# PIEPS vs Socal Ski Tours

The clearest difference is ratings volume: PIEPS at 1K against Socal Ski Tours's 7. Socal Ski Tours's advantage is iOS requirement (13.5 vs 15.0). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for PIEPS against 5.0 for Socal Ski Tours. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PIEPS has 1K ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two.

PIEPS ships an update monthly, Socal Ski Tours every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PIEPS | Socal Ski Tours |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.9 (1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pieps/id1148014050/reviews) | **[5.0 (7 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/socal-ski-tours/id1610471483/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **1K** | 7 |
| Positive reviews | 63.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 46 MB | 191 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **13.5** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Pieps GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/1148014049) | [Jason Panella](https://appshunter.io/developer/1607553044) |

## What reviewers say

### PIEPS

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pieps/id1148014050)

Configure, check, and update your PIEPS or Black Diamond avalanche transceiver. Train your rescue skills with your phone as a remote control and register your device for additional services.

**Highlights:** Device configuration, Functionality check, Firmware updates, Rescue skills training, Remote control functionality, Device registration

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to use
- 👍 Convenient app updates
- 🚀 Quick Bluetooth connection
- 👍 Functional, well-designed app

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bluetooth connection issues
- 🐛 App login/registration problems
- 🐛 App not working on certain devices
- 🔋 Battery compartment design issues

**Reported bugs**

- App home screen going blank
- Incompatibility with certain beacon models

**Requested features**

- Support for more languages (e.g. Russian, Japanese)
- Improved security for app login/registration


### Socal Ski Tours

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/socal-ski-tours/id1610471483)

Discover backcountry ski routes in Southern California's alpine terrain. This app provides essential information for planning winter ski tours in a region not typically known for snow.

**Highlights:** Backcountry ski route discovery, Descriptions of ski descents, Planning tool for ski tours, Covers major Southern California descents, Winter alpine terrain information

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PIEPS free?

PIEPS is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Socal Ski Tours free?

Socal Ski Tours is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, PIEPS or Socal Ski Tours?

Socal Ski Tours is rated higher. PIEPS averages 4.9 out of 5 from 1K ratings, while Socal Ski Tours averages 5.0 from 7 ratings.

### Do PIEPS or Socal Ski Tours have ads?

Neither PIEPS nor Socal Ski Tours shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, PIEPS or Socal Ski Tours?

PIEPS ships an update monthly, and Socal Ski Tours every 2 months. Most recently, PIEPS was updated on October 26, 2026 and Socal Ski Tours on October 24, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*