Comparison

1000 Hours Outside vs playGrades

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

Head to head
About

1000 Hours Outside

Track your time spent outdoors with an easy-to-use timer that runs in the background. Enhance your experience by journaling adventures, adding photos, and creating profiles for family members. Unlock badges, connect with friends, and visualize your progress.

Highlights
  • Background time tracking
  • Journaling and photo uploads
  • Multiple family profiles
  • Milestone badges
  • Friend connections
  • Color-coded time chart
  • Community map feature
Features
Read full description

Effortlessly keep a digital record of your hours spent outside with the Official 1000 Hours Outside app. Easy timer functionality - just open the app and click play to start the timer, then put the phone down and enjoy the outdoors! The app will track your time in the background so you don't have to think about it. Additionally, you can become a member so you can: • Keep a journal of your adventures by jotting down notes • Upload photos for memory keepsakes for any day • Add up to nine additional profiles to track individual hours for members of your family • Unlock hours, place and streak milestone badges to share with friends • Add friends who also use the app to see what they've been up to • Color your own time tracking chart • Use our map feature to see where other 1KHO members have gone on adventures or left reviews - or leave some of your own! Think of this app as your outdoors companion, but one that isn't designed for endless scrolling - just simple, fun utility to help you unlock all the wonderful cognitive, physical, emotional and mental health benefits of prioritizing time outside! EULA agreement can be found here: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

playGrades

This app helps parents make informed decisions about their children's activities by providing honest reviews and star ratings on instruction quality, safety, and fun. Discover local programs, bookmark favorites, and share your own experiences to help other families.

Highlights
  • Parent reviews for activities
  • Star ratings for instruction, safety, value, fun
  • Search by location, age, category
  • Bookmark and share programs
  • Write your own reviews
Features
Read full description

playGrades is the go-to app for parents who want to make smarter decisions about their children's activities and programs. Before you enroll, read honest reviews from other parents about swim lessons, sports teams, dance studios, summer camps, after-school programs, and more. See star ratings across what matters most: instruction quality, safety, value, and fun, so you know exactly what to expect. Find programs near you. Browse activities by location, age group, and category. Discover hidden gems in your neighborhood and avoid programs that don't live up to the hype. Bookmark programs you're considering and come back to them anytime. Share favorites with your co-parent or a friend. Give back to the community. Had a great (or not-so-great) experience? Write a review in minutes and help other families make the best choice for their kids. playGrades — know before you enroll.

Screenshots

1000 Hours Outside4 screens
playGrades4 screens

Verdict

The call

1000 Hours Outside and playGrades both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of playGrades's written reviews are positive against 47% of 1000 Hours Outside's. playGrades also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 9) and ads (none vs shown). 1000 Hours Outside's advantage is ratings volume (7.8K vs 25) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, rating and iOS requirement 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. 1000 Hours Outside sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. playGrades asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for 1000 Hours Outside against 4.9 for playGrades. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: 1000 Hours Outside has 7.8K ratings behind it against 25, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 47% of 1000 Hours Outside's written reviews are positive against 100% of playGrades's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

1000 Hours Outside ships an update every 3 weeks, playGrades daily. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
1000 Hours Outside versus playGrades: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameter1000 Hours OutsideplayGrades
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (7.8K ratings)4.9 (25 ratings) — better
Positive reviews47.3% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings7.8K — better25
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksDaily — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.6 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size124 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTeam Yurich LLCTyler Miller

Customer experience

1000 Hours Outside

All ratings7,026 ratings
Positive94.9%
Neutral1.9%
Negative3.2%
Written reviews241 reviews
Positive47.3%
Neutral14.9%
Negative37.8%

playGrades

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

1000 Hours Outside

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes frequently
  • Timer stops working when app is in background
  • Issues with logging and syncing data across profiles
  • Inconsistencies in time tracking and reporting

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add ability to view and edit individual timer entries
  • Implement weekly/monthly summary views
  • Introduce a widget for quick access on the home screen
  • Allow syncing of data across multiple devices
  • Add more customization options and data visualizations

playGrades

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

9 purchases

1000 Hours Outside

Subscriptions6
  • Adventure Map (Monthly)$1.991 Month
  • Premium Subscription Monthly$2.991 Month
  • Membership Monthly7 Days trial$3.991 Month
Show 3 more
  • Adventure Map (Yearly)$19.991 Year
  • Premium Subscription Yearly$24.991 Year
  • Membership Yearly7 Days trial$29.991 Year
One-time3
  • Badge Set 2$0.99
  • Badge Set 3$0.99
  • PDF Journal Export$1.99
None

playGrades

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is 1000 Hours Outside free?
1000 Hours Outside is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is playGrades free?
playGrades is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, 1000 Hours Outside or playGrades?
playGrades is rated higher. 1000 Hours Outside averages 4.8 out of 5 from 7.8K ratings, while playGrades averages 4.9 from 25 ratings.
Do 1000 Hours Outside or playGrades have ads?
1000 Hours Outside shows ads; playGrades does not.
Which is updated more often, 1000 Hours Outside or playGrades?
1000 Hours Outside ships an update every 3 weeks, and playGrades daily. Most recently, 1000 Hours Outside was updated on November 3, 2026 and playGrades on November 5, 2026.

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