Comparison

Zelus Virtual Challenges vs ACE Races

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

Head to head
About

Zelus Virtual Challenges

Features
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Your everyday steps walk you along a real route worldwide. Travel across the Shrines of Japan or the Volcanoes of New Zealand all while tracking calories and unlocking medals for your profile. Multiplayer races to challenge your friends, compete on leaderboards and gamify your daily commute or run. MAKE WALKING FEEL LIKE A GAME Looking for a way to make walking more fun? Zelus turns your everyday movement into game-like progress. Instead of watching a step counter increase, your walking moves you along virtual routes around the world. Reach landmarks, earn XP, level up, unlock badges and collect medals as you progress. It gives your daily walk a destination and a reason to keep going. GAMIFY YOUR DAILY STEPS Zelus is designed for anyone who wants to turn walking or exercise into a game. Your real-world movement becomes progress toward goals, achievements and virtual destinations. Walk to work, take the dog out, use a walking pad while working, go for an evening stroll or head out for a run โ€” the activity you already do can move you further through your current adventure. If ordinary step counters feel boring, Zelus adds maps, progression, rewards and challenges to make those same steps feel meaningful. STAY MOTIVATED TO WALK MORE Walking consistently can be difficult when there is nothing to work towards. Zelus gives you visible goals. Choose a destination, watch your position move across the route and work toward the next landmark or finish line. Short challenges can provide achievable goals while longer routes give you something to gradually complete over days or weeks. TURN EXERCISE INTO AN ADVENTURE Explore real places virtually through your own activity. Your everyday steps can take you through famous routes, landscapes, cities and landmarks without needing to travel there yourself. Zelus combines virtual travel with walking challenges so exercise becomes progress through a journey rather than simply another number on a fitness tracker. A STEP COUNTER WITH PROGRESSION Zelus goes beyond basic step tracking. Earn XP. Gain levels. Unlock badges. Complete routes. Collect virtual medals. Discover landmarks. Compete with friends. Climb leaderboards. It brings progression systems normally associated with games into everyday walking, running and other activity. WALKING CHALLENGES WITH FRIENDS Want to make walking more competitive or social? Compare progress with friends, race toward challenge finish lines, take part in team challenges and use leaderboards to see how your activity compares. Zelus can be used for solo motivation, friendly walking competitions, group step challenges or simply keeping each other active. MAKE EVERYDAY MOVEMENT COUNT You do not need to become a runner or completely change your routine. Walking to the shops counts. Walking the dog counts. Your commute counts. A lunchtime walk counts. Treadmill and walking-pad sessions count. Runs and bike rides can count too. Zelus is designed to turn activity you were already doing into progress toward something. FREE VIRTUAL WALKING CHALLENGES Every Zelus virtual route and challenge is free to access and complete. You do not need to purchase individual destinations, challenges or route packs. Optional Premium features add extra functionality, but Premium does not unlock a separate paid collection of routes. If you're searching for a way to make walking more fun, gamify your steps, stay motivated to exercise, virtually explore the world or turn everyday movement into a game, Zelus gives those steps somewhere to take you.

About

ACE Races

Features
Read full description

ACE Races helps you take part in friendly virtual races and challenges wherever you are. Run, walk, cycle, swim, or complete each challenge in the way that works for you. Track progress, celebrate achievements, and enjoy inclusive ACE Races experiences. Every entry plants a tree.

Screenshots

Zelus Virtual Challenges4 screens
ACE Races4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ACE Races at none against Zelus Virtual Challenges's 3. Zelus Virtual Challenges's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Zelus Virtual Challenges sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. ACE Races asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Zelus Virtual Challenges ships an update every 5 days, ACE Races every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences ยท 4 level
Zelus Virtual Challenges versus ACE Races: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterZelus Virtual ChallengesACE Races
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 5 days โ€” betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo โ€” better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.115.1
Further details โ€” not scored
Size54 MB65 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperZelus Software LTDACE Races

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Zelus Virtual Challenges

Subscriptions2
  • Zelus Premium$4.991 Month
  • Zelus Annual Premium14 Days trial$24.991 Year
One-time1
  • Streak Restore$0.99
None

ACE Races

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Zelus Virtual Challenges free?
Zelus Virtual Challenges is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ACE Races free?
ACE Races is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Zelus Virtual Challenges or ACE Races have ads?
Neither Zelus Virtual Challenges nor ACE Races shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Zelus Virtual Challenges or ACE Races?
Zelus Virtual Challenges ships an update every 5 days, and ACE Races every 2 months. Most recently, Zelus Virtual Challenges was updated on October 22, 2026 and ACE Races on October 8, 2026.

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