Comparison

Altimeter Elevation Watch vs WristRoute Lite

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Altimeter Elevation Watch

Track your current altitude, daily peak, and elevation gain during outdoor activities. View your altitude in your car via CarPlay or on your iPhone's Lock Screen and Dynamic Island. Record and review your routes on a map with elevation-colored lines.

Highlights
  • Real-time altitude tracking
  • Daily peak and elevation gain display
  • CarPlay integration for in-car altitude
  • Live Activity and Dynamic Island support
  • Route recording and map review
  • History tracking (daily, monthly, yearly)
Features
Read full description

Check your current altitude and see how much you have climbed. Altimeter shows your altitude, daily peak and elevation gain on hikes, bike rides and mountain drives. Use it on iPhone and Apple Watch, or view your altitude in CarPlay. ALTITUDE IN YOUR CAR The native CarPlay app has its own view for altitude, climb or descent per minute, grade, direction, peak and gain. It is an altitude display, not a navigation app. Set it up before driving. ALTITUDE WITHOUT SWITCHING APPS Start a Live Activity on iPhone to see altitude, peak and gain on the Lock Screen. Compatible iPhones also show these values in the Dynamic Island. Live Activity and the native CarPlay app are separate features. Widgets and Watch complications show your latest available altitude data. LOOK BACK AT YOUR ROUTE Record a track and open it on the map later. The line is colored by elevation; the color scale shows lower and higher sections. Daily history shows your altitude profile, peak and ascent. Monthly and yearly views help you compare your altitude history. FIT IT TO YOUR DAY • Display altitude in meters or feet • Check altitude on Apple Watch • Use Siri or Shortcuts to start a Live Activity or ask for your altitude • Optionally use existing Flights Climbed data from Apple Health in your analysis BEFORE YOU START Readings depend on GPS reception, sensors and location permissions. Background features require appropriate permissions. iOS and watchOS limit widget and complication refreshes; these are not continuously live displays. The app does not replace professional measurement equipment, navigation or safety equipment. ACCESS New users can try the app for two days. Continued access then requires a monthly subscription, annual subscription or one-time lifetime purchase. Existing purchases can be restored in the app. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

WristRoute Lite

This app provides standalone GPS navigation for outdoor activities on your Apple Watch. It supports offline use with cached topographic and OpenStreetMap maps, allowing you to follow routes and track progress without an internet connection. Battery-saving options are included for extended use.

Highlights
  • Standalone Apple Watch GPS
  • Offline GPX file support
  • Topographic and OpenStreetMap maps
  • Cached maps for offline use
  • Battery saving options
  • Elevation profile tracking
Read full description

WristRoute Lite is a standalone Apple Watch GPS application for hiking, biking, and other offline activities. Neither the iPhone or Internet is needed for field operation. WristRoute Lite can read GPX files containing waypoints, routes, and tracks. Download a GPX file for an upcoming hike, load it on your watch, and now you can follow the route line on a map, or track your uphill progress against an elevation profile. WristRoute uses the latest generation of topographic maps from the USGS: US Topo. Outside the continental United States an OpenStreetMap derived map is used. Maps are cached for offline use. WristRoute is designed for all day use with battery saving options. GPS Battery Saver turns on the GPS only as needed. Map display can also be turned off, displaying just GPX route lines and waypoints. This free LIte version does not include ability to export watch created waypoints and tracks or to bulk cache maps. Please upgrade to full version (not "Lite") to use those features.

Screenshots

Altimeter Elevation Watch4 screens
WristRoute Lite3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Altimeter Elevation Watch at 4.4 against WristRoute Lite's 3.7. Altimeter Elevation Watch also leads on update cadence (every 11 days vs every 4 months) and ratings volume (73 vs 6). WristRoute Lite's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 17.6). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Altimeter Elevation Watch sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $12.99 per year and WristRoute Lite sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Altimeter Elevation Watch holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Altimeter Elevation Watch has 73 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 34% of Altimeter Elevation Watch's written reviews are positive against 40% of WristRoute Lite's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Altimeter Elevation Watch ships an update every 11 days, WristRoute Lite every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Altimeter Elevation Watch versus WristRoute Lite: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAltimeter Elevation WatchWristRoute Lite
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (73 ratings) — better3.7 (6 ratings)
Positive reviews33.8% of reviews40.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings73 — better6
Update frequencyEvery 11 days — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPod, Apple Watch
Requires iOS17.612.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB21 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBernhard HeringEastridge Technology

Customer experience

Altimeter Elevation Watch

All ratings73 ratings
Positive83.6%
Neutral5.5%
Negative11.0%
Written reviews65 reviews
Positive33.8%
Neutral13.8%
Negative52.3%

WristRoute Lite

All ratings6 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive40.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative40.0%

Bugs and requests

Altimeter Elevation Watch

Reported bugs

29 issues
  • CarPlay screen is black
  • Elevation incorrect (50K feet off)
  • Cannot get past 'Location Access for Altimeter' page
  • App display language is a mix of German and English
  • App takes over iPhone operation, requires deletion
Show 24 more
  • Watch complications do not update automatically
  • Watch complications crash
  • Watch complications only display meters regardless of setting
  • App does not download to watch
  • Altitude does not change
  • App does not work
  • Not compatible with watch series 3 cellular
  • Watch app does not work
  • Cannot get it to read in feet on iPhone or Apple Watch
  • Wrong altitude displayed
  • Accuracy issues (changes while stationary)
  • Settings reset, must be set again
  • Watch app crashes
  • Complication does not update
  • Complication shows "Altimeter" instead of altitude
  • Watch app crashes on opening
  • App does not work on Series 3 watch
  • App does not work on Series 4 watch
  • Complication limited to 999 meters
  • Units not changeable to feet on watch
  • Complication does not work with certain watch faces
  • Complication does not update as advertised
  • Units change to meters when phone is not present
  • App does not work while flying

Requested features

10 requests
  • French translation for options
  • Basic widget for CarPlay
  • Watch complication with large number for elevation
  • Ability to set watch complications to feet
  • Larger complication size for watch face
Show 5 more
  • Elevation gain/loss on watch complication
  • Use watch's barometer
  • Graph of elevation changes on iPhone
  • Option to select complication size
  • Direction of travel indicator

WristRoute Lite

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Altimeter Elevation Watch

Subscriptions1
  • Support Development$12.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime$34.99
1 purchases

WristRoute Lite

One-time1
  • WristRoute Lite Upgrade$9.99

Questions

Is Altimeter Elevation Watch free?
Altimeter Elevation Watch is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is WristRoute Lite free?
WristRoute Lite is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Altimeter Elevation Watch or WristRoute Lite?
Altimeter Elevation Watch is rated higher. Altimeter Elevation Watch averages 4.4 out of 5 from 73 ratings, while WristRoute Lite averages 3.7 from 6 ratings.
Do Altimeter Elevation Watch or WristRoute Lite have ads?
Neither Altimeter Elevation Watch nor WristRoute Lite shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Altimeter Elevation Watch or WristRoute Lite?
Altimeter Elevation Watch ships an update every 11 days, and WristRoute Lite every 4 months. Most recently, Altimeter Elevation Watch was updated on November 6, 2026 and WristRoute Lite on November 2, 2026.

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