A few days ago, I received an exciting email from one of our customers. She had a young daughter who had just started competitive swimming, and both the girl and her mother were new to the world of swimming. The mother wanted to be able to keep track of her daughter's progress and results but lacked a way to do so.
This inspired me to put together this post, where I've compiled the best and only swimming apps that I would recommend to you.
Apps for Competitive Swimmers
When it comes to apps for competitive swimmers, the primary focus is often on being able to follow the development and results of competitions. Here are the best options:
Livetiming
Livetiming is almost a must-have for those entering the world of competitive swimming, both for swimmers themselves and their parents. It has been around for over 15 years, and virtually everyone uses this app. There are not many equivalent services.
What does Livetiming offer?
Livetiming allows you to check everything from start lists, program lists, and result lists from all Danish (and Swedish and Norwegian) swimming competitions with timekeeping. You can do this before, during, and after any swim meet. This way, as a swimmer, you'll always be prepared for which heat and lane you're in, avoiding the need to search for physical start lists. You can also see who and from which swimming club you'll be competing against in the heat.
There is also a live function, where parents can follow along from home, far from the swimming pool, and keep track live. This is often displayed on a scoreboard synchronously with what is being swum in the pool. At larger Danish meets, it's also shown with video. You can follow split times, heat placement, and the final finish time. This is exceptionally clever.
Cost:
Livetiming can be used in your web browser on both a computer and a mobile device, and it can also be downloaded as an app.
The web browser version is free, while the app costs between 18 and 32 DKK as a one-time payment. This is well worth it for optimal preparation, and you can follow along live as both a parent and a swimmer.
Swim Times / Swim Stopwatch
This service, Svømmetider, is the Danish Swimming Union's own, relatively new but incredibly useful tool for both parents and swimmers, especially after competitions.
What does Svømmetider offer?
On Svømmetider, you can find all result lists from swimming competitions in both Denmark and abroad. You can search for a specific meet and find times and placements for that particular event.
One of the most used features is the "rankings," which is updated after each competition with all times and then ranked according to the best times. This way, swimmers or parents can keep track of their placement in each race.
You can sort by:
- Pool length (short or long course)
- Race
- Gender (male or female)
- Period
- Group (age group, junior, senior, masters)
- Age
- Specific club (if you swim for a particular club, you can choose to see only the rankings for your own club)
For example, you can currently see that Pernille Blume is the fastest woman this year in the 50m freestyle across all age groups, or that Schastine Tabor currently has the fastest time in the same distance for her age group.
Another excellent feature is "Swimmers," where you can search for yourself, your daughter, or son and find their best times and even get a graph of their improvement in a specific race.
Here, for example, on the first picture, I've found my own best times across races, and on picture number 2, you can see my best times for the 200 meters butterfly sorted by the time I swam it.
Cost:
This service can be used both online in a web browser and as an app.
It is free to use in a web browser, and it's also free when you download it as an app. Please note that the app is called "Svøm Stopur" while the web browser version is called "Svømmetider." Svømmetider
Apps for Recreational Swimmers
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Apps for Fitness Swimmers
The focus here is not on competition results and swim times but rather on finding inspiration for daily/weekly/monthly swim training, which you likely manage yourself.
Therefore, this particular app (the one I would recommend and have used) includes suggestions for swim programs (if you prefer physical swim programs, I have created 300 of them for three different levels. Click here to access them) and swim exercises that ultimately aim to make your swimming practical and enjoyable.
I have personally used this one with great satisfaction over the past couple of years, during which I didn't have a swim coach as I did before. So, I believe it will also be very beneficial for you.
Myswimpro
This is an American service/app that nonetheless is something every Danish fitness swimmer could benefit from.
I've had the pleasure of having a couple of meetings with their founder regarding a collaboration between MyswimPro and Watery, which has only confirmed to me that it is both an excellent training tool and has some fantastic (passionate) swimmers behind it.
What does Myswimpro offer?
The unique aspect of Myswimpro is that the app acts as your personal swim coach – without the need for someone to be poolside. It achieves this by creating customized swim programs based on your entered swimming level (you input your 100m record, how long you want to swim per session, your weight/age, and whether you want to lose weight, get in better shape, improve your swimming technique, or swim faster). Using this information, it generates a tailored training plan with swim programs down to the duration of your rest intervals, specific swim exercises, etc.
What I really love about the app is that it also allows you to see how the various swim exercises and focus points are actually performed within the app. This means they have gone into the water themselves and demonstrate how to execute the specific exercise through video. This way, you're not alone, even if you're just by yourself in the water.
The app can be used in a web browser to view your upcoming swim programs and sign up, while during the actual swim training, you use the app itself. As a plus, it is also available for "Apple Watch," allowing you to have the swim program right at your fingertips while swimming. As a bonus piece of information showcasing how user-friendly Myswimpro is, the app was awarded "App of the Year" in 2016.
As an additional bonus, you can connect a heart rate monitor, and based on that, the app assesses whether you are swimming at the right pace. If you use the app on your "Apple Watch," it also measures your arm strokes per lap, your efficiency (how far you travel per stroke), and your split times throughout the swim session. When you return home from your swim training and sit down at the computer, your training data is automatically uploaded. You can then calmly analyze your training data and set goals in the system based on what you aim to achieve in your upcoming swim sessions.
All in all, this is the app for any swimmer who doesn't have a coach poolside.
What is the cost of the app?
The app itself is free to download, but it comes with a monthly/yearly fee depending on your preference. However, there is always a 7-day free trial.
Afterward, you can choose to purchase Premium on a monthly basis for $20 or for an entire year for $120, which grants you access to all the features mentioned above.
The app is compatible with all iPhones and Android phones, Apple Watch, Garmin watches, Fitbit, and Strava.
Watery The Swim-Care Set - Anti Chlorine
4.47/5
Based on 15 reviews
Now we have covered the best apps for swimmers, but there are actually even more cool tools for swimmers. Here are some of my favorites
So, I believe we've covered all the necessary tools and apps for you as a swimmer, regardless of your level, as well as for parents.
If you know of more great swim apps/services, please feel free to write them down in the comments below, and I'll be happy to add them so even more people can benefit.
