Altitude Drive vs Altimeter Dashboard
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Altitude Drive
This app provides real-time altitude and elevation changes, displaying current altitude, vertical rate, and road gradient. It uses GPS and your iPhone's barometric sensor for enhanced accuracy, with a clear interface for both iPhone and CarPlay.
- Real-time altitude readout
- Vertical rate of climb/descent
- Road gradient percentage
- Compass heading
- 5-minute altitude history graph
- CarPlay dashboard view
- Privacy-focused, no data transmission
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See your altitude change in real time. Altitude Drive fuses GPS with your iPhone's barometric pressure sensor for a live elevation readout on iPhone and on CarPlay. WHAT IT SHOWS • Current altitude in feet or meters • Vertical rate of climb or descent (ft/min or m/min) • Road gradient as a percentage — the same definition highway grade signs use • Compass heading with cardinal labels • 5-minute altitude history graph WHY IT'S ACCURATE GPS altitude alone is noisy and slow. Altitude Drive pairs it with your iPhone's barometric pressure sensor for the small, fast changes — so a single step or a subtle road grade shows up immediately, while the GPS keeps the absolute reading honest. DESIGNED FOR THE ROAD — AND THE TRAIL On CarPlay, a clean dashboard view shows altitude, trend, gradient, and heading at a glance. Color tells you both direction (red, white, or green for descending, level, ascending) and severity (green through yellow to red as the rate intensifies) without taking your eyes off the road. On the phone, everything is large, monospaced, and readable in motion. Mount it on the dash, hand it to a passenger, or take it on a hike. TRIP COMPUTER Like a car's trip computer, Altitude Drive remembers the highest and lowest elevation you reach and your steepest climb and descent. Reset with a single tap for a new drive — your trip is kept even across app launches. PRIVATE BY DEFAULT No accounts. No ads. No analytics. No third-party SDKs. Your location data is processed entirely on your device and is never transmitted anywhere. REQUIREMENTS iPhone running iOS 17 or later. Location ("When In Use") and motion permissions, asked once on first launch.
Altimeter Dashboard
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Altimeter Dashboard is a clean, automotive-style altitude and compass dashboard for iPhone. Features: • Large, easy-to-read compass display • GPS and barometric altitude measurement • Real-time heading and directional display • Vehicle display support on compatible in-car systems • English and Japanese localization • Metric and imperial units (metres and feet) • Altitude and heading accuracy information • Altitude trend indication (rising, stable, or falling) Privacy first: • No user accounts • No advertising • No analytics • No tracking • No subscriptions • No in-app purchases All location, compass, motion, and barometric data are processed on your device. Use only when safe and legal to do so.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Altimeter Dashboard at Free against Altitude Drive's $2.99. Altimeter Dashboard also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 4 weeks). Altitude Drive's advantage is chart position (#19 vs unranked). On ads, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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
Altimeter Dashboard is free to download; Altitude Drive costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Altitude Drive ships an update every 4 weeks, Altimeter Dashboard weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Altitude Drive | Altimeter Dashboard |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.2 (5 ratings) — better | — |
| Number of ratings | 5 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Best chart rank | #19 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 9 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Peter Santangeli | Andrew Arkley |
In-app purchases
Altitude Drive
No in-app purchases
Altimeter Dashboard
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Altitude Drive free?
Is Altimeter Dashboard free?
Do Altitude Drive or Altimeter Dashboard have ads?
Which is updated more often, Altitude Drive or Altimeter Dashboard?
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