Himawari CIRCUIT vs ApexLap
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Himawari CIRCUIT
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Himawari Circuit turns a day at the track into something you can look back on. It times your laps with GPS and records your driving line, speed and G-force together. After the session you can see, on the map, where you were quick and where you lost time. AUTOMATIC LAP TIMING Every time you cross the control line, a lap is recorded, along with sector times, top speed and average speed. Each lap time is announced out loud, so you never have to look at the screen while you drive. Times are interpolated between GPS fixes, so a lap is not lost when there is no fix at the moment you cross the line. DRIVING LINES YOU CAN COMPARE Your line is drawn on the map, colored by speed or by G-force, so you can see where you are on the power and where you are not turning. Lay your own earlier runs over it, or line up runs from friends in the same group. In replay, up to four cars move at once, so you can watch the gap open up. YOUR SESSIONS ARE KEPT FOR YOU Sessions upload automatically when you finish. With no signal they stay on your phone and go up once you are back online. VEHICLES AND TIRES Record sessions per vehicle, with maintenance records and tire details, so you can trace how a setup changed your times. WITH YOUR FRIENDS Create a group to share sessions and leaderboards with its members. Live timing shows where your friends are on track, and their lap times, as they drive. EXTERNAL GPS RECEIVERS Works with RaceBox and DigSpice IV. A phone's built-in GPS updates about once per second; an external receiver updates far more often, which makes lines worth comparing. If the connection drops, recording falls back to the built-in GPS, so nothing is lost. WHAT YOU CAN TIME Circuits and closed courses, and point-to-point runs such as hill climbs. -------------------------------- PLANS The free plan covers lap timing, session recording, the track list and leaderboards, and cloud sync of your sessions. Paid plans are monthly. Each period is one month and renews automatically until you cancel. Cancel in your App Store subscription settings. Prices and what each plan includes are shown on the plan screen in the app. - Lap Pro - compare your own driving lines, session replay, the speed chart in the comparison view, CSV export, tire and maintenance records, and notes after each session - Drivers Club - groups and chat, live timing to share and watch, leaderboard listing, and visibility settings - Premium - everything above, plus laying your friends' driving lines over your own -------------------------------- BEFORE YOU DRIVE This app is meant for race tracks and other places where driving at speed is allowed. Set it up before you drive, and never operate your phone while driving. It does not encourage speeding or unlawful driving on public roads. The times shown are estimates based on positioning. They are not guaranteed to match official timing. Your location is recorded only while the app is on screen. It is never collected in the background. You must be 18 or older to use Himawari Circuit. SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS - Premium (1 month): $7.99 - Drivers Club (1 month): $4.99 - Lap Pro (1 month): $4.99 Payment is charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. Your subscription renews automatically unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage your subscription and turn off auto-renew in your App Store account settings after purchase. The free trial is available for Premium only. The first month is free, and after the trial it renews at $7.99 per month. Cancel at least 24 hours before the trial ends and you will not be charged. Lap Pro and Drivers Club do not have a free trial. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://circuit.himawari-tech.jp/legal/privacy?lang=en
ApexLap
This app transforms your phone into a professional data-logger for track days, automatically timing laps with millisecond accuracy. It offers reliable lap timing for cars, motorcycles, and karting, with built-in circuits and the ability to create custom tracks. Advanced features include video overlays, full telemetry, and lap comparisons.
- Automatic lap timing with millisecond accuracy
- Video overlay export with lap data
- Full telemetry: speed, G-force, delta
- Lap comparison tool
- External GPS and OBD-II data support
- Setup sheet logging
- 500+ built-in circuits
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Your phone becomes a professional data-logger. ApexLap times every lap automatically the moment you cross the start line — reliably, every single time. Built for track days: cars, motorcycles and karting. No manual needed, readable in full sun through a visor, usable with gloves. RELIABLE LAP TIMING — FREE FOREVER • Automatic start/finish detection with millisecond interpolation • Every lap is saved the instant it completes — a crash or dead battery never loses your data • 500+ circuits built in worldwide, karting included — no second app to buy • Create your own start line for any track in seconds • Sessions per circuit, laps sorted by best time, best lap and theoretical best • Your recorded laps, sessions and history are never locked behind a paywall APEX PRO — THE FULL DATA-LOGGER • Video overlay export that actually works: lap time, speed, G-force and track map burned into your footage, fast and reliable • Full telemetry: speed traces, G-forces, auto sectors, live delta vs your best lap • Lap comparison: overlay two laps and see exactly where the time is • External 10 Hz GPS receivers (RaceBox, Garmin GLO, Dual…) and OBD-II engine data • Progression analysis per circuit, session after session • Setup sheets: tires, pressures and settings logged with each session • CSV export, unlimited custom circuits Try Apex Pro free for 7 days with the yearly plan. Monthly and one-time lifetime options available. Your location data stays on your device. No account, no tracking. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://develak.com/privacy-policy/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Himawari CIRCUIT at none against ApexLap's 3. On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. ApexLap sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Himawari CIRCUIT asks for nothing beyond the download.
| Parameter | Himawari CIRCUIT | ApexLap |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Number of ratings | — | 1 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 days | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | — | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 84 MB | 4 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | masaki dobashi | Develak |
In-app purchases
Himawari CIRCUIT
No in-app purchases
ApexLap
- Apex Pro (Monthly)$4.991 Month
- Apex Pro (Yearly)7 Days trial$34.991 Year
- Apex Pro Lifetime$49.99








