Comparison

pathRecorder vs Glider Polar

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

Head to head
About

pathRecorder

Features
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Do you love hiking in the mountains? Do You follow the mountain trails with your jeep or your mountain bike? Do you like sailing? Do you want to mark your points of interest on the route, the points where you have to be careful, etc...? Do you want to save a position of interest (ex. for fishing or diving) and return to the saved point of interest in the next days? Do not want to get lost and be sure to return to the starting point (home) of your trip? Do you want to be able to send an SOS with your current position, the registration of the route taken and the request for help? Do you want to share the recording (numerical data of position, speed, route, orientation, timestamp) of your route with the related navigation data? "pathRecorded - come back" is the right application for you. You can also: - Register your trip by pressing the "Rec" (route recording) button - Record a single point of interest by pressing "Rec" and "Stop" - Go back (return to the initial position of the voyage or go to the saved point of interest by pressing the "ComeBack" button) During the "Comeback" function it will be possible to start a new path by pressing the "Rec" button: the application will continue the journey from the current position. Other characteristics: - Ability to save the recorded routes using text files - Archive for saved routes - File manager to load, rename and delete saved routes - "AirDrop", "iTunes File Sharing", "Open In", "iCloud Drive", "Dropbox", etc ... "SOS email" to share the recorded route data - Recording of the path on a text file (format: .csv) that can be imported into any Text Editor, Excel, Numbers, Openoffice Calc, etc... for future analysis: * registered .csv file: latitude (deg); longitude (deg); course (deg); speed (m/s); altitude (m); heading (deg); timestamp (sec); waypointID (int); * possible waypointsID (integer) (stored points of the route): 0: NORMAL, 1: INTEREST, 2: ALERT, 3: SOS * course error led indicators * graphical indicator for next waypoint and home waypoint * sound indicator for approaching and home waypoint * walking or sailing mode * meters or nautical miles as units of measure for distance * meters/second or knots as unit of measure for speed * high contrast for the interface components (the interface is visible also when the device is illuminated by sun) NOTES FOR NAVIGATION: This route navigator / recorder has been designed to work in different places than commercial car navigators. It is therefore suitable for routes where cars can not travel (ex. in the sea or in the mountains) but can also be used on cars, on normal urban or rural roads or on mountain / forest paths. INTERNET CONNECTION NOT NECESSARY: Internet connection is not required for navigation, route recording ("Rec") and return home ("ComeBack"). Application type: - UNIVERSAL APP

About

Glider Polar

This app predicts glider performance by allowing users to adjust gross weight and headwind. Experienced pilots can explore the impact of water ballast on glide ratio and speed, while beginners can visualize how wind and weight affect performance.

Highlights
  • Predicts glider glide performance
  • Adjustable gross weight
  • Adjustable headwind component
  • Shows effect of water ballast
  • Illustrates wind and weight impact
Features
Read full description

Glider Polar predicts the glide performance of any glider. The user can vary the glider's gross weight and headwind component and immediately see the effect on glider performance. Experienced pilots can use the app to see how water ballast affects the glide ratio and cruise speed. For those new to gliding, the app clearly illustrates the effect of wind and weight on performance.

Screenshots

pathRecorder4 screens
Glider Polar3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: pathRecorder at $1.99 against Glider Polar's $2.99. On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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

pathRecorder costs $1.99 and Glider Polar $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

pathRecorder ships an update every 31 months, Glider Polar every 21 months. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 8 level
pathRecorder versus Glider Polar: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterpathRecorderGlider Polar
Price$1.99 — better$2.99
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 31 monthsEvery 21 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetization—Paid
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.615.2 — better
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGianluca NataliniRobert Walker

In-app purchases

None

pathRecorder

No in-app purchases

None

Glider Polar

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is pathRecorder free?
pathRecorder costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Glider Polar free?
Glider Polar costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do pathRecorder or Glider Polar have ads?
Neither pathRecorder nor Glider Polar shows ads.
Which is updated more often, pathRecorder or Glider Polar?
pathRecorder ships an update every 31 months, and Glider Polar every 21 months. Most recently, pathRecorder was updated on October 26, 2026 and Glider Polar on October 30, 2026.

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