# Thru vs StepBattle

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Thru at none against StepBattle's 1. Thru also leads on ratings volume (110 vs 1). StepBattle's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.6). On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. StepBattle sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per month. Thru asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Thru against 5.0 for StepBattle. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Thru has 110 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 93% of Thru's written reviews are positive against 100% of StepBattle's.

Thru ships an update every 8 days, StepBattle weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Thru | StepBattle |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.9 (110 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/thru-virtual-hiking/id6753733703/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stepbattle/id6776197183/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **110** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 92.9% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 8 days | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Freemium |
| Size | 29 MB | 57 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Aaron La Lau](https://appshunter.io/developer/1844744161) | [StepBattle LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/6776197185) |

## What reviewers say

### Thru

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/thru-virtual-hiking/id6753733703)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### StepBattle

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stepbattle/id6776197183)

Compete with friends and others by tracking your steps. Sync with Apple Health to climb leaderboards, join challenges, and earn medals. See live updates on matches and races.

**Highlights:** Live Apple Health sync, Live leaderboards, Step battles (1v1, group, regional), Earn medals, Match feed, Invite friends

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| StepBattle Membership | $4.99 | per month |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Thru free?

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

### Is StepBattle free?

StepBattle is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Thru or StepBattle?

StepBattle is rated higher. Thru averages 4.9 out of 5 from 110 ratings, while StepBattle averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Thru or StepBattle have ads?

Neither Thru nor StepBattle shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Thru or StepBattle?

Thru ships an update every 8 days, and StepBattle weekly. Most recently, Thru was updated on October 16, 2026 and StepBattle on October 19, 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.*