Comparison

NLR OpenPATH vs heavybase

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

Head to head
About

NLR OpenPATH

Track your travel modes like car, bus, or bike to measure energy use and carbon footprint. Understand your travel patterns, experiment with sustainable options, and contribute to community-level data for better urban planning.

Highlights
  • Track various travel modes
  • Measure energy consumption
  • Calculate carbon footprint
  • Analyze travel patterns
  • Contribute to community data
  • Smart background data collection
  • Annotate travel diary
Features
Read full description

The National Laboratory of the Rockies' Open Platform for Agile Trip Heuristics (NLR OpenPATH) enables people to track their travel modes—car, bus, bike, walking, etc.—and measure their associated energy use and carbon footprint. The app empowers communities to understand their travel mode choices and patterns, experiment with options to make them more sustainable, and evaluate the results. Such results can inform effective transportation policy and planning and be used to build more sustainable and accessible cities. NLR OpenPATH informs individual users about the impact of their choices, and also makes aggregated, community-level data on mode shares, trip frequencies, and carbon footprints available via a public dashboard. NLR OpenPATH incorporates continuous data collection and analysis via a smart phone app backed by a server and automated data processing. Its open nature enables transparent data collection and analysis, while allowing it to be configured for individual programs or studies. On first install, the app does not collect or transmit data. Once you click the link or scan the QR code to join a given study or program, you will be asked to consent to data collection and storage before the app begins functioning. If you are not part of a partner community or program but are simply interested in quantifying your individual carbon footprint, you can join the NLR-run open-access study. In the aggregate, your data might be used as the control for experiments run by our partners. At its core, the app represents an automatically sensed travel diary, constructed from background sensed location and accelerometer data. You can annotate the diary with semantic labels as requested by a given program administrator or researcher. Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life. Therefore, the app automatically turns off the GPS if you are not moving. This significantly reduces the battery drain caused by location tracking. The app results in ~ 5% battery drain for up to 3 hours of travel per day.

About

heavybase

This fitness app is designed for individuals who struggle with traditional motivation tactics. It focuses on logging actual workouts, building plans from user history, and minimizing distractions. Features include calendar-based templates, a simple interface for quick starts, and visual weekly planning.

Highlights
  • Calendar-based workout templates
  • AI-generated workout plans
  • Visual weekly muscle activation view
  • On-device photo progress tracking
  • In-app inspiration photo display
  • Cloud sync across devices
Features
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heavybase doesn't nag. It just remembers what you did. Most fitness apps assume you'll remember to open them, follow a plan, and stay motivated by streaks and badges. If you have ADHD, you already know that's not how it works. heavybase is built differently. It logs what you actually did, builds your next plan from your own history, and stays out of your way otherwise. Templates that live on your calendar Build a template once, assign it to a weekday, and it's just there when that day comes. Open the app on leg day and you're not choosing between five templates and an empty workout button — you already know what today is. One tap to begin. Open it and go No lengthy onboarding, no setup fuss. Open the app and start your first workout in under a minute. See your whole week before it happens A muscle activation view shows what your entire week is set up to hit — legs, core, arms, everything — before you're in the middle of it. Set your week up on Sunday and know exactly what it'll accomplish if you follow it through. Simple charts, real answers Clean stats and progress charts with no fluff — just what changed, when, and by how much. A photo library that's actually yours Track your progress with photos saved only on your device. No hidden folder to dig through, no cloud upload, nothing leaving your phone unless you choose to sync. A reason to keep going Set an inspiration photo — your why, right where you'll see it — for the days you need a quick reason to show up. No ads. Ever. Full access includes: · AI-generated workout plans tailored to you · Cloud sync across devices · Unlimited templates and history 7-day free trial, then $4.99/month or $29.99/year. There's no such thing as a bad workout, only a workout you didn't get to write down. heavybase isn't trying to fix how your brain works — it's trying to build a place that works with it. Less friction to start. Less shame when you stop. Just a record of what you actually did, so you don't have to hold it in your head. heavybase is a fitness tracking tool, not a medical device, and isn't intended to diagnose, treat, or manage any medical or mental health condition. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.heavybase.club/terms

Screenshots

NLR OpenPATH4 screens
heavybase4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: heavybase at 5.0 against NLR OpenPATH's 2.7. NLR OpenPATH's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ratings volume (13 vs 4). On price, ads, device support 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. heavybase sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. NLR OpenPATH asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

heavybase holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 2.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 13 and 4 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
NLR OpenPATH versus heavybase: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNLR OpenPATHheavybase
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.7 (13 ratings)5.0 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings13 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeks—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size78 MB44 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperNational Renewable Energy LaboratoryAnne Lise Thorsen

Customer experience

NLR OpenPATH

All ratings13 ratings
Positive30.8%
Neutral15.4%
Negative53.8%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

heavybase

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

NLR OpenPATH

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

heavybase

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Yearly7 Days trial$29.991 Year

Questions

Is NLR OpenPATH free?
NLR OpenPATH is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is heavybase free?
heavybase is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, NLR OpenPATH or heavybase?
heavybase is rated higher. NLR OpenPATH averages 2.7 out of 5 from 13 ratings, while heavybase averages 5.0 from 4 ratings.
Do NLR OpenPATH or heavybase have ads?
Neither NLR OpenPATH nor heavybase shows ads.

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