Comparison

Thru vs PlainWalk

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

PlainWalk

This app transforms your walks into a visual exploration by drawing your path on a blank map in real-time. It highlights newly explored roads and emphasizes frequently traveled routes, encouraging you to discover new streets and alleys. Your location data stays private on your device.

Highlights
  • Real-time trail drawing on a blank map
  • Pioneered distance tracking for first-time roads
  • Road thickness indicates frequency of travel
  • Background recording
  • Live Activity and Home Screen widget
  • Real-map view overlay
  • Pinning spots with photos and notes
Features
Read full description

PlainWalk is a walking app where you draw a pure white map with your own feet. Open the app and the map is empty. Start walking, and only the roads you actually walked appear, one line at a time. Roads you take often grow darker and thicker. Roads you walk for the first time are recorded as ground you pioneered. Take a different street home tonight. Turn into the alley you have never tried. Small adventures like these stay on your map. ■ Features ・Your trail is drawn onto the blank map in real time ・Runs, rides and drives are recorded too. PlainWalk tells them apart, and you choose which ones to draw ・First-time roads count toward your pioneered distance ・Roads you walk often grow thicker, revealing the shape of your daily life ・Background recording keeps going after you close the screen ・Live Activity shows your distance on the Lock Screen and Dynamic Island ・A Home Screen widget shows today's pioneered distance and your map ・A real-map view overlays your trail on the actual streets ・Daily walk history with trail previews ・Pin "spots" to your map with a photo, a category and a note ・Replay a single walk, or watch your whole map grow as a timelapse ■ Privacy Your location and walking records are stored only on your device. Nothing is ever sent to a server, and no account is required. Why not turn that still-blank corner on today's walk? —————— PlainWalk Plus (auto-renewable subscription) Unlocks map colour schemes, trail and photo pin styles, area badge details with crystal finishes, town replays, cat coats and a hedgehog, automatic recording and recording from home and work, several flags and unlimited Someday places, workouts from Apple Health on your map, your own LUTs, sticker finishes, and the Around you and Your region widgets, and removes ads. The blank map, all statistics and the pioneer ranks stay free. - Monthly and yearly plans. Prices are shown in the app for your region. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription renews automatically at the same price unless it is cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the period. Manage or cancel it in Settings > Apple Account > Subscriptions. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://bitpackman.github.io/plainwalk/privacy.en.html

Screenshots

Thru4 screens
PlainWalk4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Thru at none against PlainWalk's 4. Thru also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (128 vs 17). PlainWalk's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 9 days). On price, rating, review sentiment 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. PlainWalk sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $2.69 per month. Thru asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Thru against 4.9 for PlainWalk. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Thru has 128 ratings behind it against 17, 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 88% of PlainWalk's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Thru ships an update every 9 days, PlainWalk every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Thru versus PlainWalk: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThruPlainWalk
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (128 ratings)4.9 (17 ratings) — better
Positive reviews93.5% of reviews — better87.5% of reviews
Number of ratings128 — better17
Update frequencyEvery 9 daysEvery 3 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, Apple Watch
Requires iOS17.617.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size29 MB65 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAaron La LauKANTA KOKONNO

Customer experience

Thru

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

PlainWalk

All ratings15 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews32 reviews
Positive87.5%
Neutral6.3%
Negative6.3%

In-app purchases

None

Thru

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

PlainWalk

Subscriptions2
  • PlainWalk Plus Monthly$2.691 Month
  • PlainWalk Plus Yearly7 Days trial$26.901 Year
One-time2
  • Remove Ads$5.99
  • PlainWalk Plus Lifetime$79.99

Questions

Is Thru free?
Thru is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is PlainWalk free?
PlainWalk is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Thru or PlainWalk?
PlainWalk is rated higher. Thru averages 4.9 out of 5 from 128 ratings, while PlainWalk averages 4.9 from 17 ratings.
Do Thru or PlainWalk have ads?
PlainWalk shows ads; Thru does not.
Which is updated more often, Thru or PlainWalk?
Thru ships an update every 9 days, and PlainWalk every 3 days. Most recently, Thru was updated on October 30, 2026 and PlainWalk on October 31, 2026.

Other comparisons