Traditionally, people used clunky gadgets like chest straps and cardiac monitors to measure their heart rate. These gadgets were bulky, and you could not use them to track your heart rate anytime, anywhere.
At present, you can monitor your pulse using a smartphone or tablet with a heart rate monitor app. The apps use your mobile’s camera sensors, flashlight, and or microphone to let you monitor your heart rate anytime.
Notwithstanding, picking the best heart rate monitor app can be stressful since the app stores offer dozens of apps that promise to be the best. While some of the heart rate apps work effectively, others may not provide accurate readings.
On that account, we have analyzed the best apps to shield you from downloading the less effective. Read through this piece to pick a heart rate monitor app that makes the most sense for your health needs.
- Accurate Heart Rate Monitor for Android
Are you looking for a free but precise heart rate monitor app for your Android smartphone and tablet? If you are, Accurate Heart Rate Monitor would be suitable. The app is free of in-app advertisements that can piss you off, and it does not require additional hardware or software to run.
Just like most heart rate apps, Accurate Heart Rate Monitor uses your smartphone or tablet’s camera sensors, and a flashlight to monitor your heart rate. If you need to measure your pulse, place your finger on the back camera lens, and stay still for ten seconds.
The app will display your estimated beats per minute (BPM), and a graphical analysis of your heart rate on the phone’s screen. You can use Accurate Heart Rate Monitor to track your heart rate when working out.
- Cardiio heart rate monitor for iOS
Cardiio is a free pulse monitoring app for iPhone or iPad users. The free app comes with multiple features that would help you improve your physical fitness and your cardiovascular health.
It uses two mechanisms to measure your pulse rate. First, you can hold your iPhone’s camera in front of your face for a few seconds to monitor your pulse. Alternatively, you can measure the pulse rate by placing your finger on your phone’s back camera for a few seconds.
Besides measuring your heart rate, Cardiio has built-in high-intensity exercise manuals that help you lose weight, as well as tone your muscles. Each workout on this heart rate app iPhone lasts for seven minutes. It is one of the best heart rate apps iPhone in stores.
- Pulse-Heart Rate Monitor for Android
Pulse-Heart Rate Monitor is one of the best heart rate apps for Android users who need an aesthetically pleasing, yet functional heart rate app. You can change the app’s appearance using different color themes, and you can customize it to play sounds whenever it perceives your heartbeat.
Pulse-Heart Rate Monitor utilizes your phone’s camera and a flashlight to measure your pulse rate through your fingertip. After measuring your pulse, the app generates a photoplethysmogram (PPG) graph that indicates the variations in your blood pressure.
Moreover, Pulse-Heart Rate Monitor uses your pulse rate measurements to generate personalized health advice that would help you improve your cardiovascular health.
- My Baby’s Beat for iOS
Developed in 2011, My Baby’s Beat for iOS stands as the world’s first prenatal heart rate monitoring app. As its name suggests, this pulse rate app lets you monitor your unborn baby’s heart rate. As such, we would recommend it to expectant moms.
This neonatal heart rate app uses your iPhone or iPad’s built-in microphone to monitor the unborn kid’s heart rate. How does it work? You place your iPhone or iPad on your tummy for some seconds, and the app will record your fetus heartbeats.
The manufacturer recommends the app for monitoring the heartbeat of a fetus aged above 30 weeks. Since the app is less accurate, you should never use it for medical purposes. My Baby’s Beat isn’t free.
- Cardiograph for Android
Cardiograph Heart Rate Monitor utilizes your android smartphone or tablet’s robust sensors, LED flashlight, and camera to measure your pulse rate. If your phone doesn’t have a LED flashlight, you can still use this app in a well-lit area.
Just like the other heart rate apps android listed on this list, Cardiograph Heart Rate Monitor isn’t hard to use. You place your fingertip lightly on the rear camera, and the app will measure your pulse within a few seconds.
Cardiograph lets you save your heart rate results for future reference. This functionality enables you to identify inconsistencies in your heart rate. The app is ideal for patients living with various heart disorders, as well as fitness enthusiasts who wish to stay healthy.
- Heart Rate Plus
Are you looking to track your heart rate regularly? If yes, Heart Rate Plus would be your most appropriate heart rate monitor app. This app comes with an inbuilt reminder that prompts you to monitor your pulse every day.
Heart Rate Plus utilizes your Android or iOS smartphone’s camera sensor to read your pulse rate accurately. After measuring the pulse rate, this app projects the results on a real-time pulse graph to let you track variations in your pulse. Moreover, the app displays the numerical results on your phone’s screen.
You can save the results, or export them to a CSV file for later access. Heart Rate Plus boasts of an attractive interface, and fantastic accuracy. You can use the app when working out or for your regular heart monitoring routine.
The Bottom Line
A heart rate app is essential for anybody who wishes to improve his or her cardiovascular health. It lets you monitor your pulse rate and take the necessary health action just in case you notice an anomaly in the pulse rate. While the apps are such essential, finding an excellent heart rate app can be quite challenging. We have suggested the best heart rate monitor apps to let you download one that works best for you.
