Tacho vs HikeSim
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Tacho
Track your cycling workouts with this app, which functions as a bike computer on your Apple Watch and iPhone. It records key metrics like speed, heart rate, and elevation, syncing data to Apple Health.
- Bike computer functionality
- Track speed, heart rate, elevation
- Syncs with Apple Health
- Auto-pause feature
- Barometric altimeter for accuracy
- Real-time weather data
Read full descriptionHide full description
Tacho is a bike computer for the Apple Watch and iPhone. With the Tacho Watch app, you can track your bike workouts and save them to the Apple Health app on your iPhone. You can use the Tacho Watch app with or without an iPhone. Start your tracking on the Apple Watch. With the Tacho iPhone app, you can then see key metrics like speed, heart rate, elevation, incline, wind speed and direction, and air temperature. On the Apple Watch, you'll also see average and maximum speed, pulse, and ascent and descent. With the auto-pause function, only the time and distance you are actually moving is counted. The barometric altimeter ensures accurate altitude measurement. It automatically calibrates itself based on the GPS signal as you move. Weather data is updated every 5 to 15 minutes depending on your speed and location. The following data is stored in the Apple Health app on your iPhone: - ride time - distance - route - altitude (ascent/descent) - speed - pulse - calories burned - air temperature - air humidity - weather condition - events (pause start/end, movement start/end) In the Settings app on your iPhone, you can configure the Tacho app to your liking. You can choose between altimetry via GPS or barometer, configure units of measurement, customize the appearance and disable the auto-pause functionality. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
HikeSim
Track your workouts with simulated hikes on your Apple Watch and create your own photo hikes on iOS. View real-time metrics like heart rate, distance, and calories burned, with hike photos updating as you progress. Upload your own hikes to share with the community.
- Simulated hikes on Apple Watch
- Real-time workout metrics
- Hike photos based on distance
- Create and upload photo hikes
- Offline functionality
- HealthKit integration
Read full descriptionHide full description
Overview of HikeSim HikeSim is a cross-platform health and fitness application that transforms everyday exercise routines (such as neighborhood walks, runs, cycling, or indoor treadmill sessions) into an immersive visual journey through national parks, state parks, and local trails. As you move in the real world, the application advances a synchronized sequence of scenic trail photos and metadata, keeping you motivated and connected to nature. Key Features Virtual Trail Simulations: Take virtual hikes across famous locations—such as the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Petrified Forest, Lassen Peak, Capitol Reef, Joshua Tree, and local preserves. Real vs. Simulated Modes: Simulated Hikes: Distance, photos, elevation charts, and GPS checkpoints are driven programmatically by pre-recorded trail photo datasets at a selected pace. Real Hikes: Uses real-world GPS hardware, live telemetry, and actual device sensors to track your real-world path, altitude changes, and pace. Interactive Trail Maps & Elevation Profiles: Real-time map rendering tracks your position via custom green hiker annotations, alongside interactive elevation charts featuring live vertical progress indicators and altitude bounds. Custom Hike Maker (iOS): Turn your own outdoor walks into shareable HikeSim Photo Hikes by utilizing your phone's camera and location services to record geographic data, photos, and altitude profiles for upload. Voice Narration Support: Built-in audio capabilities can read trail notes and photo checkpoints aloud as you progress. Health & Fitness Integration Apple Health / HealthKit Integration: Seamlessly syncs workout metrics and telemetry directly to the iOS Health and Fitness ecosystem. Tracked Metrics: Captures and displays heart rate, active calories burned, total distance traveled, exercise duration, current pace, and Apple Activity Rings progress. Post-Workout Summaries: Comprehensive breakdown screens present total duration, distance, steps, pace, and net elevation gain/loss upon finishing a workout. Standalone Capabilities (Phone & Apple Watch) Both the iPhone and Apple Watch apps are fully capable of operating independently: Apple Watch App (Standalone): Operates with complete functionality regardless of iPhone proximity or cellular/internet connectivity. Features dedicated workout selections (walking, running, cycling). Displays real-time metrics, media playback controls, a live GPS coordinate screen, and dual-line altitude/heart rate graphs directly on your wrist. iPhone App (Standalone): Allows you to launch active workouts directly on your phone/tablet. Provides a larger interface for viewing high-resolution photo galleries, interacting with trail maps, reading detailed trail notes, and recording custom photo hikes out in the field.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: HikeSim at Free against Tacho's $4.99. HikeSim also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.7). Tacho's advantage is ratings volume (3 vs 1). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases 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
HikeSim is free to download; Tacho costs $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
HikeSim holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 1 respectively.
Tacho ships an update every 6 weeks, HikeSim every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 14, 2026 and August 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Tacho | HikeSim |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 3.7 (3 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 73.7% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 3 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 15.5 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 7 MB | 114 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Friedemann Bartels | Al GROSS |
Customer experience
Tacho
HikeSim
In-app purchases
Tacho
No in-app purchases
HikeSim
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Tacho free?
Is HikeSim free?
Which has better reviews, Tacho or HikeSim?
Do Tacho or HikeSim have ads?
Which is updated more often, Tacho or HikeSim?
Other comparisons















