Private Kit vs Alara Uptown
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Private Kit
This app allows you to log your GPS trails directly on your phone. All data is stored locally and remains private until you choose to export it. It efficiently stores location history with minimal space usage.
- Privacy-first location logging
- Local data storage
- Manual data export
- Efficient data storage
- Location import/export
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PrivateKit MIT is a ‘privacy-first’ app that allows you to log your GPS trails on your own phone. The information is stored locally and never shared with anyone (not even with us or MIT) until you explicitly decide to manually export the data. The location log generated by Private Kit cannot be accessed from outside the user’s device. Location information can be imported and exported by the user and used in other projects and applications. Private Kit’s trail generator logs your device’s location once every five minutes and stores 28 days of data in under 100KB of space – less space than a single picture. But what is truly exciting about Private Kit is its privacy protection. The app needs access to your location and motion tracking sensors to work.
Alara Uptown
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Welcome to Alara Uptown! Enjoy the full functionality from your online resident portal from the ease of an app instead. Download our app to make payments for your rent right from the convenience of your device! Need some maintenance attention but don't have the time to get to the office? No problem! Simply submit your request through the app and get push notifications (if allowed) around updates to your request.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Private Kit at every 4 days against Alara Uptown's every 13 months. Private Kit also leads on iOS requirement (9.0 vs 12.0). On price, 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Private Kit ships an update every 4 days, Alara Uptown every 13 months. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Private Kit | Alara Uptown |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.7 (121 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 32.2% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 121 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 4 days — better | Every 13 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 12.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 32 MB | 104 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Yardi Systems, Inc. |
Bugs and requests
Private Kit
Reported bugs
29 issues- App crashes when trying to view movements on map
- Map crashes/closes app before loading
- App crashes when trying to open map
- App crashes when trying to view overlaps
- Map shows zoomed out view and crashes
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- App crashes when visualizing data streams
- App doesn't show location
- App doesn't log trips consistently
- Map doesn't update routes
- Import/Export/News icons are hidden or inaccessible
- Three vertical dots (menu) are off-screen
- GUI displays incorrectly on smaller screens
- News button does not work
- Import button shows 'Rolling out soon'
- Export button text is cut off
- Description box covers half the screen
- Latest update broken for some users
- Latest update forgot previous weeks log
- Update from two days ago prevents tapping start logging button
- GPS data not accurate, shows incorrect locations
- Map overlay shows incorrect wandering
- Cannot access three buttons (import, export, news) due to screen size
- The 'for more information' box hides import/export/news buttons
- Location logging clusters locations in one spot
- Location data placed at locations never visited
- Map is zoomed out by default
- Cannot get import/export/news icons
- Cannot access three vertical dots upper right hand corner
- App not optimized for iPhone SE screen size
Requested features
16 requests- Better howto and help information
- More rigorous and robust app development
- Simple notebook feature for user contacts
- Clearer explanation of map features (green targets, red pins)
- Option to add locations when without phone
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- Explanation of what a 'Hit' looks like
- Make data-sharing opt-out instead of opt-in
- Consider implementation on existing platforms like Facebook
- Explanation for the number in the circle on the map
- How to input a positive test result
- Default map view should be zoomed to data limits
- Make GUI elements fully accessible on smaller screens
- Explanation of import/export/news buttons
- More detailed documentation for data import/export
- Option to add manual entries for contacts
- Clearer explanation of data sources and trusted authorities
Alara Uptown
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Private Kit
No in-app purchases
Alara Uptown
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Private Kit free?
Is Alara Uptown free?
Do Private Kit or Alara Uptown have ads?
Which is updated more often, Private Kit or Alara Uptown?
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