built-in recovery

• ✅ Timer with contractions tracker and audio cues

• ✅ Allows you to log various workout types (static, dynamic, depth)

• ✅ Free for logging and tracking your own workouts

• ❌ Premium pricing (€99/year for coaching programs and planning features)

STAmina Apnea Trainer - For data enthusiasts and self-directed athletes

• ✅ Extensive customization options for creating your own protocols

• ✅ Heart rate monitoring and oxygen saturation tracking

• ✅ Timer with contractions tracker and audio cues

• ❌ Requires you to design your own training progression

• ❌ No structured multi-week coaching programs

Freediving Apnea Trainer - Basic table training

• ✅ Simple, easy to start immediately

• ✅ Free basic functionality

• ✅ Heart rate monitoring and oxygen saturation tracking

• ❌ Limited progression options

• ❌ No structured coaching programs

• ❌ Basic tracking capabilities

Apnea Assistant - Free comprehensive option

• ✅ Completely free forever - no ads, no premium features, no paywalls

• ✅ Flexible table parameters (CO2, O2, dynamic tables)

• ✅ Comprehensive logbook with detailed session notes

• ✅ Extensive knowledge base and educational resources

• ❌ No structured multi-week coaching programs

• ❌ Requires training knowledge to design your own progression

Apneo - Static training specialist

• ✅ Structured static coaching programs

• ✅ Video tutorials and warm-up exercises

• ✅ Well-organized training flow and difficulty adjustment

• ❌ Static breath-hold only (no dynamic or depth training)

• ❌ Premium pricing with subscription model

• ❌ Limited scope compared to comprehensive training apps

Pricing comparison at a glance

Red flags to avoid

Apps that emphasize personal bests over training quality. If the main focus is hitting new records rather than building capacity systematically, you’re looking at a testing app, not a training app. That approach works for maybe 10% of your sessions, not 90%.

Overly complex feature sets without clear training structure. More options don’t make an app better if those options don’t serve a systematic training purpose. You want tools that support consistency, not toys that create decision fatigue. The key distinction: customization is valuable when you know what you’re doing, but becomes overwhelming when you’re still learning how to structure effective training.

No clear progression methodology. If the app doesn’t have an opinion about how training should progress over weeks and months, it’s not a training platform-it’s just a collection of timers. This is the critical difference between having 100 workout templates and having a training system like Appneist that tells you which workout to do today based on what you did yesterday.

Treating rigidity and structure as the same thing. The best apps offer structured progression (knowing what comes next) with flexibility (adjusting when life happens). Avoid apps that lock you into predetermined sessions with no ability to adjust mid-workout if you’re feeling strong or need to cut a session short.

Making the choice that fits your training

Start with your current training consistency. If you’re not training regularly, choose the app that makes it easiest to show up and do something productive. Complexity kills consistency for most people. (This connects directly to Keep Training (Even When You Don’t Feel Like It)-the tool that supports your minimum effective dose wins.)

Consider your technical background. Love spreadsheets and data analysis? You might thrive with STAmina’s extensive customization options. Prefer to focus on training rather than program design? Choose guided progression with Appneist or Apneo.

Match the app’s training philosophy to your goals. If you want to follow proven methodology without reinventing the wheel, choose apps with structured coaching from elite athletes. If you want complete control over your protocol design and have the knowledge to program effectively, choose powerful customization tools like STAmina.

Test the core functionality first. Download the app and run through a basic CO2 table. Are the audio cues clear? Does the interface stay out of your way during training? Everything else is secondary to getting this right.

The practical reality

Most freedivers would benefit from less choice, not more. The paradox of app selection is that the people who need the most structure are often attracted to the most complex options. They think they want customization when they actually need guidance.

Choose the tool that supports consistent daily practice, not the tool with the most impressive features. The app that gets you training three times per week beats the app you use once per month, regardless of how sophisticated its data analysis might be.

For beginners and intermediate divers, apps with structured programs remove decision fatigue and guide systematic progression. You’re not managing your training-you’re executing it. Which, for most freedivers, is exactly what leads to better results.

The best freediving app is the one you’ll actually use consistently. Everything else is just marketing.