ErgData Alternatives: What Else Tracks Your Erg?
By the Watta Team · Updated
Quick Answer
The best ErgData alternative depends on what ErgData is not giving you. For analytics and workout scoring, use Watta. For entertainment and video routes, use Kinomap. For racing and games, use Regatta. For structured coaching, use asensei. Most of these complement rather than replace ErgData, because ErgData remains the official upload route to the Concept2 Logbook.
Why Look Beyond ErgData?
ErgData does its official job well: it mirrors live PM5 data and uploads finished workouts to the Concept2 Logbook. What it does not do is tell you what the workout meant. There is no session score, no heart rate zone analysis, no pacing evaluation, and no social layer. Rowers usually seek an alternative for one of four reasons: deeper analytics, more engaging workouts, structured coaching, or a community to train with.
Watta — for Analytics and Progress
Watta is the analytics-first alternative. Photograph your PM5 summary screen and Watta extracts every metric, then scores the session 0-100 with the Effort Score — a composite of cardiac load, work output, pacing, and economy. Heart rate zones use the Karvonen method with your real resting and max heart rate. Clubs, squads, and leaderboards add the social layer ErgData lacks. And because Watta links to the Concept2 Logbook read-only, you can keep uploading with ErgData and let those workouts import into Watta automatically.
Kinomap — for Video Routes
Kinomap streams real-world rowing, cycling, and running video routes that respond to your pace over Bluetooth. For rowers who find steady state monotonous, rowing a filmed course is a genuine motivation upgrade. Kinomap is subscription-based and focuses on the in-workout experience rather than long-term analytics.
Regatta — for Games and Racing
Regatta connects to the PM5 and turns erg time into games and virtual races against other rowers. It is one of the most effective ways to make hard intervals feel shorter. Like Kinomap, it is about the session itself; pair it with a tracker if you want a training record with analysis.
asensei — for Connected Coaching
asensei delivers structured rowing programmes with technique coaching over the live PM5 connection. It suits rowers who want a plan and guidance rather than raw data. The trade-off is subscription cost and less emphasis on open-ended tracking.
The Realistic Setup
Few rowers fully replace ErgData, because it remains the official pipeline to the Concept2 Logbook, rankings, and challenges. The realistic setup is ErgData plus one alternative: Watta for the analysis layer (imported automatically via the Logbook link), or Kinomap/Regatta/asensei for the in-workout experience. If you only change one thing, add Watta — it upgrades every workout you already log without changing how you row.
Tips
- +Keep ErgData for Logbook uploads even if you adopt an alternative — official rankings only count workouts in the Logbook.
- +Link Watta to your Concept2 Logbook so every ErgData upload imports into Watta automatically.
- +Choose Kinomap or Regatta if boredom, not data, is your real problem.
- +Photograph your PM5 screen in Watta on gym ergs where Bluetooth pairing is a hassle.
- +Review your Effort Score trend monthly — it shows fitness change that raw splits hide.
Further Reading
- Concept2 Training Resources — Official training guides and workout of the day from Concept2.
- British Rowing — Indoor Rowing — Training plans and resources from the national governing body.
- Concept2 Rankings — Global erg rankings by distance, age, and weight category.
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