TouchRoute vs HelixNotes
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
TouchRoute
Easily plan and share custom routes for running, walking, or driving. Simply tap on the map to create a path, with options for different travel modes and units. Save your routes or export them to popular fitness apps.
- Tap and hold to drop pins
- Instant route drawing
- On Foot or Driving modes
- Miles or kilometers
- Return to start loop option
- Undo last pin
- Weather check
- GPX file export
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Plan your perfect run, walk or drive, in seconds. Touch Route turns your finger into a route planner. Press and hold on the map to drop a pin, and Touch Route instantly draws a route along real streets and paths, with direction arrows showing the way. Keep adding pins to build a route of any length, and watch your total distance update as you go. Built for runners, walkers and drivers • Choose On Foot or Driving, and see distances in miles or kilometers. • Start from your current location, or look up any address and begin there. • Made a loop in mind? Tap Return to route straight back to your starting point. • Made a mistake? Undo removes your last pin. • Check the current weather on the map with one tap before you head out. Take your routes anywhere Send any route to your favorite apps. Share as a GPX file to Garmin Connect, Strava, MapMyRun and many more. Or send a Touch Route file by AirDrop to a friend, who can add it straight to their own collection. Simple to manage Your saved routes appear in a clean list with a map preview and distance. Swipe right to share, and swipe left to delete. Sort by distance or by date. Made for every screen Touch Route works on iPhone and iPad, and it's designed for foldable iPhone too. On a wide screen, your route list and map sit side by side. Free to try Save up to 3 routes for free. A one-time in-app purchase unlocks unlimited saved routes. Tap the gear icon for settings, a quick how-to guide, and a way to send feedback. TouchRoute does not collect any user data. Privacy Policy: https://epage.app/touchroute/touchroute-privacy-policy
HelixNotes
A private, open-source Markdown note-taking app that keeps your data on your device. Organize notes with notebooks, tags, and wiki links, and utilize advanced features like mathematical notation and diagrams.
- Local Markdown storage
- Visual and source code editor
- Notebooks, tags, and wiki links
- Task management and calendar views
- KaTeX and Mermaid diagram support
- Version history and backups
- Optional WebDAV sync
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HelixNotes is a private, open-source Markdown notes app. Your notes remain standard Markdown files under your control. No account is required, and HelixNotes has no company-operated cloud. Write with a clean visual editor or switch to source mode when you want direct access to the Markdown. Organize your work with notebooks, tags, wiki links and full-text search. Features include: • Tasks collected from checklists across your notes • List and calendar views with priorities and due dates • Wiki links and an interactive graph view • Daily notes with a built-in calendar • Markdown tables, code blocks and syntax highlighting • KaTeX mathematical notation and Mermaid diagrams • Outline navigation and tag autocomplete • Version history and automatic backups • Light, dark and customizable themes • Optional WebDAV sync with your own server • Optional AI tools using your own provider Nothing leaves your device unless you enable a feature that connects to an external service. Your notes stay readable outside HelixNotes, without a proprietary format or platform lock-in. HelixNotes is free software released under the GNU AGPLv3. Its source code is publicly available on GitLab.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: HelixNotes at none against TouchRoute's 1. HelixNotes also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.6) and update cadence (monthly vs every 2 months). On price, ratings volume, ads 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. TouchRoute sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. HelixNotes asks for nothing beyond the download.
HelixNotes holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 8 and 3 respectively.
TouchRoute ships an update every 2 months, HelixNotes monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | TouchRoute | HelixNotes |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (8 ratings) | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 8 — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 14.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 20 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | EPage, Inc. | Yuri Karamian |
Customer experience
TouchRoute
HelixNotes
In-app purchases
TouchRoute
- Unlimited Routes$4.99
HelixNotes
No in-app purchases









