Comparison

TouchRoute vs HelixNotes

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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

About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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

TouchRoute4 screens
HelixNotes2 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. TouchRoute sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. HelixNotes asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

TouchRoute ships an update every 2 months, HelixNotes monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
TouchRoute versus HelixNotes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTouchRouteHelixNotes
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (8 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings8 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS26.014.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB20 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperEPage, Inc.Yuri Karamian

Customer experience

TouchRoute

All ratings8 ratings
Positive87.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative12.5%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

HelixNotes

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

TouchRoute

One-time1
  • Unlimited Routes$4.99
None

HelixNotes

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is TouchRoute free?
TouchRoute is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is HelixNotes free?
HelixNotes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, TouchRoute or HelixNotes?
HelixNotes is rated higher. TouchRoute averages 4.6 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while HelixNotes averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do TouchRoute or HelixNotes have ads?
Neither TouchRoute nor HelixNotes shows ads.
Which is updated more often, TouchRoute or HelixNotes?
TouchRoute ships an update every 2 months, and HelixNotes monthly. Most recently, TouchRoute was updated on November 11, 2026 and HelixNotes on November 5, 2026.

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