Comparison

PathQuest vs Pacely Step

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

Head to head
About

PathQuest

Features
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Turn everyday walks into journeys you can actually see. PathQuest uses your Apple Health steps to move a small avatar along illustrated routes and story quests, right on your Home Screen widget. No streaks. No leaderboards. No noisy pressure. Just a calm reason to enjoy watching your steps add up. β€” HOW IT WORKS β€” Choose a journey. Walk as usual. Follow your progress along a unique illustrated path on your Home Screen widget. Complete stages. Reach the finish. Start another. Explore journeys inspired by real routes and imagined worlds: the Camino de Santiago, the 88-temple Shikoku pilgrimage, the Storm March across windswept moors, or a hidden academy at the edge of the woods. β€” FEATURES β€” β€’ Automatic step tracking via Apple Health β€” no manual logging β€’ A calm Home Screen widget β€” your journey, always visible β€’ Illustrated paths and milestones for every journey β€’ A Collection that grows with you: every completed fantasy quest earns a unique coin β€’ Designed for iPhone, with a calm, nature-inspired palette β€’ Private iCloud sync across devices (Voyager) β€’ Up to three active journeys at once (Voyager) β€’ Hero Mode and extended routes for deeper journeys (Voyager) β€’ Built for hands-free use β€” works with VoiceOver and Voice Control across the entire app β€’ No ads. No data sales. No social pressure. β€” THE COLLECTION β€” Complete fantasy quests to earn unique coins. Replay them in Hero Mode to unlock Hero variants, and uncover hidden conditions to reveal secret ones. Build a Collection that records where your steps have taken you. β€” PATHQUEST VOYAGER β€” Unlock the full journey library. The free version of PathQuest includes one active journey and a starter library. Voyager unlocks the full experience: every route, every story quest, private iCloud sync, Hero Mode, extended routes, and up to three active journeys at once. β€” PRIVACY β€” PathQuest reads only the steps and walking distance you allow through Apple Health, and uses them to advance your journeys. Your Apple Health data stays on your device. If you enable iCloud sync, your app progress is stored in your private iCloud account. We can’t see your iCloud data, and we don’t sell your data. β€” ABOUT β€” PathQuest is built independently for people who like walking, stories, and apps that don't yell. Privacy Policy: https://pathquest.castellet.dev/policy/ Terms of Use: https://pathquest.castellet.dev/terms/ Contact: pathquest@castellet.dev

About

Pacely Step

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Every step becomes a journey. Your daily walking distance carries you around Tokyo's Yamanote Loop, one stop at a time, and every flight of stairs adds up to a real landmark. A calm, beautifully simple pedometer and step counter. β–  What Pacely Step does - Steps, distance, calories and stairs β€” tracked automatically Reads your iPhone's Motion & Fitness data to log daily steps, walking distance, pace, and floors climbed. - Journey: walk your way along real routes Your walking distance moves you around the Yamanote Loop (about 34.5 km). "1.3 km to the next stop" and "4 stops reached today" give every walk somewhere to go. - Climb to world landmarks Your height climbed is measured in Eiffel Towers, Mt. Fuji, the Empire State Building and more. "1.5Γ— Eiffel Tower this month" turns the stairs into a small adventure. - Calorie estimates that reflect how you walk Estimates use your walking speed and stair activity with MET-based calculations. - A calendar that keeps your progress Goal days are marked in vermillion. See your streak, best steps day, best height day and monthly progress at a glance. β–  Who it's for - Anyone who found step counts alone weren't enough to keep walking - Daily walkers and commuters who want a reason to go one stop further - People who prefer a quiet, minimal design over busy fitness apps - Anyone tired of subscriptions and looking for a one-time purchase - Anyone who wants a reason to take the stairs β–  Privacy - No account required - Your step records stay on your iPhone and are never sent anywhere - No access to HealthKit or your location - No advertising identifier (IDFA), no third-party ads or tracking - To show our other apps, the app may fetch public App Store information (app names and icons) Distances, calories and heights are estimates based on your iPhone's measurements.

Screenshots

PathQuest4 screens
Pacely Step4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: PathQuest at every 2 weeks against Pacely Step's every 2 months. Pacely Step's advantage is iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

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

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. PathQuest sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days and Pacely Step sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PathQuest ships an update every 2 weeks, Pacely Step every 2 months. Both last shipped on November 5, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences Β· 4 level
PathQuest versus Pacely Step: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPathQuestPacely Step
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks β€” betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad β€” better
Requires iOS26.017.0 β€” better
Further details β€” not scored
Size56 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJUAN CARLOS CASTELLET FERNANDEZtorankirite

In-app purchases

3 purchases

PathQuest

Subscriptions3
  • Voyager$1.997 Days
  • Voyager$2.991 Month
  • Voyager$24.991 Year
1 purchases

Pacely Step

One-time1
  • Premium$3.99

Questions

Is PathQuest free?
PathQuest is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Pacely Step free?
Pacely Step is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do PathQuest or Pacely Step have ads?
Neither PathQuest nor Pacely Step shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PathQuest or Pacely Step?
PathQuest ships an update every 2 weeks, and Pacely Step every 2 months. Most recently, PathQuest was updated on November 5, 2026 and Pacely Step on November 5, 2026.

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