Distance Tool vs TBScan
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Distance Tool
Calculate distances between points and areas of polygons on a map. Supports metric and imperial units, GPS location, and freehand drawing. Altitude calculation is also available, with or without data connectivity.
- Distance calculation between points
- Area calculation for polygons
- GPS location dropping
- Metric and imperial units
- Altitude calculation
- Freehand drawing
- Follow mode for real-time calculation
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Distance Tool allows for quick and easy calculations to find distances between points on a map, including area calculations for non-overlapping polygons drawn. Includes metric (meters, kilometers) and imperial units (yards, miles, feet for altitude) for distances. Co-ordinates can either be displayed in decimal or degrees, meters and seconds. Useful for mapping fields in agriculture, plots of land/home boundaries, or for general interest in distances and areas! Functionality to drop a point at your current location (GPS or otherwise), and to email the results. Tap briefly to drop points anywhere on the map. Share your drawing (shape) by email, which includes a file that can be opened on any device with Distance Tool. Allows the standard map views of standard, satellite and hybrid. Supports quick altitude calculation without data connectivity. Find out how high up you are! Or see the altitude of ANY point (requires data). Freehand draw: Draw any shape on the map to quickly calculate area. Follow Mode: Calculate distance or areas simply by moving! Subscription terms: - The subscription auto-renews at the end of each term. - Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. - The subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. - Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. - You may manage your subscription and turn off auto-renewal by going to your Account Settings after purchase. Privacy policy and Terms of Use: https://applorium.com/privacy-distance-tool
TBScan
Easily discover and log geocaching trackables using your device's camera. Scan codes instantly to identify trackables, view their missions, and log them without manual typing. Perfect for events and finding trackables in caches.
- Quick trackable code recognition
- Discover multiple trackables simultaneously
- Offline functionality
- View trackable missions
- Attach photos to logs
- Multiple log modes
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It has never been easier to discover Trackables. TBScan is a new and revolutionary iPhone app for every Geocacher. What many Geocachers have been dreaming about is now reality: With TBScan you can discover and log TBs and Coins without having to type the tracking code. As soon as you point your camera at the code it will instantly get recognised: It’s that easy! TBScan is perfect for events: Where you previously had to first write down every single tracking code on a piece of paper only to later manually key in every single one, you can now scan the trackables lightning-fast and discover them all at the same time. With the help of TBScan you can discover up to 10 trackables per minute. What is more, TBScan is a great helper when you encounter a Trackable in a cache. Quickly scan the code and you will see the mission of the TB or coin. Finally, if you want to take that Trackable on your journey you can also directly log it. Features: • Quick recognition of Trackable codes • Discover multiple Trackables at once • Works without an Internet connection • Check Trackable mission • Attach pictures to trackable logs • Different Log-Modes (Retrieve, Discover, Write Note, Grab) • Log templates • Trackable inventory • Select codes for individual logs • Scan Trackables from your photo library • Export Trackables codes • Geocaching API access
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: TBScan at 4.8 against Distance Tool's 4.4. TBScan also leads on review sentiment (84% vs 59%) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15). Distance Tool's advantage is ratings volume (2.1K vs 222) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Distance Tool sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and TBScan sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
TBScan holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Distance Tool has 2.1K ratings behind it against 222, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 59% of Distance Tool's written reviews are positive against 84% of TBScan's.
Distance Tool ships an update every 2 months, TBScan every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Distance Tool | TBScan |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (2.1K ratings) | 4.8 (222 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 58.6% of reviews | 84.1% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 2.1K — better | 222 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 17 MB | 18 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Applorium Ltd | Nicolas Camenisch |
Customer experience
Distance Tool
TBScan
Bugs and requests
Distance Tool
Reported bugs
4 issues- GPS not working on certain devices
- App crashes when trying to access location services
- Saved routes not loading properly
- Inconsistent distance calculations
Requested features
4 requests- Ability to edit/reposition dropped pins
- Option to toggle visibility of distance labels
- Support for entering coordinates manually
- Improved map quality and zooming capabilities
TBScan
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Distance Tool
- Distance Calculator Monthly3 Days trial$3.991 Month
- Distance Calculator Premium3 Days trial$19.991 Year
- Premium - freehand & follow$7.99
- Distance Tool Lifetime$39.99
TBScan
- TBScan Pro$2.99
Questions
Is Distance Tool free?
Is TBScan free?
Which has better reviews, Distance Tool or TBScan?
Do Distance Tool or TBScan have ads?
Which is updated more often, Distance Tool or TBScan?
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