Comparison

Stepa vs Pathlings

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

Head to head
About

Stepa

This app focuses on tracking daily steps and competing with friends, rather than calorie counting or weight goals. It helps you find walking routes and maintain daily step streaks with encouraging nudges.

Highlights
  • Social step tracking
  • Friend challenges and duels
  • Customizable walking route planner
  • Daily step streak maintenance
  • Integration with Apple Health
  • No calorie or weight tracking
Read full description

The step tracker that doesn't hide behind calories. Stepa is a step counter built around the people you walk with. No weight targets, no burn charts — just the number of steps you took today, and how you stack up against your mates. Walk with your people. Add friends, see each other's daily counts, and race them in step duels. 24 hours, 48 hours, or a full week — most steps takes it. Get a push when someone passes you. Get a push when you pass them back. Find loops from your front door. Tell Stepa how many steps you've got left in your day and we'll plot a walking loop that returns home. Real footpaths, real distances. Built on open map data — no third-party tracking. Keep your streak alive. Hit your daily goal and watch the streak build. Day 2. Day 10. Day 60. Stepa nudges you in the evening if you're close to breaking it — with a walk around the block, you're fine. What Stepa doesn't do. - No calorie tracking. - No weight targets. - No ads. - No selling your location data. - No grim "you failed today" messages. Built by three mates who wanted to actually walk together. Made for: - People who own an Apple Watch and want a smarter way to compete with friends - Couples, flatmates, and small groups who walk together (even apart) - Anyone who's bounced off step apps because they're miserable to use How it works: Stepa reads your step data straight from Apple Health — the same source as Apple Fitness, your Watch, and your iPhone. We don't track steps separately, so what Stepa shows matches what Apple shows. Privacy Policy: https://www.getstepa.com/privacy Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Pathlings

This app transforms your daily steps into a gentle adventure with a virtual companion. Nurture your unique buddy, unlock new stages of growth, and complete daily quests to build a consistent routine. Goals are customizable to fit your lifestyle, making fitness fun and private.

Highlights
  • Virtual companion with unique personalities
  • Daily step-based adventures and quests
  • Unlockable growth stages and rewards
  • Customizable step goals
  • Collect in-game items
  • Private and ad-free experience
Features
Read full description

Meet the walking companion that makes reaching your daily step goal fun. Pathlings is a step tracker and walking game that transforms the steps already recorded on your iPhone into a rewarding adventure. Instead of simply watching numbers increase, you’ll raise adorable virtual companions, complete quests, unlock new evolutions, and build a walking habit you’ll actually want to maintain. Whether you’re trying to walk more, stay active, or build a healthier routine, Pathlings turns every step into meaningful progress. RAISE YOUR OWN PATHLING Choose from Sprout, Ember, or Bubble, three unique companions with their own personalities, habitats, and evolution paths. Walk every day to earn XP, help your Pathling evolve through five growth stages, and build a growing family of companions. TURN EVERY WALK INTO A GAME Every step recorded through Apple Health moves your Pathling forward. • Complete daily quests • Earn XP • Collect Rubies • Unlock rewards • Reach your daily step goal Instead of a traditional pedometer, Pathlings makes walking feel like an adventure. EXPLORE BEAUTIFUL TRAILS Send your Pathling on Trail Runs through unique environments filled with checkpoints and rewards. Each habitat offers its own atmosphere, collectibles, and surprises to discover. DECORATE YOUR HABITAT Customize your companion’s home with: • Plants • Toys • Snacks • Decorations • Structures • Lighting Watch your Pathlings play, explore, and relax inside the habitat you’ve created. BUILD A FAMILY OF COMPANIONS Once your first Pathling reaches its final evolution, adopt another. Your fully evolved companions remain in your habitat, allowing you to build a collection of adorable walking buddies. STAY MOTIVATED EVERY DAY Choose a daily step goal that fits your lifestyle. Whether you’re aiming for 5,000 steps or 15,000, Pathlings rewards consistency instead of perfection. Build streaks, earn bonus rewards, and use Rest Day Tokens to protect your progress when life gets busy. DESIGNED FOR PRIVACY • Uses your Apple Health step data • Your health data stays on your device • No subscriptions • No ads • No account required Whether you’re looking for a walking app, step tracker, walking motivation app, virtual pet, habit tracker, or a fun new way to stay active, Pathlings transforms every walk into an adventure.

Screenshots

Stepa4 screens
Pathlings4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Stepa at 5.0 against Pathlings's 4.3. Stepa also leads on review sentiment (93% vs 83%) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.0). Pathlings's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and ads (none vs shown). On price, ratings volume, update cadence 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. Stepa sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days. Pathlings asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Stepa holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 6 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 93% of Stepa's written reviews are positive against 83% of Pathlings's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Stepa ships an update every 4 days, Pathlings every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Stepa versus Pathlings: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStepaPathlings
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (4 ratings) — better4.3 (6 ratings)
Positive reviews92.9% of reviews — better83.3% of reviews
Number of ratings46 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterEvery 6 days
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.1 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size114 MB147 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperSocialClimb Marketing LTDDave Mohan

Customer experience

Stepa

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews14 reviews
Positive92.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative7.1%

Pathlings

All ratings6 ratings
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Stepa

Subscriptions3
  • Stepa Pro · Weekly$3.997 Days
  • Stepa Pro · Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Stepa Pro · Annual$39.991 Year
One-time1
  • Stepa Pro · Lifetime$49.99
None

Pathlings

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Stepa free?
Stepa is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Pathlings free?
Pathlings is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Stepa or Pathlings?
Stepa is rated higher. Stepa averages 5.0 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while Pathlings averages 4.3 from 6 ratings.
Do Stepa or Pathlings have ads?
Stepa shows ads; Pathlings does not.
Which is updated more often, Stepa or Pathlings?
Stepa ships an update every 4 days, and Pathlings every 6 days. Most recently, Stepa was updated on September 30, 2026 and Pathlings on September 20, 2026.

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