# Footpath Route Planner vs Hike Safe

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Hike Safe at none against Footpath Route Planner's 3. Hike Safe also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.8) and update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 weeks). Footpath Route Planner's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (22K vs 1). On price and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Footpath Route Planner sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Hike Safe asks for nothing beyond the download.

Hike Safe holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Footpath Route Planner has 22K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Footpath Route Planner ships an update every 2 weeks, Hike Safe every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and June 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Footpath Route Planner | Hike Safe |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (22K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/footpath-route-planner/id634845718/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hike-safe/id6467560868/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **22K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 78.7% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Ad-supported** |
| Best chart rank | **#58** | — |
| Size | 152 MB | 12 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **17.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Half Mile Labs LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/634845721) | [Todd Studer](https://appshunter.io/developer/1332508621) |

## What reviewers say

### Footpath Route Planner

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/footpath-route-planner/id634845718)

**Currently charting:** #58 Top Grossing · Navigation, #116 Top Free · Navigation (US App Store)

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.

**Highlights:** Snap to roads and trails, Measure distance and elevation, Turn-by-turn navigation, Offline map downloads, Route sharing, GPX/TCX/FIT export

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Footpath Elite (Monthly) | $3.99 | per month |
| Footpath Elite (Yearly) | $23.49 | per year |
| Single Route Pass | $1.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Full-featured outdoors app
- 👍 Nice app
- 👍 Excellent for discovering routes
- 👍 Useful for run planning
- 👍 Great mapping and graphics

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 No more free turn by turn
- 🐛 Buggy and unreliable
- 🐛 Seems to no longer recognize footpaths
- 🐛 Offline maps fail
- 🐛 Only selects roads

**Reported bugs**

- No more free turn by turn
- Buggy and unreliable
- Seems to no longer recognize footpaths
- Offline maps fail
- Only selects roads

**Requested features**

- 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


### Hike Safe

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hike-safe/id6467560868)

This navigation app saves your starting location and waypoints to help you find your way back if you get lost. It offers map, GPS coordinates, and compass features with large buttons and high contrast colors for visibility. Detailed satellite views are available with active cell service.

**Highlights:** Saves start location and waypoints, GPS Coordinates and Compass, XL Buttons and high contrast colors, Detailed Satellite Map Views, Unit and map scale options, Offline functionality

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Footpath Route Planner free?

Footpath Route Planner is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Hike Safe free?

Hike Safe is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Footpath Route Planner or Hike Safe?

Hike Safe is rated higher. Footpath Route Planner averages 4.8 out of 5 from 22K ratings, while Hike Safe averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Footpath Route Planner or Hike Safe have ads?

Hike Safe shows ads; Footpath Route Planner does not.

### Which is updated more often, Footpath Route Planner or Hike Safe?

Footpath Route Planner ships an update every 2 weeks, and Hike Safe every 5 days. Most recently, Footpath Route Planner was updated on September 26, 2026 and Hike Safe on June 6, 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.*