Hotlap vs PB Buddy
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Hotlap
This app offers GPS lap timing and data logging for track day enthusiasts. Compare your performance with others in a community setting to improve your personal bests.
- GPS lap timing
- Data logging
- Performance comparison
- Community features
- Personal best tracking
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Experience the competitive spirit and camaraderie of track days from anywhere. Hotlap is an exciting new community for track day enthusiasts. With intuitive GPS lap timing and data logging you can ealiy compare your performance with fellow drivers to achieve your next personal best.
PB Buddy
This lap timer app is designed for HPDE and time trials, offering a simple interface for drivers of all levels. It provides instant feedback on lap and sector times, helping users improve their performance on the track. Users can also export their session data for further analysis.
- Easy setup and use
- Instant lap and sector feedback
- Big, bright visual elements
- Data export (CSV and developer-friendly)
- Supports US race tracks
- Works with built-in and external GPS
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PB Buddy is a lap timer app for HPDE and time trials. It offers an easy-to-use, minimalist interface that allows you to focus on what matters most. The user experience has been crafted to work well for drivers of all skill levels, from beginners to seasoned racers. The app has been tested at numerous Time Trials and helped set over a dozen class records across the US. Key features: 1. Easy to set up. The app walks you through the setup and explains how to use it. You don’t need to be an IT professional just to see your lap times. 2. Easy to use. Once the initial setup is complete, simply open the app, press the button to start recording, confirm the track, and you're ready to go! 3. Quickly get feedback on your current lap. Thanks to big, bright visual elements and fun, vibrant colors, you can easily see if you’re on a good lap or lost too much time to set a new personal best (PB). Forget counting the number of tiny LEDs! 4. Fast and targeted feedback. It’s too late to review data in the paddock if you only have one session in the morning when the conditions are best! With PB Buddy, you get instant feedback for each sector of the track (or even per corner!), so you can turn even a bad lap into an opportunity to try something new in that tricky corner you’re struggling with, and find another tenth of a second for your next hot lap. 5. YOU own your data. Export data for each session in CSV format compatible with many existing third-party apps, or export every byte recorded by the app in a developer-friendly format if you enjoy tinkering with data. 6. Supports most race tracks in the US, with more tracks and configurations coming soon. 7. Supports the built-in GPS receiver, but works best with third-party Bluetooth-enabled GPS devices.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: PB Buddy at 5.0 against Hotlap's 4.3. PB Buddy also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and review sentiment (100% vs 69%). Hotlap's advantage is ratings volume (79 vs 10). On price, update cadence, ads and device support 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
Both are free to download. Hotlap sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. PB Buddy asks for nothing beyond the download.
PB Buddy holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hotlap has 79 ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 69% of Hotlap's written reviews are positive against 100% of PB Buddy's.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Hotlap | PB Buddy |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.3 (79 ratings) | 5.0 (10 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 69.4% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 79 — better | 10 |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Monthly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 118 MB | 19 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 9+ |
| Developer | Extravehicular Activity, Inc. | Timur Iskhodzhanov |
Customer experience
Hotlap
PB Buddy
In-app purchases
Hotlap
- Hotlap Plus Monthly$2.991 Month
- Hotlap Plus Annual$23.991 Year
PB Buddy
No in-app purchases
