Comparison

Pack Planner vs RuckList

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

Head to head
About

Pack Planner

This app helps backpackers meticulously plan their hikes by cataloging gear, calculating weight, and ensuring all necessary items are packed. It allows users to track base weight, consumable weight, and items worn, providing peace of mind for efficient outdoor adventures.

Highlights
  • Gear enumeration
  • Hike planning
  • Base weight calculation
  • Consumable weight tracking
  • Packed item verification
Features
Read full description

As a backpacker, I am always planning on making my next hike more efficient. I have a list of all my gear, plan each hike carefully. I want to know what my base weight is, what is my consumable weight and what I am wearing on me. On the day of the hike, I want to make sure I have packed everything I have set to pack. This app allows you to enumerate all your gear, plan your hike and make sure you are carrying all the gear you planned to. A video walk through of this app can be seen here: https://youtu.be/sJhl-f1gWno

About

RuckList

Organize your outdoor gear and create packing lists for any adventure. Catalog your equipment, save reusable loadouts, and access community-generated lists. Plan trips and coordinate with your crew to ensure you never forget essential items.

Highlights
  • Gear Garage organization
  • Customizable packing lists
  • Community-shared lists
  • Trip planning and coordination
  • Active checklist and progress tracker
  • Save and reuse loadouts
Features
Read full description

Forgetting gear sucks. Not knowing what to bring sucks. RUCKLIST helps hunters, anglers, campers, backpackers, overlanders, and outdoor enthusiasts organize their gear, build smarter packing lists, and plan trips together. Leave nothing behind. Start every adventure right. BUILD YOUR GEAR GARAGE Keep your outdoor gear organized in one place. Record useful details, add photos, and find what you need without digging through bins the night before a trip. Use Scan Gear to analyze a camera or library photo containing one or more items, then review and edit the suggested names and categories before adding selected items to your Gear Garage. Optionally create clean item images in the background and receive one email when the scan is finished. CREATE REUSABLE PACK LISTS Build a loadout once, refine it as you learn, and reuse it for future adventures. Customize lists for the activity, destination, season, duration, and experience level. Check off items as you pack and follow your progress without sticky notes or spreadsheets. PLAN TRIPS TOGETHER Invite other RUCKLIST members to a trip and see what everyone is bringing. Each member can organize multiple packs and standalone items. Use Group Gear to assign shared or per-person needs, commit specific items, track quantities, and avoid unnecessary duplicates. Keep the crew aligned with trip chat, shared notes, driving directions, and destination details. View daily and hourly weather, rain chance, wind speed, and local sunrise and sunset times for trips within the 16-day forecast window. LEARN FROM THE COMMUNITY Explore public packing lists created by other adventurers, outfitters, and mentors. Import a useful list as your own private copy, customize it for your trip, or make one of your lists public to help someone else prepare. SHOP RUCKLIST Open the RUCKLIST storefront from the app menu to browse available products and continue to checkout. PACK WITH CONFIDENCE Track packing progress, coordinate with your crew, and head out knowing the essentials are covered. Your adventure. Covered.

Screenshots

Pack Planner4 screens
RuckList4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: RuckList at 100% against Pack Planner's 50%. RuckList also leads on rating (4.9 vs 3.7) and ratings volume (18 vs 6). Pack Planner's advantage is iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). On price, update cadence, 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

RuckList holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6 and 18 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of Pack Planner's written reviews are positive against 100% of RuckList's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pack Planner ships an update every 5 days, RuckList every 8 days. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Pack Planner versus RuckList: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPack PlannerRuckList
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.7 (6 ratings)4.9 (18 ratings) — better
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings618 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterEvery 8 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB140 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAnand SankaranRuckList

Customer experience

Pack Planner

All ratings6 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

RuckList

All ratings16 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Pack Planner

No in-app purchases

None

RuckList

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Pack Planner free?
Pack Planner is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is RuckList free?
RuckList is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Pack Planner or RuckList?
RuckList is rated higher. Pack Planner averages 3.7 out of 5 from 6 ratings, while RuckList averages 4.9 from 18 ratings.
Do Pack Planner or RuckList have ads?
Neither Pack Planner nor RuckList shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pack Planner or RuckList?
Pack Planner ships an update every 5 days, and RuckList every 8 days. Most recently, Pack Planner was updated on November 3, 2026 and RuckList on November 3, 2026.

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