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Beastie vs Cadence: Two Camera Rep Counters Compared
Beastie and Cadence both count reps with the phone camera and run 60-second duels. Here is where they differ: price, exercises, platforms and how friends join.
Beastie and Cadence are the two closest apps in this category: both count your reps with the phone camera on the device, both run live 60-second duels, and neither uploads video. Cadence is free and counts seven exercises, but it is Android-only and your opponent needs an account. Beastie counts three exercises and needs a subscription after your first set, but it runs on iPhone and Android, and your friend can open a challenge in a browser before installing anything.
We make Beastie. Everything below about Cadence comes from its own Google Play listing and website, read on 3 October 2026, plus our own test of the app. Where Cadence doesn't say something, we don't guess.
Side by side
| Beastie | Cadence | |
|---|---|---|
| How it counts | Phone camera, pose detection on the device | Phone camera, pose detection on the device |
| Exercises | Push-ups, squats, jumping jacks | Push-ups, pull-ups, dips, squats, crunches, glute bridges, plank timer |
| Form checks | Every rep on all three exercises; only clean reps count | Form coaching on push-ups and plank; the other five are "counted, not graded" |
| Live duels | 60 seconds, most clean reps wins | 60 seconds, most reps wins; plank duels run until both holds break |
| Async challenges | A link with seven days to answer; opens in a browser | A sealed challenge; neither sees the other's score until both are done |
| Groups and leaderboards | Your win record, rep PRs and streaks | Groups, per-exercise leaderboards, worldwide and in each group |
| Account | Not to start; you pick a name before your first duel | Not to train; needed for duels and challenges |
| Streaks | Pause when you miss a day, never break | "Miss a day and it breaks" |
| Price | First set free, then Beastie Pro with a 7-day free trial; answering a challenge is always free | Free, no ads, no subscription |
| Ads | None | None |
| Platforms | iPhone and Android | Android |
| Video | Never uploaded or stored | "No video or image is ever recorded, stored, or sent anywhere" |
Where Cadence is ahead
Price. Cadence's listing is plain about it: "every exercise, every feature. No locked content, no ads, no subscription." Beastie gives you one counted set, and every challenge a friend sends you, for free. After that it is a subscription. If cost decides it, Cadence wins.
Exercises. Seven against three. Cadence counts pull-ups and dips if you have a bar, and crunches, glute bridges and a plank hold on the floor. Beastie counts push-ups, squats and jumping jacks, and only adds a move once a propped phone can judge it reliably.
Counting. When we tried Cadence's push-ups and squats on an Android phone, the count was accurate. It also stops counting push-ups "the moment you leave the position", so standing up to reach your phone does not add reps. That's a good rule.
Extras. A home-screen body map of the muscles you worked, a voice coach that names the fault, and a daily reminder that moves to the hour you actually train.
Where Beastie is different
Your friend doesn't need the app to see the challenge. In Beastie a challenge is a link: "27 push-ups. Your move, beastie." Your friend opens it in any browser, sees the number and the rules, and has seven days to answer with the app. Cadence's duels and challenges need an account on both sides. The push-up challenge page walks through it.
iPhone. Cadence's site answers "Is there an iPhone version?" with "Not yet." Beastie runs on iPhone and Android, so a duel works whichever phone your rival carries.
Every rep is judged the same way on every exercise. Cadence is honest that only push-ups and plank are graded. Beastie checks form on all three of its moves and only counts clean reps. For a push-up that means elbows past about 90 degrees and back to straight arms, with your body line checked. A live skeleton is drawn over you the whole time: white for a clean segment, orange for the one that broke form. How it counts has the detail.
Streaks never break. Cadence's 30-day streak is designed to break: "Discipline beats motivation — that's the point." Beastie's streak pauses when you miss a day and picks up when you come back.
Ways to play when nobody's around. Duel the mascot, try to beat your own record, or follow a camera-counted plan that adapts to the reps you actually did.
Where both are the same
- On-device counting. Both run pose detection on the phone and both say no video is uploaded or stored. Both count with no signal; only duels and leaderboards need a connection.
- No ads. Neither shows ads.
- No account to start. You can count a set straight away in either.
- 60-second duels. Same clock, same idea: most reps when time runs out.
What Beastie can't do
Fair is fair. Beastie only counts three exercises, so if pull-ups, dips or planks are your thing, it is the wrong app today. It needs room to prop the phone with your whole body in frame. And after your first counted set, solo sets and creating duels need Beastie Pro. There is a 7-day free trial, and answering a challenge a friend sends you is always free.
Who should pick which
Pick Cadence if:
- You're on Android and want it free
- You want pull-ups, dips, crunches or planks counted
- You like a hard streak that resets if you miss a day
- Your friends will happily make an account to duel
Pick Beastie if:
- You're on iPhone, or your rivals are
- You want to send a challenge your friend can open before they install anything
- You want the same strict rep standard on every exercise you duel on
- You'd rather your streak pause than break
Comparing more than these two? Our roundup of the best push-up counter apps covers seven, and the push-up competition rules page sets out what a fair rep is. To try Beastie, get it here.
Cadence is a trademark of its owner, used here only to identify the app being compared. Beastie isn't affiliated with Cadence or its developer.
Questions people ask
Is Cadence free?
Yes. Its Google Play listing says every exercise and every feature is free, with no locked content, no ads and no subscription. Beastie's first counted set is free and answering a friend's challenge is always free; everything else needs Beastie Pro, which starts with a 7-day free trial.
Is Cadence on iPhone?
Not yet. Cadence's own site says it is an Android app, available on Google Play. Beastie is on both iPhone and Android.
Which counts more exercises, Beastie or Cadence?
Cadence counts seven: push-ups, pull-ups, dips, squats, crunches, glute bridges and a plank timer. Beastie counts three: push-ups, squats and jumping jacks.
What is a good Cadence alternative?
If you are on iPhone, or you want to challenge a friend who does not have the app yet, Beastie is the closest alternative: the same camera counting and 60-second live duels, plus a challenge link that opens in a browser.
Do Beastie and Cadence record video?
Neither does. Both run pose detection on the phone, and both say no video is uploaded or stored.
Send a rep battle. Let the camera judge.
Beastie counts push-ups, squats and jumping jacks on your phone — only clean reps count — and your friend can answer from a link, no app needed to see it.
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