Comparison

RV vs TrailShed

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

Head to head
About

RV

Features
Read full description

RV-Pilot turns your iPhone into a set of instruments for your camper, van or motorhome: altitude, speed, heading, pressure, a level for parking, a trip log and more. It works on iPhone, in CarPlay and on Apple Watch. COCKPIT (FREE) • Giant GPS altitude with vertical speed, vertical accuracy and the altitude change since your last reset • Ground speed, magnetic heading with a rotating arrow, pressure with its 3-hour trend, standard barometric altitude and GPS coordinates • Share a photo with your altitude and coordinates overlaid • Metric, imperial and nautical units LEVEL ASSISTANT (PRO) Park level in minutes. RV-Pilot shows pitch and roll in degrees and a top view of your vehicle with the centimeters of wedge to place under each wheel, calculated from your own vehicle profile (length, width, height, wheelbase, track width and weight). • Phone in a holder on the dashboard? Calibrate its position once and the level works even when the phone is almost upright — either with a quick "set zero" on level ground or with a guided calibration that works on any ground. TRIP LOG (PRO) • Record your route with GPS track, distance, time, speed, total ascent and descent, maximum altitude and a live elevation profile • Keeps recording with the screen locked • End-of-stage summary, rename and delete trips, and export to GPX for your favourite map or hiking app • Your trips stay on your iPhone BAROMETRIC TREND (PRO) • Sea-level pressure graph over 3, 6 and 24 hours, adjusted with your GPS altitude so driving uphill never fakes a drop • Trend from "rising fast" to "falling rapidly" and a spoken weather alert when the pressure drops quickly • Optional background monitoring to keep recording while you park FLIGHT DISPLAY (PRO) An aircraft-style display: artificial horizon with pitch and roll, speed and altitude tapes and a heading strip. LIVE ACTIVITY AND WIDGETS (PRO) Keep altitude on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island, and add the widget to your Home Screen. CARPLAY Four tabs — Navigation, Altitude (with pressure trend), Level (pitch, roll and wedge heights) and Trip Log (start/stop and live stats) — plus a dashboard with coloured instrument cells. Spoken alerts play through the car speakers. APPLE WATCH Altitude, barometric altitude, pressure, trend, vertical speed, coordinates, heading, the level with wedge heights and the trip log with start/stop on your wrist. VOICE ALERTS (PRO) Spoken warnings for altitude, speed and a rapid pressure drop, with your own thresholds, messages and any installed voice. FIVE LANGUAGES English, Italian, German, French and Spanish, with a built-in help guide. FREE AND PRO The Cockpit is free, and so are one CarPlay session and one Apple Watch session so you can try them. RV-Pilot Pro is a one-time purchase (no subscription) that unlocks the Flight Display, Level Assistant, Trip Log, Barometric Trend, Live Activity and widgets, unlimited CarPlay and Apple Watch, voice alerts and customization. PRIVACY No accounts, no analytics, no ads, no tracking. Sensor data is processed on your device. Trips and pressure history are stored only on your iPhone and can be deleted at any time. Location is used for GPS altitude, speed and heading, to record trips when you ask, and — only if you turn it on — to keep barometer monitoring running while you park. REQUIREMENTS An iPhone with GPS, barometer and motion sensors. CarPlay features need a compatible car; the Apple Watch app needs a paired Apple Watch.

About

TrailShed

Visualize terrain visibility from any point on a map. Explore trails by uploading GPX files and discover optimal viewing locations. This app helps you find the best scenic spots with ease.

Highlights
  • Highlight visible terrain from any location
  • Drag marker for real-time viewshed display
  • Search specific locations for views
  • Upload GPX files to explore trails
  • Discover best views along trails
  • Includes example trails for demonstration
Read full description

Trailshed allows you to quickly and easily highlight the buildings and terrain that are visible from any location. For city viewing, drag your marker anywhere in the city to see what buildings obstruct your view, or if your new place will have sweet skyline views. You can also add custom buildings to see if new developments will cause significant changes in your view. For terrain and hiking, search a specific location to see the view from there. Explore trails by uploading a GPX file and seeing where the best views are, or use one of our example trails! Elevate your view, with Trailshed.

Screenshots

RV3 screens
TrailShed4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: RV at Free against TrailShed's $0.99. TrailShed's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On update cadence, ads 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

RV is free to download; TrailShed costs $0.99 up front. RV sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. TrailShed asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

RV ships an update every 8 days, TrailShed weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
RV versus TrailShed: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRVTrailShed
PriceFree — better$0.99
Rating—5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—2 — better
Update frequencyEvery 8 daysWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
Monetization—Paid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size14 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMarco FrigerioClark Wakeland

In-app purchases

1 purchases

RV

One-time1
  • RV-Pilot Pro$2.99
None

TrailShed

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is RV free?
RV is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is TrailShed free?
TrailShed costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do RV or TrailShed have ads?
Neither RV nor TrailShed shows ads.
Which is updated more often, RV or TrailShed?
RV ships an update every 8 days, and TrailShed weekly. Most recently, RV was updated on November 5, 2026 and TrailShed on October 31, 2026.

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