# Harry's LapTimer Petrolhead vs Garmin Catalyst™

The clearest difference is price: Garmin Catalyst™ at Free against Harry's LapTimer Petrolhead's $19.99. Garmin Catalyst™ also leads on rating (4.8 vs 3.8) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). Harry's LapTimer Petrolhead's advantage is chart position (#74 vs unranked) and device support (4 vs 2). On review sentiment, ratings volume, ads and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Garmin Catalyst™ is free to download; Harry's LapTimer Petrolhead costs $19.99 up front. Harry's LapTimer Petrolhead sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Garmin Catalyst™ asks for nothing beyond the download.

Garmin Catalyst™ holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 153 and 120 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 77% of Harry's LapTimer Petrolhead's written reviews are positive against 80% of Garmin Catalyst™'s.

Harry's LapTimer Petrolhead ships an update every 2 months, Garmin Catalyst™ monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Harry's LapTimer Petrolhead | Garmin Catalyst™ |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $19.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [3.8 (153 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/harrys-laptimer-petrolhead/id338257907/reviews) | **[4.8 (120 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/garmin-catalyst/id1603280610/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **153** | 120 |
| Positive reviews | 76.6% of reviews | **80.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#74** | — |
| Size | 78 MB | 223 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 16.5 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Harald Schlangmann](https://appshunter.io/developer/307688601) | [Garmin](https://appshunter.io/developer/411046952) |

## What reviewers say

### Harry's LapTimer Petrolhead

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/harrys-laptimer-petrolhead/id338257907)

**Currently charting:** #74 Top Paid · Sports (US App Store)

This app is an advanced tool for car enthusiasts to record and analyze sensor data for optimizing driving performance. It offers automated lap timing, video recording with data overlays, and real-time online racing competition features.

**Highlights:** Records sensor data (GPS, OBD II), Automated lap timing with 1300+ predefined tracks, In-car video recording with data overlays, Real-time online racing and competition, Driving performance analysis and optimization, Step-by-step sensor integration

**Features:** Apple Watch app

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Grand Prix Upgrade | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 📊 Comprehensive data logging and telemetry analysis
- 🎥 Excellent video overlay capabilities with telemetry
- 💰 Affordable alternative to expensive professional systems
- 🛠️ Highly responsive developer with active support
- 🏁 Accurate lap timing when properly configured

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezes
- 🎮 Confusing and unintuitive user interface
- 📍 Unreliable GPS tracking without external devices
- 🔌 Poor Bluetooth connectivity with accessories
- 📹 Video export causes app malfunction

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes when overlaying videos
- Video playback fails in Photos app until phone reboot
- Lap data not recording at certain tracks
- GPS location not recognized at specific venues
- Timer fails to start or record laps inconsistently

**Requested features**

- Ability to pause timer between sessions
- Automatic video overlay for all laps without manual processing
- Better track variant identification in database
- Improved nearby track suggestions based on location
- Dark mode option


### Garmin Catalyst™

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

Access and analyze your motorsports performance data, including lap times, session summaries, and driver profiles, on your smartphone or tablet. Track annual driving metrics and record weather conditions for each session. Customize driver and vehicle icons for a personalized experience.

**Highlights:** Access performance data, View session summaries, Track lap times, Record weather conditions, Customizable driver profiles, Track annual driving metrics

**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


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Harry's LapTimer Petrolhead free?

Harry's LapTimer Petrolhead costs $19.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is Garmin Catalyst™ free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Harry's LapTimer Petrolhead or Garmin Catalyst™?

Garmin Catalyst™ is rated higher. Harry's LapTimer Petrolhead averages 3.8 out of 5 from 153 ratings, while Garmin Catalyst™ averages 4.8 from 120 ratings.

### Do Harry's LapTimer Petrolhead or Garmin Catalyst™ have ads?

Neither Harry's LapTimer Petrolhead nor Garmin Catalyst™ shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Harry's LapTimer Petrolhead or Garmin Catalyst™?

Harry's LapTimer Petrolhead ships an update every 2 months, and Garmin Catalyst™ monthly. Most recently, Harry's LapTimer Petrolhead was updated on November 6, 2026 and Garmin Catalyst™ on November 4, 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.*