Comparison

Thru vs StarPause

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

Head to head
About

Thru

Conquer legendary hiking trails virtually by tracking your real-world steps. Progress through illustrated landscapes, collect badges, and check in at landmarks on an interactive map. Every mile walked brings your virtual hiker closer to the finish line.

Highlights
  • Virtual thru-hiking expeditions
  • Real-world step tracking integration
  • Interactive progress map
  • Illustrated landscape representations
  • Trail badge collection
  • Landmark check-ins
Features
Read full description

Ever dreamed of completing a legendary thru hike? Now you can conquer epic trails like the Pacific Crest Trail, Appalachian Trail, Grand Tour des Alpes, and more using nothing but your daily steps! Thru connects your real-world activity to a breathtaking virtual expedition. Whether you're walking the dog, running a marathon, or simply pacing around the office, every single mile moves your hiker further along the virtual trail. See your progress unfold on a beautifully designed, interactive map. As you clock the miles, you'll pass through illustrated representations of iconic landscapes. Stay motivated by collecting unique trail badges, checking in at landmarks, and watching your virtual self complete the journey.

About

StarPause

This app helps you regain control of your phone usage. It prompts you to consider your intentions before opening distracting apps and allows you to set time limits. Earn rewards by putting your phone down or staying focused.

Highlights
  • App usage prompts
  • Customizable time limits
  • Focus session timer
  • Reward system for breaks
  • Digital well-being tracking
Features
Read full description

You open your phone to search—and lose hours to your feed. You scroll to relax at home—and suddenly, it’s 3AM at night. You try to scroll less, but fail. You blame your lack of self-control—but it’s not your fault. Some of the world’s smartest engineers work daily to make apps better at playing on our weaknesses, keeping you scrolling and turning your time into ad money. It drains your time, breaks your focus, and takes the joy out of your digital life—you need help. That’s why we built StarPause. Open an app you struggle to stop using, and StarPause steps in: Do you need this right now? Choose to leave, and light up a star. If you need to stay, set a time limit—StarPause stops you when it’s up. Start a focus session, and earn stars when you finish. Every time you choose to put your phone down or stay focused, your starry sky grows. Time and energy are our greatest treasures—let StarPause help you protect them. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Thru4 screens
StarPause4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Thru at 4.9 against StarPause's 4.4. Thru also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ratings volume (133 vs 31). StarPause's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 9 days). On price, review sentiment, 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. StarPause sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per year. Thru asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Thru holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 133 and 31 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 93% of Thru's written reviews are positive against 88% of StarPause's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Thru ships an update every 9 days, StarPause every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Thru versus StarPause: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThruStarPause
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (133 ratings) — better4.4 (31 ratings)
Positive reviews93.5% of reviews — better87.8% of reviews
Number of ratings133 — better31
Update frequencyEvery 9 daysEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.6 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size29 MB244 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAaron La LauHangzhou Jihe Digital Culture and Creativity Co., Ltd.

Customer experience

Thru

All ratings121 ratings
Positive98.3%
Neutral0.8%
Negative0.8%
Written reviews46 reviews
Positive93.5%
Neutral2.2%
Negative4.3%

StarPause

All ratings31 ratings
Positive80.6%
Neutral12.9%
Negative6.5%
Written reviews74 reviews
Positive87.8%
Neutral8.1%
Negative4.1%

In-app purchases

None

Thru

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

StarPause

Subscriptions1
  • StarPaus Pro - 1 Year7 Days trial$6.991 Year
One-time1
  • Pro Lifetime$12.99

Questions

Is Thru free?
Thru is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is StarPause free?
StarPause is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Thru or StarPause?
Thru is rated higher. Thru averages 4.9 out of 5 from 133 ratings, while StarPause averages 4.4 from 31 ratings.
Do Thru or StarPause have ads?
Neither Thru nor StarPause shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Thru or StarPause?
Thru ships an update every 9 days, and StarPause every 3 days. Most recently, Thru was updated on November 9, 2026 and StarPause on November 7, 2026.

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