Comparison

PentaRace vs Paceline

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

Head to head
About

PentaRace

Features
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PentaRace is a clean, focused GPS tracker for runs, rides and hikes. No ads, no subscription, no account to create: just the numbers that matter, on a full-screen map. TRACK EVERY OUTING Pick Run, Ride or Hike, tap Start and watch your route draw itself live on the map. Duration, distance, speed and calories stay in large, easy-to-read digits at the top of the screen, while a compact bar at the bottom shows your heading, your current altitude and the Start, Pause and Stop buttons. Pause whenever you need to, then stop to save your activity. APPLE WATCH Start from your wrist, or tap Start on your iPhone: the workout begins on your watch, which measures heart rate and calories itself. Duration, distance, speed, calories and your heart rate zone are shown in large digits, the map shows your route, and your iPhone follows the workout live. Pause with a double tap, resume or stop from either device. Went out without your iPhone? The workout joins your history as soon as it's back in range. A complication shows your last activity on the watch face. HEART RATE SENSORS, NO PAIRING HASSLE PentaRace connects automatically to any standard Bluetooth heart rate sensor: chest straps such as the Polar H10, Garmin HRM or Wahoo TICKR, optical armbands, or a sport watch broadcasting its heart rate. Your live heart rate appears in a color-coded banner showing your current effort zone, from warm-up to max, based on a maximum heart rate estimated from your age. CALORIE ESTIMATES THAT MAKE SENSE Enter your age, sex and weight once. Without a sensor, PentaRace estimates the calories you burn from your speed (shown with a ~). As soon as a heart rate sensor is connected, it switches to a heart-rate-based formula for a more accurate figure. APPLE HEALTH Every saved activity is written to the Health app as a running, cycling or hiking workout, with its GPS route, distance, calories, heart rate and speed samples, pauses, per-kilometer splits and elevation gain. On iOS 27, Health and Fitness use PentaRace's heart rate zones. YOUR HISTORY, ON ALL YOUR DEVICES Your activities sync through your own iCloud account. Open any of them to see its map, its key stats (duration, distance, average and maximum speed, elevation, calories, heart rate) and charts of speed, altitude and heart rate over time, with effort zones shaded on the heart rate chart. Rename an activity with a tap, and share a clean image of its map and stats from the share sheet. YOUR LANGUAGE, YOUR UNITS The app is available in English and French, and distances, speeds, altitude and weight follow your region: miles, mph and feet in the US, kilometers and meters elsewhere. PRIVATE BY DESIGN No analytics, no ads, no third-party SDKs. Your activities and fitness profile stay on your iPhone, your Apple Watch, in your iCloud account and in the Health app. Whether it's a quick 5K, a long Sunday ride or a weekend hike, PentaRace tracks it without getting in the way.

About

Paceline

Features
Read full description

Paceline is a precise GPS tracker for running, cycling, walking and hiking – private by design. No account, no ads, and your data never leaves your iPhone. Press Start and go. Live pace, distance, speed, elevation and heart rate, with auto-pause when you stop. Every workout is saved with a full GPS route, splits and laps. FREE FOREVER • GPS recording for runs, rides, walks and hikes • Live pace, distance, speed and elevation • Auto-pause and audio cues • Recent activity history • Apple Health sync • Live Activity on the Lock Screen and widgets PACELINE PRO • Advanced analytics: training load, heart rate zones and long-term trends • Personal records and streaks • Route planner: draw loops, save favorite routes and follow them • Interval workouts with warmup, work, recovery and cooldown • Weekly and monthly distance goals • Export and import GPX, JSON and CSV files to use your data in other fitness apps • Gear tracking with shoe and bike mileage reminders Try Pro free with the yearly plan when a free trial is offered. Monthly and one-time Lifetime options are also available. PRIVACY FIRST All data is stored locally on your device. No sign-up, no cloud, no tracking. Works in kilometers or miles, supports iPhone and iPad, and is designed natively for iOS. SUBSCRIPTION INFO Payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel in your App Store account settings. Any unused portion of a free trial is forfeited when you purchase a subscription. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://emrekotun.github.io/activity_tracker_privacy_policy/

Screenshots

PentaRace3 screens
Paceline4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: PentaRace at none against Paceline's 4. Paceline's advantage is iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, update cadence, ads 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

Both are free to download. Paceline sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. PentaRace asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PentaRace ships an update weekly, Paceline every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 4 level
PentaRace versus Paceline: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPentaRacePaceline
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
DevicesiPhone, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB15 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDavid LaroseEMRE KOTUN

In-app purchases

None

PentaRace

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

Paceline

Subscriptions3
  • Premium Access$4.997 Days
  • Premium Monthly$5.991 Month
  • Premium Access1 Year trial$29.991 Year
One-time1
  • Premium Lifetime$49.99

Questions

Is PentaRace free?
PentaRace is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Paceline free?
Paceline is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do PentaRace or Paceline have ads?
Neither PentaRace nor Paceline shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PentaRace or Paceline?
PentaRace ships an update weekly, and Paceline every 2 weeks. Most recently, PentaRace was updated on November 3, 2026 and Paceline on November 5, 2026.

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