Yak vs Virtual Backyard Ultra
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Yak
Plan and track your mountain climbing journeys with detailed weather forecasts, trip reports, and gear lists. Log your ascents and monitor progress towards your long-term climbing goals, from local peaks to major global challenges.
- Plan climbing routes
- Log ascents and track progress
- Detailed mountain weather forecasts
- Gear lists and climber reports
- Explore U.S. state highpoints and Seven Summits
- Organize long-term climbing goals
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Yak is a mountain planning and tracking app built for long-term goals. Plan routes, read trip reports, and log your climbs as you track progress across Colorado 14ers, U.S. state highpoints, the Seven Summits, or other major mountain goals. Prepare with essential tools like detailed mountain weather at multiple elevations, gear lists, climber reports, and trusted resources, all in one place. Whether you’re working toward your first summit or a lifetime of climbs, Yak helps you stay organized and moving forward.
Virtual Backyard Ultra
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Virtual Backyard Ultra turns the last-one-standing race format into something you can run solo, anywhere. The rules are simple. Every hour, on the hour, you run a "yard" — a set loop. Finish inside the hour and you earn a rest until the next one begins. Miss the cutoff and you're out. The last runner standing wins, so the only goal is one more yard. Virtual Backyard Ultra is your timekeeper and distance tracker for every yard: • Corral clock — a clear countdown to the top of the hour, with audio, haptic, and spoken cues at 3-2-1 and the starting bell. • GPS distance — track how far you cover each yard, with live distance-to-go and turnaround prompts on out-and-back courses. • Your format — set the yard distance, interval, and course type. The classic 4.167 mi per hour (24 yards = 100 miles) is one tap away. • Live Activity & Dynamic Island — keep the corral clock on your lock screen and in the Dynamic Island while you run. • Apple Watch — the corral clock on your wrist: the yard you're on, the countdown to the next bell, and your distance. It taps you at the bell, when you finish, and if you miss a corral. • Race resume — if the app goes down mid-race, from a crash or a force-quit, reopening it puts you straight back in with the clock where it should be. • History & personal best — every run is logged, with your longest streak front and center. • Export & share — save a finished run to Apple Health as a running workout, one segment per yard with your route, or export a .fit or .gpx file. Share a result card when you're done. • Screen-off friendly — distance keeps counting in your pocket, and the bell still rings. No account. No sign-up. Just you, the clock, and one more yard. Free to download.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Yak at 16.4 against Virtual Backyard Ultra's 18.0. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Yak | Virtual Backyard Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (48 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 90.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 48 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 6 days | Every 6 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 163 MB | 14 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Bear Logic LLC | Cow Cow Technologies LLC |
In-app purchases
Yak
No in-app purchases
Virtual Backyard Ultra
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Yak free?
Is Virtual Backyard Ultra free?
Do Yak or Virtual Backyard Ultra have ads?
Which is updated more often, Yak or Virtual Backyard Ultra?
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