The Inactivity Optimizer · compared
Still Health vs step counters.
A step counter measures the hour you move and has nothing to say about the rest of the day. Still Health measures the rest of the day. It is the step counter that counts sitting, and, underneath, it counts the steps too.
01The short version
Same sensors. Opposite scoreboard.
Both are motion trackers. A step counter adds up movement and sets a goal above you. Still Health adds up stillness and keeps the records you were already setting at your desk: longest sit, best day, streaks, and, in a team, Weekly Honors for whoever did the least. You can run both. They do not argue.
02Side by side
| Category | A step counter | Still Health |
|---|---|---|
| What it measures | Steps, distance, active minutes, a daily goal. | Stillness time, interruptions, longest sit, streaks. Steps, distance and pace are recorded underneath. |
| What it rewards | Moving: closing a goal, a streak of hit targets. | Sitting: trophies for sitting, personal bests and worsts, Weekly Honors for whoever did the least. |
| The hours it covers | The hour you move. | The other 23. |
| At a desk | Adds nothing to the day's total. | The session runs and the day's stillness grows. |
| Rest days | A missed goal. | Rest is training. Deload week, recovery day, off-season have standings. |
| With other people | Step challenges: most steps wins. | Teams by invitation only. The stillest member wins Weekly Honors. Ten fixed badges of sanctioned trash talk. |
| Tracking | Phone or wrist motion sensors. | Apple Core Motion, processed on the device. Sessions are anchored to the wall clock so they survive phone sleep. No location collected. |
| Price | Often free, or built into the phone. | Free to track. Basic $4.99 once. Premium $4.99 a month or $24.99 a year with a 7-day free trial on yearly. |
| Who it is for | People who want to be told to move. | Desk workers and office teams, athletes on recovery days, and anyone who wants the sitting on the record. |
Step-counter column: how the category generally works, not any one product. Still Health column: the shipped app, version 1.0.2, October 2026.
03Common answers
Does Still Health count steps?
Yes. Underneath the stillness, every session records steps, distance and pace. Pace reads ∞ until you cover ground.
Can I keep my step counter?
Yes. Still Health reads the phone's own Motion & Fitness data and writes nothing to other apps. One scores the hour you move, the other scores the rest.
Is the tracking real?
Yes. Apple Core Motion, processed on the device, with sessions anchored to the wall clock so they survive your phone falling asleep. Every number on every screen is measured, or reads ∞.
Is there a step goal?
No. There is a session. Press Start, sit down; a session runs until you stop it. The app keeps your longest sit, your streaks and your best day.
What does it cost?
Free to track. Basic is $4.99 once for 32 guided exercises, focus and relax audio, full history and achievements. Premium is $4.99 a month or $24.99 a year with a 7-day free trial on yearly, for friends, teams, standings, Weekly Honors and team chat. Billed through your Apple ID.
Is this a medical app?
No. Still Health is entertainment with an instrument inside. It is not medical advice and makes no medical claims.
04Free to track
Free to track · iPhone · Basic and Premium are optional, inside the app. See the plans, or the Strava comparison.