Altimeter Elevation Watch vs WristRoute Lite
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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)
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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/
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.
- Standalone Apple Watch GPS
- Offline GPX file support
- Topographic and OpenStreetMap maps
- Cached maps for offline use
- Battery saving options
- Elevation profile tracking
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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
Verdict
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
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.
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.
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.
| Parameter | Altimeter Elevation Watch | WristRoute Lite |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (73 ratings) — better | 3.7 (6 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 33.8% of reviews | 40.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 73 — better | 6 |
| Update frequency | Every 11 days — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPod, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 9 MB | 21 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Bernhard Hering | Eastridge Technology |
Customer experience
Altimeter Elevation Watch
WristRoute Lite
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 moreShow fewer
- 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 moreShow fewer
- 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
Altimeter Elevation Watch
- Support Development$12.991 Year
- Lifetime$34.99
WristRoute Lite
- WristRoute Lite Upgrade$9.99
Questions
Is Altimeter Elevation Watch free?
Is WristRoute Lite free?
Which has better reviews, Altimeter Elevation Watch or WristRoute Lite?
Do Altimeter Elevation Watch or WristRoute Lite have ads?
Which is updated more often, Altimeter Elevation Watch or WristRoute Lite?
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