Comparison

Yak vs Virtual Backyard Ultra

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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.

About

Virtual Backyard Ultra

Features
Read full description

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

Yak4 screens
Virtual Backyard Ultra4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Yak versus Virtual Backyard Ultra: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterYakVirtual Backyard Ultra
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (48 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews90.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings48 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 6 daysEvery 6 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS16.4 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size163 MB14 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperBear Logic LLCCow Cow Technologies LLC

In-app purchases

None

Yak

No in-app purchases

None

Virtual Backyard Ultra

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Yak free?
Yak is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Virtual Backyard Ultra free?
Virtual Backyard Ultra is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Yak or Virtual Backyard Ultra have ads?
Neither Yak nor Virtual Backyard Ultra shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Yak or Virtual Backyard Ultra?
Yak ships an update every 6 days, and Virtual Backyard Ultra every 6 days. Most recently, Yak was updated on November 5, 2026 and Virtual Backyard Ultra on October 31, 2026.

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