# Packing Pro vs PackLight for Backpacking

The clearest difference is price: PackLight for Backpacking at Free against Packing Pro's $2.99. PackLight for Backpacking also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 4 months). Packing Pro's advantage is chart position (#189 vs unranked) and device support (3 vs 1). On rating, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

PackLight for Backpacking is free to download; Packing Pro costs $2.99 up front. Packing Pro sells 8 one-off in-app purchases and PackLight for Backpacking sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Packing Pro against 4.8 for PackLight for Backpacking. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 851 and 991 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 88% of Packing Pro's written reviews are positive against 95% of PackLight for Backpacking's.

Packing Pro ships an update every 4 months, PackLight for Backpacking every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Packing Pro | PackLight for Backpacking |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $2.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.8 (851 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/packing-pro/id312266675/reviews) | [4.8 (991 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/packlight-for-backpacking/id1054845207/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 851 | **991** |
| Positive reviews | 88.2% of reviews | **95.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Best chart rank | **#189** | — |
| Size | 19 MB | 4 MB |
| Requires iOS | **8.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Quinn Genzel](https://appshunter.io/developer/294710483) | [Mark Oliveira](https://appshunter.io/developer/1054845206) |

## What reviewers say

### Packing Pro

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/packing-pro/id312266675)

**Currently charting:** #189 Top Paid · Travel (US App Store)

Create, customize, and share unlimited travel packing lists. Features an expert assistant to automatically generate lists based on trip details and preferences. Syncs across devices and offers extensive catalog and sample list options.

**Highlights:** Unlimited customizable packing lists, Expert list assistant for automatic generation, iCloud sync and device-to-device auto-sync, Packing list sharing via email and cloud services, Extensive master catalog with over 800 items, Numerous sample packing lists, CSV import/export for computer editing

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

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Extra Themes Upgrade | $0.99 | one-time |
| Extra Lists Upgrade | $0.99 | one-time |
| Nice Tip | $0.99 | one-time |
| Photo Option | $0.99 | one-time |
| Generous Tip | $1.99 | one-time |
| Great Tip | $2.99 | one-time |
| Amazing Tip | $4.99 | one-time |
| Unbelievable Tipe | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great app
- 🚀 Indispensable
- 🚀 Fantastic tool
- 🚀 Extremely useful
- 👍 Customizable

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Complicated to use
- 🐛 Unintuitive interface
- 🐛 Buggy iCloud syncing
- 🐛 Outdated design

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes after recent update
- Blank app with errors

**Requested features**

- Real-time collaboration and sharing
- Ability to print lists
- Improved UI and user experience


### PackLight for Backpacking

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/packlight-for-backpacking/id1054845207)

This app helps backpackers create lightweight packing lists by organizing gear, tracking weights, and visualizing their impact. It allows users to build custom lists, share them, and even import from other services. An optional supporter edition unlocks advanced features for a one-time purchase.

**Highlights:** Organize gear by name, weight, and category, Build weight-aware packing lists, Visualize pack weight impact, Packing checklist functionality, Share packing lists via link or CSV, Import lists from LighterPack, Offline access to data

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Supporter Edition | $19.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to use
- 👍 Helpful for planning and organizing gear
- 👍 Useful for tracking gear weights
- 👍 Great for creating custom packing lists
- 👍 Simple and intuitive interface

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔍 Lack of custom categories
- 🔍 No ability to add notes or details to gear items
- 🔍 No option to track purchase price or date
- 🔍 Inability to easily share lists with others
- 🔍 No cloud sync or backup functionality

**Reported bugs**

- Occasional issues with alphabetical sorting of lists
- Reported bug with displaying the correct list when selected

**Requested features**

- Add ability to track purchase price and date for gear items
- Implement custom category creation
- Include option to add notes and details to gear items
- Implement cloud sync and backup functionality
- Add sharing capabilities to easily collaborate with others


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Packing Pro free?

Packing Pro costs $2.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is PackLight for Backpacking free?

PackLight for Backpacking is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Packing Pro or PackLight for Backpacking?

Packing Pro and PackLight for Backpacking are both rated 4.8 out of 5 on the App Store, from 851 and 991 ratings respectively.

### Do Packing Pro or PackLight for Backpacking have ads?

Neither Packing Pro nor PackLight for Backpacking shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Packing Pro or PackLight for Backpacking?

Packing Pro ships an update every 4 months, and PackLight for Backpacking every 2 months. Most recently, Packing Pro was updated on September 23, 2026 and PackLight for Backpacking on September 22, 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.*