# Garmin Catalyst™ vs ThePaddock

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Garmin Catalyst™ at 120 against ThePaddock's 1. ThePaddock's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.8). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ThePaddock holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Garmin Catalyst™ has 120 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Garmin Catalyst™ ships an update monthly, ThePaddock fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Garmin Catalyst™ | ThePaddock |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (120 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/garmin-catalyst/id1603280610/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/thepaddock/id6757203697/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **120** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 81.8% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 220 MB | 62 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.5 | **15.5** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Garmin](https://appshunter.io/developer/411046952) | [OneMore Lab LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1865263250) |

## What reviewers say

### Garmin Catalyst™

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/garmin-catalyst/id1603280610)

Access and analyze your motorsports performance data on your smartphone. Review lap times, session summaries, and driver profiles. Track annual driving activity and session weather conditions.

**Highlights:** Access performance data, View lap times, Session summaries, Customizable driver profiles, Track annual activity, Record weather conditions

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use interface
- 🚀 Great performance data
- 💡 Actionable driving insights
- 👍 Simple setup
- 👍 Great for track drivers

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Glitches when logging in
- 🐛 App just glitches
- 🐛 Loading is soooo slow
- 🐛 Not user friendly
- 🐛 Comparing to friends frequently fails

**Reported bugs**

- Everytime you try logging in the app just glitches anyways can’t even get logged in.
- Comparing to others frequently fails
- Compare to friend feature way to frequently fails with the message about the tracks not matching well enough despite being the same track on the same days even.
- New version is off
- It won’t let me compare the laps with other friends on the same day. Says lap not similar. Literally same day same track same session.

**Requested features**

- Option to select 1-5 laps for optimum view
- Watch reference videos side by side on the Catalyst
- Add video review on phone or iPad
- Allow moving videos to iCloud for review
- Ability to download in-car camera footage directly from device to app


### ThePaddock

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/thepaddock/id6757203697)

Connect with fellow track day enthusiasts and racers. Build your racing profile, log your performance, and discover events. Share your journey and learn from others to improve your lap times together.

**Highlights:** Build racing profile, Showcase garage and lap times, Log track events, Connect with other racers, Join leaderboards, Learn from faster racers

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Garmin Catalyst™ free?

Garmin Catalyst™ is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is ThePaddock free?

ThePaddock is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Garmin Catalyst™ or ThePaddock?

ThePaddock is rated higher. Garmin Catalyst™ averages 4.8 out of 5 from 120 ratings, while ThePaddock averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Garmin Catalyst™ or ThePaddock have ads?

Neither Garmin Catalyst™ nor ThePaddock shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Garmin Catalyst™ or ThePaddock?

Garmin Catalyst™ ships an update monthly, and ThePaddock fortnightly. Most recently, Garmin Catalyst™ was updated on October 11, 2026 and ThePaddock on October 2, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*