Thru vs StarPause
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Virtual thru-hiking expeditions
- Real-world step tracking integration
- Interactive progress map
- Illustrated landscape representations
- Trail badge collection
- Landmark check-ins
Read full descriptionHide 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.
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.
- App usage prompts
- Customizable time limits
- Focus session timer
- Reward system for breaks
- Digital well-being tracking
Read full descriptionHide 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
Verdict
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
Both are free to download. StarPause sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per year. Thru asks for nothing beyond the download.
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.
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.
| Parameter | Thru | StarPause |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (133 ratings) — better | 4.4 (31 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 93.5% of reviews — better | 87.8% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 133 — better | 31 |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 29 MB | 244 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Aaron La Lau | Hangzhou Jihe Digital Culture and Creativity Co., Ltd. |
Customer experience
Thru
StarPause
In-app purchases
Thru
No in-app purchases
StarPause
- StarPaus Pro - 1 Year7 Days trial$6.991 Year
- Pro Lifetime$12.99









