The stair stepper never had a way to compete.
No race, no rankings, and no record that survives the session - just a number on a console that clears when you step off. Counting those steps has been its own problem, which is why most of them were never really counted at all.
Ascend gives every climb a result. Pick a building, climb its real step count, and take your rank against everyone else who has climbed it. Motion sensors in compatible AirPods or Beats do the counting, on the machine, while you climb.
Pick the Empire State Building and race its actual 1,576 steps.
RACE REAL TOWERS
Choose a landmark and attack its actual step count: the Empire State Building, Taipei 101, the Eiffel Tower, Burj Khalifa, and more.
Motion sensors in compatible AirPods or Beats count your steps in real time.
Every climber who has raced that tower lines up beside you, each running their best attempt.
Watch your position move while you climb.
CLIMB THE LEADERBOARDS
Every tower keeps its own rankings.
Compare finish times, cadence, and steps against real climbers.
Reach the podium, then defend it.
CLAIM FIRST ASCENTS
Every new tower opens with one permanent prize: the First Ascent.
The first finisher claims it forever, even after someone posts a faster time.
Be ready when the next tower drops.
BREAK YOUR OWN RECORDS
Best Efforts turns the climbs you finish into a record book only you can break.
Most steps, longest climb, strongest pace, and more, each tied back to the session that set it.
See the work stack up instead of disappearing when the session ends.
TRAIN BETWEEN RACES
Guided routines build structured intervals and changing intensity into a stair session.
Pair a Bluetooth chest strap for live heart rate and effort zones.
Or start a Just Climb when you only want the work, with a step goal if you want one.
Every finished session lands in the same history as your races.
SHARE THE CLIMB
Build a share card from the climb you just did and the result you posted.
Ascend is built for people who take the stair stepper seriously.
It is not a generic activity tracker and it is not a social feed.
Every climb and every record in Ascend comes from a session you performed in Ascend. There is no manual entry and no importing from other apps.
An auto-renewing subscription is required after onboarding.
Available plans, billing terms, and any eligible trial are shown before purchase.
Subscriptions can be managed through your Apple Account, and eligible purchases can be restored in Ascend.
Every session in Ascend - a tower race, a Just Climb, or a guided routine - is counted by motion sensors in compatible AirPods or Beats, and needs a stair stepper to climb.
Apple Health is optional and is used only to attach heart rate and active-energy calories recorded while you were climbing in Ascend.
A Bluetooth heart-rate monitor is optional.
Ascend is not a medical device and does not provide medical advice.
Terms of Use: https://ascendstepper.com/terms
Privacy Policy: https://ascendstepper.com/privacy
The Best App for Stairmaster or Stair Stepper Lovers
Elizabeth_Lawson
I highly recommend this app to anybody who uses the stairmaster regularly. It tracks every stairmaster session with insightful statistics and outputs fun cards with data to post to socials. I get to use my regular stairmaster sessions [30-60 minutes] to complete climbs around the world, which makes using the stairmaster even more enjoyable! I race against others during my climbs and feel the presence of a larger stairmaster community (just like the riding community on Peleton).
My new fav way to track the stair stepper
iamjennym
i’ve used a lot of fitness apps, but most of them treat the stair stepper like an afterthought, which is sad cause it’s my fav machine. this is the first one that focuses on it and I’m loving it. The tower racing idea is such a cool way to motivate you beat your previous workout and gives my training a completely different feeling. instead of staring at the same number on the machine, you actually have something to chase.I also really like that it uses my airpods to count steps (no other app has done this as accurate as this one). very well engineered. But my fav part is the live leaderboard. Idk… it makes me competitive seeing someone ahead of you to catch.I’m so in love with this app. Would give 6 starts if I could. many tks to whoever created this.
Cool concept
NycLY123
Being able to say you climbed the Eiffel Tower without actually visiting the Eiffel Tower cool concept cool idea will be using more often to track my progress when it comes to working out and my steps journey and when my friends get on it will a great way to get more competitive with it
MUST DOWNLOAD
PaulWellington87
I’ve been using the stair stepper for years and my wearable never tracks my steps accurately. I like the step counting functionality and the ability to compete against others and climb the leaderboards to help push myself during my workout. Great UI, would recommend!
Bug fixes and improvements.
Version 1.2.1
The developer, Tyler Pavay, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .
Data Linked to You
The following data may be collected and linked to your identity:
Health & Fitness
Purchases
Location
Contact Info
User Content
Identifiers
Usage Data
Diagnostics
Other Data
Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More
Accessibility
The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More
Information
Seller
Tyler Pavay
Size
121.1 MB
Category
Health & Fitness
Compatibility
Requires iOS 26.0 or later.
iPhone Requires iOS 26.0 or later.
Mac Requires macOS 26.0 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later.
