RaceChrono Pro vs Garmin Catalyst™
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
RaceChrono Pro
This app serves as a comprehensive lap timer and data logger for motorsports, enabling users to record and analyze performance. It offers video recording with data overlays and supports a wide range of external GPS and OBD-II devices for enhanced accuracy.
- Lap timing with sectors and optimal lap
- Track library with over 2600 pre-made tracks
- Data analysis with synchronized graphs and maps
- Predictive lap timing
- Video recording with data overlay
- Support for external GPS and OBD-II devices
- Unlimited session length
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RaceChrono Pro is a versatile lap timer, data logging and data analysis app designed especially for use in motorsports, replacing your traditional lap timers and data loggers. The RaceChrono Pro app also enables you to record videos and overlay them with the logged data. RaceChrono apps have a strong following, currently over 100000 active users. If you look around at pits during your race or track day, chances are that you’ll see someone using RaceChrono. Even many professionals, such as factory test drivers and race driving instructors, are known to use this app! No matter whether you ride motorbikes, drive go-karts or cars, on closed circuit or special stage tracks – this is the motorsports app for you. RaceChrono Pro has following major features: • Lap timing with sectors and optimal lap • Track library of over 2600 pre-made race tracks • Custom user defined circuit and point-to-point tracks • Smoothly scrolling data analysis with synchronised graph, X/Y graph, map, video and comparison video • Predictive lap timing and time delta graph • Hardware accelerated video export with configurable data overlay • Multiple camera recording and picture-in-picture video export • Video recording using internal camera • Linking and synchronising video files from almost all action cameras • Support for external GPS receivers; Dragy Pro/DRG70/DRG70-C/Lite, RaceBox Mini/Mini S/Micro, Qstarz BL-818GT/BL-1000GT/LT-8000GT, Columbus P-9 Race, Dual XGPS 150/160, VBOX Sport, Garmin GLO • Support for OBD-II readers; OBDLink MX+ Bluetooth, OBDLink CX Bluetooth, Dragy OBD, Vgate vLinker FS, Vgate vLinker/iCar BLE, PLX Kiwi 3/4, Carista OBD2 Bluetooth, Tonwon BLE 1/2/Pro, Veepeak OBDCheck BLE, UniCarScan UCSI-2000, OBDLink MX Wi-Fi, generic Wi-Fi OBD-II • Support for Bluetooth LE heart rate monitors • Unlimited session length, good for 24 hour races • Session data export in .ODS (session summary for Excel), .NMEA, .VBO and .CSV formats
Garmin Catalyst™
Access and analyze your motorsports performance data on your smartphone. Review lap times, session summaries, and driver profiles. Track annual driving activity and session weather conditions.
- Access performance data
- View lap times
- Session summaries
- Customizable driver profiles
- Track annual activity
- Record weather conditions
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For motorsports drivers of all levels, the Garmin Catalyst™ app provides a simple, intuitive way to access your Garmin Catalyst™ performance data — including lap times, session summaries and customizable driver profiles— on your compatible smartphone or tablet. The app also tracks your annual driving activity metrics and provides a record of weather conditions for each session. Garmin Catalyst™ App • Easily access your Garmin Catalyst™ performance data with use of this app on your compatible smartphone or tablet • Shows your session summaries, lap times, session weather conditions, lap-by-lap data and annual driving activity metrics • Customizable icons within the app let you tailor the look of your driver profile and vehicle icons • View vehicles and track notes from your Garmin Catalyst™ device
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Garmin Catalyst™ at Free against RaceChrono Pro's $19.99. Garmin Catalyst™ also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3) and review sentiment (80% vs 58%). RaceChrono Pro's advantage is chart position (#15 vs unranked). On rating, ratings volume, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Garmin Catalyst™ is free to download; RaceChrono Pro costs $19.99 up front. RaceChrono Pro sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Garmin Catalyst™ asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for RaceChrono Pro against 4.8 for Garmin Catalyst™. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 184 and 120 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 58% of RaceChrono Pro's written reviews are positive against 80% of Garmin Catalyst™'s.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly monthly. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.
| Parameter | RaceChrono Pro | Garmin Catalyst™ |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $19.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.7 (184 ratings) | 4.8 (120 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 57.6% of reviews | 80.3% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 184 — better | 120 |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Monthly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #15 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 16.5 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 43 MB | 220 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | RaceChrono Oy | Garmin |
Customer experience
RaceChrono Pro
Garmin Catalyst™
Bugs and requests
RaceChrono Pro
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Garmin Catalyst™
Reported bugs
7 issues- Everytime you try logging in the app just glitches anyways can’t even get logged in.
- Comparing to others frequently fails
- Compare to friend feature way to frequently fails with the message about the tracks not matching well enough despite being the same track on the same days even.
- New version is off
- It won’t let me compare the laps with other friends on the same day. Says lap not similar. Literally same day same track same session.
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- Friend integration is currently pretty lacking. When I try to compare laps it complains that the tracks aren't similar enough.
- Worse though is that there's no apparent way of sharing your sessions with friends.
Requested features
17 requests- Option to select 1-5 laps for optimum view
- Watch reference videos side by side on the Catalyst
- Add video review on phone or iPad
- Allow moving videos to iCloud for review
- Ability to download in-car camera footage directly from device to app
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- Compare data from other sessions
- Use for Sim racing games
- More functionality to come
- Make it even more simple
- Overall leaderboard
- Leaderboards of other tracks
- Compare session data between friends
- Fix track matching issues for friend comparison
- Allow browsing friend's sessions
- Add option to compare against other sessions
- Add dark mode option
- Add advanced analytics dashboard
In-app purchases
RaceChrono Pro
- Reference session 3$0.99
- Reference session 2$4.99
- Reference session 1$8.99
Garmin Catalyst™
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is RaceChrono Pro free?
Is Garmin Catalyst™ free?
Which has better reviews, RaceChrono Pro or Garmin Catalyst™?
Do RaceChrono Pro or Garmin Catalyst™ have ads?
Which is updated more often, RaceChrono Pro or Garmin Catalyst™?
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