You don't need an app to use a SkiErg. The PM5 already gives you the main figures during a workout and keeps a basic record afterwards, which may be all you need for a quick session.
An iPhone becomes useful when you want to do something with those figures. You might want a proper training history, a complicated interval session, an online race or simply something more interesting to follow while you ski. Each of those points towards a different app.
We make SkiEr, so we are not completely impartial here. The features and UK prices below were checked against current developer pages and App Store listings on 30 August 2026, although we haven't independently tested every app.
The short comparison
| App | What I would use it for | Devices | Price | Where the result goes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SkiEr | 3D routes, plans and racing your previous best | iPhone and iPad, iOS/iPadOS 17+ | £14.99 once | SkiEr history, Apple Health and optional Strava upload |
| ErgData | The official Concept2 training record | iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch | Free | Concept2 Online Logbook and Apple Health |
| ErgZone | Detailed intervals, pace targets and coaching content | iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch | Free; ErgZone+ is £4.99/month or £49.99/year | ErgZone history and Concept2 Logbook |
| ErgRace Online | Taking part in a live Concept2 race | iPhone and iPad | Free | Online race results and Concept2 Logbook |
| Ski-Ergometer Workout | Recording with an Apple Watch or using a PM5-fed display | iPhone and Apple Watch | Free; Pro is £1.99/month or £19.99/year | HealthKit, with Strava and Concept2 Logbook export |
Prices can change, so the links go directly to the current UK listings.
ErgData is the sensible free starting point
If you have only just started connecting a phone to the PM5, I would try ErgData first. It is Concept2's own app, it is free, and it works with the SkiErg, RowErg, BikeErg and StrengthErg.
You can set up a workout from the phone, load Concept2's Workout of the Day and save sessions to the Concept2 Online Logbook. That Logbook connection is probably the main reason to use it. It gives you one official training record, and Concept2 can pass workouts onwards to services such as Strava and Garmin Connect.
The live screens cover far more than the standard PM5 display, including configurable figures, pace graphs, an interval table and a pace boat. There is also a shared virtual course called Real Time Loop. I would still think of ErgData mainly as a training and analysis app though, rather than a game built specifically around the SkiErg.
ErgData can write workouts to Apple Health. At the time of checking, its App Store notes say all Health write permissions need to be enabled while Concept2 works on a known syncing problem. If a session does not appear, that is the first setting I would check.
SkiEr makes the session more visual
SkiEr is for the days when another screen of numbers is not really the answer. It takes the live pace, power, distance and stroke rate from the PM5 and uses them to move a skier through a 3D route on your iPhone or iPad.
There are seven routes from 5K to 21K, along with medal targets and a ghost PB that lets you race a previous performance. Six training plans cover beginner sessions, 2K improvement, sprint work, endurance, HYROX preparation and biathlon conditioning. Workouts add XP, levels and achievements, and stay in a local history on the device.
SkiEr costs £14.99 as a one-off purchase. It supports Apple Health and optional Strava uploads, but it does not send the workout to the Concept2 Online Logbook. It also has less freedom for building complicated intervals than ErgZone. I would choose it because you want the routes and progression, not because you need the most detailed training database.
ErgZone gives you more control over the workout
ErgZone makes more sense when the session itself is complicated. It can programme the PM5 for time, distance or calorie intervals, then show whether you are holding the planned pace, stroke rate or split.
The free version includes monitor setup, live figures, interval pacing, daily workouts, history and Concept2 Logbook syncing. That is enough for quite a lot of training, particularly if a coach has already given you the session and targets.
ErgZone+ is mainly about analysis and planning. It adds deeper graphs and power metrics, lets you repeat a previous workout with ReSki, and opens the community, web-dashboard, Apple Health and Watch features. It currently costs £4.99 per month or £49.99 per year.
I wouldn't subscribe just because more figures are available. I would use the free version first, then pay if one of those features solves a problem you are actually having.
ErgRace Online is for an actual race
ErgRace Online has a narrower job than the other apps, which is quite helpful when that is the job you need done. It connects SkiErgs, RowErgs and BikeErgs in different locations so people can compete in the same live race.
Private events use a code from the organiser. Public competitions appear in the app for anybody to join, and Concept2 says it runs races each week. You can also use the automatic test race, which starts every ten minutes, to make sure your PM5, firmware and account are ready beforehand.
Individual results can be added to the Concept2 Logbook. For the normal sessions between races, you will probably still want ErgData, ErgZone or another training app.
Ski-Ergometer Workout works with a Watch or PM5
Ski-Ergometer Workout can record a session in two different ways. It can estimate movement and distance from an Apple Watch without using the PM5, with the iPhone acting as the larger display. It can also connect the iPhone directly to a SkiErg PM5 and work without the Watch.
Workouts are stored in HealthKit, and the developer lists exports to Strava and the Concept2 Logbook. The app also includes personal challenges and Game Center leaderboards.
The core app is free. Pro adds detailed analysis, graphs, advanced statistics and comparisons between sessions, and currently costs £1.99 per month or £19.99 per year. This is probably the most relevant option if the Apple Watch already sits at the centre of how you record exercise, especially if you sometimes use SkiErgs where the PM5 is unavailable or inaccessible.
Decide which training record matters to you
There is quite a lot of overlap between these apps while the workout is happening. Most can show the figures coming from a PM5, but they do not all leave the same record behind.
ErgData and ErgZone can save directly to the Concept2 Online Logbook. SkiEr keeps its own local history and can write to Apple Health or upload to Strava. Ski-Ergometer Workout stores the session through HealthKit and offers separate exports, while ErgRace Online records the result of the race.
It is worth deciding where you want the session to finish before you start it. Concept2 advises using one app to record from the PM5 and closing the others, as competing fitness-app connections can cause communication errors.
To connect, wake the PM5 and select Connect from its Main Menu. Then open the equipment or device screen inside the app and select the number shown on the monitor. Do this inside the training app rather than trying to pair the PM5 under the iPhone's normal Bluetooth settings. Our PM5 and iPhone connection guide works through the process and the main checks if the monitor does not appear.