Geocaching® vs Footpath Route Planner
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Geocaching®
Discover millions of hidden containers worldwide with this app. It guides you through finding your first geocache with tips and instructions. Navigate using maps, compass, or driving directions, and connect with a global community of treasure hunters.
- View geocache details, activity, and hints
- Navigate via map, compass, or directions
- Live Search for nearby geocaches
- Find traditional geocaches and events
- Message other players
- Trackable item management
- Log geocaches with photos
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Join the world’s largest treasure-hunting community with the official app for geocaching. Whether you are off to find your first geocache or your ten-thousandth, this app is your ultimate geocaching toolbox. There are millions of clever containers called geocaches hidden in almost every country on Earth, just waiting to be found—there are probably even some near you right now. Just getting started? This app walks you through the adventure of finding your first few geocaches. There are tips, hints, and instructions for geocaching as well as using the app. Core Features: ● See details with description, recent activity, attributes, and hints for each geocache ● Navigate to the cache using map, compass, or driving directions ● Live Search continuously updates nearby geocaches as you move ● Find all easy Traditional geocaches and geocaching events ● Message other players for tips, hints, and more ● Learn about trackables: geocaching game pieces that travel from geocache to geocache ● Adjust your navigation and distance settings to your personal preference ● Access to GeoTour caches of all cache types and D/T ratings Search and Sorting: ● Search for GC codes, locations, landmarks, and neighborhoods ● Search for GeoTours by GT code or see a directory of all GeoTours worldwide ● Sort by distance Trackables: ● Search for trackables ● Log trackables - grab, retrieve, drop, dip, or discover ● View your trackable inventory Logging: ● Log a geocache now or save as a draft for later ● Add photos to share your adventure ● Improve cache quality by reporting geocaches that need maintenance Map Options: ● Street ● Satellite ● Hybrid Unlock even more adventure with Geocaching Premium: ● Find any geocache in the world, including Premium Member Only caches ● Filter geocaches by size, type, difficulty, terrain, and found/owned ● Sort lists of geocaches by distance, Favorite points, or geocache name ● Geocache anywhere, anytime with offline maps ● Take the road less traveled with Trails map ● Plan, add, or edit your next adventure with Lists ● Award Favorite points to geocaches you enjoy most ● Auto-sync Lists and Pocket Queries created on the Geocaching website ● Gain access to all Premium features on the Geocaching website We are committed to building the best tools for geocachers to create, share, and play this game. By joining and maintaining your Premium membership, you are helping to shape the future of Geocaching. In addition to your support of the game, Premium members also get access to more features, more geocaches, and more adventure. You can buy a Premium membership subscription through your iTunes account. Premium membership is available with a monthly or annual subscription. You can subscribe and pay through your iTunes account. Your subscription will automatically renew unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during active subscription period. Terms of use: https://www.geocaching.com/about/termsofuse.aspx
Footpath Route Planner
Easily plan and navigate custom routes for any outdoor activity. Draw your path with a finger and the app snaps to roads and trails. Measure distances, elevations, and get turn-by-turn directions, even offline.
- Snap to roads and trails
- Measure distance and elevation
- Turn-by-turn navigation
- Offline map downloads
- Route sharing
- GPX/TCX/FIT export
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Map routes with your finger and Footpath will snap to roads and trails. Measure distances and elevations in seconds, then navigate along with turn-by-turn directions. Footpath is the ultimate companion for planning and navigating custom routes. Join millions of adventurers and plan out your perfect route. SNAP TO MAP Quickly measure distances by tracing a map with your finger or Apple Pencil. Footpath will snap to roads and trails on the map. MEASURE DISTANCE AND ELEVATION Know exactly how far and how high you'll travel with elevation profiles. Plan routes that match your goals. SAVE ROUTES FOR LATER Plan out your week or trip. Keep up to 5 routes on hand for reference, or save unlimited routes with Footpath Elite. SHARE ROUTES Send your routes to friends or workout partners to open on their device. Footpath is designed to work for pretty much any activity or adventure, in any country: • Running • Cycling and mountain biking • Hiking and mountaineering • Walking • Motorcycling and driving • Backcountry skiing • Kayaking and standup paddleboarding • Sailing • And many more! FOOTPATH ELITE Ready to go the extra mile? Upgrading to Footpath Elite unlocks the following powerful features: TURN-BY-TURN NAVIGATION - Footpath will tell you when to turn with turn-by-turn audio cues on your iPhone and Apple Watch - Save your route and cues in advance for voice guidance that works completely offline - Double tap your AirPods or use the playback controls button on your headphones to replay your next cue PREMIUM OFFLINE MAPS - 3D and topographic maps including Footpath Outdoors (Worldwide), USGS Topo Maps (U.S. and Canada), OpenCycleMap (Worldwide), and many more - Cycling lanes, avalanche slope shading, and elevation contour lines - Download maps for use offline - Save places as favorites to customize your maps ORGANIZE - Create and edit unlimited saved routes - Duplicate, merge, and split routes - Organize and sort routes into custom lists ANALYZE - Record GPS tracks of your activities - Use HealthKit display and log extra health and fitness metrics such as heart rate during a GPS activity - View a calendar log and weekly summary of your activities - Analyze splits, speed, elevation, and heart rate - View a heatmap of your speed during your activity EXPORT - GPX import and export - TCX and FIT course export for turn-by-turn navigation on Garmin and Wahoo GPS devices - Export cue sheets to a spreadsheet app for customization and printing - Export your routes and workouts to Apple Health You can purchase a Footpath Elite monthly or yearly subscription through your iTunes account. Your subscription will automatically renew unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Auto-renew can be turned off anytime by going to the Manage Subscriptions page in settings after purchase, and your features will remain active until the end of the subscription period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period at the same cost as your original purchase. TIPS FOR MAPPING ROUTES • For longer routes, try zooming in and mapping your route in multiple segments. • Tap and hold the map to quickly route between waypoints and POIs. • Did Footpath snap to the wrong roads? Trace over the incorrect segment to edit, or use the eraser tool. • Turn off snap to roads (magnet icon) and zoom in to manually trace the map. (Try switching to a satellite layer). • Displaying maps and continuously running GPS in the background can dramatically decrease battery life. Navigate without maps or with the screen off for all day battery life. CONTACT US We've got a lot planned for Footpath. If you have any suggestions or feedback, or if you run into any issues, please contact us at support@footpathapp.com Terms of Service: https://footpathapp.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://footpathapp.com/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
Geocaching® and Footpath Route Planner both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 79% of Footpath Route Planner's written reviews are positive against 70% of Geocaching®'s. Geocaching®'s advantage is chart position (#12 vs #76). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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
Both are free to download. Geocaching® sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and Footpath Route Planner sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. 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 Geocaching® against 4.8 for Footpath Route Planner. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 66K and 22K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 70% of Geocaching®'s written reviews are positive against 79% of Footpath Route Planner's.
Geocaching® ships an update fortnightly, Footpath Route Planner weekly. Both last shipped on October 1, 2026.
| Parameter | Geocaching® | Footpath Route Planner |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (66K ratings) — better | 4.8 (22K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 70.2% of reviews | 78.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 66K — better | 22K |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #12 — better | #76 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 136 MB | 152 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Groundspeak Inc. | Half Mile Labs LLC |
Customer experience
Geocaching®
Footpath Route Planner
User reviews
Geocaching®
From 66K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Fun outdoor activity
- 🌳 Explores new places
- 👍 Great family activity
- 🗺️ Useful navigation features
- 📸 Ability to log finds and photos
Room to improve
- 💰 Expensive premium subscription
- 🔒 Locking higher difficulty caches behind paywall
- 🐛 Occasional app crashes and bugs
- 🗺️ Inaccurate or limited map features
- 🔋 High battery consumption
Footpath Route Planner
From 22K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Full-featured outdoors app
- 👍 Nice app
- 👍 Excellent for discovering routes
- 👍 Useful for run planning
- 👍 Great mapping and graphics
Room to improve
- 🐛 No more free turn by turn
- 🐛 Buggy and unreliable
- 🐛 Seems to no longer recognize footpaths
- 🐛 Offline maps fail
- 🐛 Only selects roads
Bugs and requests
Geocaching®
Reported bugs
4 issues- Inability to log trackables from the app
- Inconsistent performance when zooming and panning maps
- Unreliable GPS and compass functionality
- Difficulty canceling premium subscription
Requested features
5 requests- Ability to edit cache descriptions and add images
- Option to filter by cache placement year
- Trackable journey tracking on the app
- Seamless integration with other navigation apps
- Offline caching data and navigation
Footpath Route Planner
Reported bugs
14 issues- No more free turn by turn
- Buggy and unreliable
- Seems to no longer recognize footpaths
- Offline maps fail
- Only selects roads
Show 9 moreShow fewer
- GPS not helpful at all
- Confusing and difficult to use
- Useless without paying
- Degraded my paid for membership
- Crashes and loses data
- Doesn't map footpaths well
- Inaccurate and not reliable
- Difficult to edit routes
- Double counting steps
Requested features
11 requests- Add ability to make notes on routes
- Add ability to create folders within folders
- Add ability to change alerts to be earlier
- Add ability to display more run data
- Add ability to store notes against a route
Show 6 moreShow fewer
- Add ability to search/view good walks
- Add ability to import existing GPX files
- Add ability to easily move start/mid points
- Add ability to automatically snap imported GPX
- Add ability to share routes
- Add ability to track steps
In-app purchases
Geocaching®
- Monthly Premium Membership$5.991 Month
- Monthly Premium membership$6.991 Month
- 2 Shareables Yearly Subscription$9.991 Year
Show 7 moreShow fewer
- 5 Shareables Yearly Subscription$11.991 Year
- 2 Shareables Yearly Subscription$11.991 Year
- 10 Shareables Yearly Subscription$14.991 Year
- 5 Shareables Yearly Subscription$14.991 Year
- 10 Shareables Yearly Subscription$17.991 Year
- Annual Premium Membership$29.991 Year
- Annual Premium membership$39.991 Year
- 3-month membership$9.99
- 1-year membership$29.99
Footpath Route Planner
- Footpath Elite (Monthly)7 Days trial$3.991 Month
- Footpath Elite (Yearly)7 Days trial$23.491 Year
- Single Route Pass$1.99
Questions
Is Geocaching® free?
Is Footpath Route Planner free?
Which has better reviews, Geocaching® or Footpath Route Planner?
Do Geocaching® or Footpath Route Planner have ads?
Which is updated more often, Geocaching® or Footpath Route Planner?
Which is more popular, Geocaching® or Footpath Route Planner?
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