Gait analysis, TUG and SPPB apps: a 2026 buyer's guide
Phones can now measure how someone walks, stands up and keeps their balance. The tools differ a lot in how they measure, which tests they run and what evidence stands behind them. This guide lays out 13 options side by side so you can choose for yourself.
We make Step Doctor, one of the options below. Every other entry comes from the vendor's own website or app store listing and the papers they cite, reviewed on 2026-10-23. It is not a ranking. Spotted something out of date? Email aicu.contact@gmail.com and we'll correct it.
The options side by side
| Option | How it measures | Tests | Made for | Platforms | Pricing | Published validation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exer Camera-based motion analysis for clinic and home, stated as FDA Class II software. Its gait module is in beta; studies are mentioned without citations. |
One phone camera (markerless) |
|
Orthopedics, senior care, neurology and rehab | Phone · tablet · webcam | On request | None published |
| GaitKeeperGO Gait speed and TUG timed from the camera with an augmented-reality walkway. CE-marked Class I per its developer; validation so far is a 2025 conference poster for gait speed. |
One phone camera (markerless) |
|
Clinicians (physiotherapy, geriatrics, nursing homes) | iOS | Free download; credits (10 for €9.99) | None published |
| GAITRite The long-established pressure walkway used as the reference in many app validations, including Lindera's and GaitKeeper's. Measures walking over the mat. |
Pressure-sensing walkways |
|
Clinics and researchers | Walkway + PC | On request | Bilney et al., Gait Posture 2003 |
| Hacaro-iTUG Voice-prompted instrumented TUG from the phone's motion sensors, with a phase graph. Last updated in 2022. |
Phone motion sensors, worn at the waist |
|
Clinical research (normal-pressure hydrocephalus) | iPhone | Free | Pilot study, 2022 (PMC8860690) |
| I-SOL Care (Gilon) Korean smart-insole app with everyday gait tracking and four functional tests, including the TUG and five chair stands. Needs the insole. |
Smart insoles and wearable sensors |
|
Consumers | iOS + insole | App free; insole sold separately | None published |
| Kinetically Camera-based test library for clinics (gait, TUG, sit-to-stand, balance and more) with documentation and billing workflows. Its site cites research on the method in general; product-specific validation is not published. |
One phone camera (markerless) |
|
Clinicians (physical therapy, neurology, falls) | iOS · web | $29 per clinician per month or $249 a year | None published |
| Kinvent Force plates, dynamometers and sensors that measure strength and load symmetry, which cameras cannot. Needs the hardware. |
Force plates and connected sensors |
|
Physical therapists, sports and research | iOS · Android · web + hardware | Hardware purchase | None published |
| Lindera Mobility and fall-risk analysis from one smartphone video, validated against a pressure walkway in older adults. The paper notes a frontal view only, a still camera and some step-length errors over 10 cm. |
One phone camera (markerless) |
|
Care facilities, practices and insurers; people and families at home (Germany) | iOS · Android | Home app €13.99 per analysis or €11.66 a month; facilities on request | Azhand et al., Sci Rep 2021 (Lindera and Charité authors)Strutz et al., JMIR Aging 2022 (commissioned by Lindera) |
| OneStep Gait from the phone in a pocket, with several peer-reviewed validations including patient groups. Its studies note systematic bias against lab references and weaker agreement for stance and swing. |
Phone motion sensors, carried on the body |
|
Clinicians and rehab providers; patients through their clinician | iOS · Android · web | On request; patient app free | Shahar & Agmon, Sensors 2021 (developer-funded)Christensen et al., J Orthop Surg Res 2022 (developer co-authors)Marom et al., Sensors 2024 |
| OpenCap Stanford's research platform: movement and joint forces from two or more phones, validated against lab motion capture and force plates. Not a scored clinical test. |
Several cameras (markerless) |
|
Researchers | 2+ iPhones · web | Free for academic research; open source | Uhlrich et al., PLOS Comput Biol 2023 |
| SPPB Guide Guides the standard SPPB with scripts, layouts, scoring and reports; timing is by stopwatch. Its store links did not open on the review date, so it may no longer be available. |
Guided stopwatch apps |
|
Clinicians and researchers | iOS · Android | Free | None published |
| Step Doctor (AICU) Our app. Runs gait analysis, the instrumented TUG with six graded phases and the full SPPB, scored automatically from one phone video with voice guidance, in English and Korean. |
One phone camera (markerless) |
|
People and families at home; clinicians | iOS · Android | Free download; credits per test | Internal study against a pressure-sensor gait mat; not yet peer-reviewed. |
| Zeno Walkway (ProtoKinetics) Pressure walkway with gait and balance protocols and pressure data, validated in older adults. Lab or clinic hardware. |
Pressure-sensing walkways |
|
Research, trials, hospitals and rehab | Walkway + PC | On request | Vallabhajosula et al., J Geriatr Phys Ther 2019 |
Ways to measure movement
One phone camera (markerless)
A single video of the person, turned into a 3D skeleton by AI. Nothing to wear and the movement can be watched back, but the person has to stay in frame and lighting and camera placement matter.
Several cameras (markerless)
Two or more synchronized phones. More complete 3D movement, including joint forces in research tools, but more setup and usually a research setting.
Phone motion sensors, carried on the body
The phone's accelerometer and gyroscope in a pocket or on a belt. Very little setup and suits everyday walking, but it sees one point on the body and infers the rest.
Phone motion sensors, worn at the waist
The phone strapped to the body for one test. Times test phases from motion, without video.
Smart insoles and wearable sensors
Pressure or motion sensors in a shoe insole or on the body. Good for continuous tracking; needs the hardware.
Force plates and connected sensors
Clinic hardware that measures force, load and symmetry, which cameras can't. Needs purchased equipment.
Pressure-sensing walkways
A mat that records every footfall. The reference standard many apps are validated against; lab or clinic only, and only walking over the mat.
Guided stopwatch apps
The examiner follows the protocol and times it with the phone's stopwatch; the app does the scoring and the report.
Seven questions to ask before you choose
- Which tests do you need: gait, TUG, the SPPB, sit-to-stand, balance? Many tools run only some of them.
- How is it measured: camera, body-worn sensor, insole, walkway or stopwatch? Each has different strengths.
- Is there published validation for the measure you care about, in people like yours? Check who funded it.
- Who records the test: the person at home, a family member, or a clinician?
- Does it speak your language, including any voice guidance?
- Where does the data go, and how long are videos kept?
- How is it priced: per test, per month, per clinician, or hardware?
Questions
Which apps can score the SPPB automatically from video?
Among the options reviewed here in October 2026, Step Doctor is the one that scores the full SPPB automatically from a phone video. SPPB Guide follows the same protocol with stopwatch timing, and research prototypes exist.
Which apps time the phases of the Timed Up and Go?
Step Doctor splits the TUG into six graded phases from video, and Hacaro-iTUG times phases from the phone's motion sensors. Other tools time the total; several don't state whether they time phases.
What is the reference standard for gait analysis?
Pressure-sensing walkways such as GAITRite and Zeno, and lab motion capture, are the usual references that apps are validated against.
Does a phone app replace a clinical assessment?
No. These tools support screening and monitoring. Results should inform, not replace, the judgement of a healthcare professional.