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
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RV‑Pilot turns your iPhone and CarPlay into a professional‑grade aviation‑style instrument panel. Get precise altitude, atmospheric pressure, climb rate, ground speed, magnetic heading, pitch, and roll — all with full voice alerts that speak directly through your car speakers. Perfect for • Pilots and aviation enthusiasts (VFR support) • Hikers, mountain bikers, and off‑road drivers • Anyone who needs reliable real‑time elevation and attitude data - GPS Altitude Absolute altitude above sea level using CoreLocation (WGS84 ellipsoid, accurate where GPS signal is available). - Barometric Altitude Estimated altitude from the built‑in barometer using the ISA formula (1013.25 hPa reference). Also shows raw station pressure in hPa or inHg. - Vertical & Ground Speed Vertical speed derived from GPS altitude with smoothing. Ground speed in km/h, mph, or knots. - Magnetic Heading Accurate heading 0–360° using the same Apple Compass engine — independent of device orientation. - Pitch & Roll Device attitude in degrees, displayed both numerically and with a bubble level. Updates at 15 Hz. - Voice Alerts Customizable spoken warnings when altitude or speed exceed your thresholds. Use {value} placeholder to hear the actual measurement. Choose any system voice (neural voices supported). Alerts play over car speakers via CarPlay. - Apple CarPlay Integration • 3‑tab interface – Navigation, Altitude, Level • Dashboard widgets (where supported) – colour‑coded live values • Fully independent UI optimised for car displays - Units Switch between Metric (m, km/h, hPa), Imperial (ft, mph, inHg), and Nautical (ft, kn, hPa). - Privacy‑First All sensor data stays on your device. No analytics, no tracking, no internet connection required. Location is used only for GPS altitude, speed, and heading. Reset Δ Altitude Zero the relative barometric altitude counter with one tap — ideal for tracking height gain from a reference point. RV‑Pilot is the simple, reliable, and privacy‑respecting instrument panel you can trust on the road, on the trail, or in the air.

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
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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

RV4 screens
TrailShed4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: RV at Free against TrailShed's $0.99. TrailShed's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.5). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

RV ships an update every 8 days, TrailShed weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 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 purchasesNoNo
Monetization—Paid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS26.515.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size13 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMarco FrigerioClark Wakeland

In-app purchases

None

RV

No in-app purchases

None

TrailShed

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is RV free?
RV is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
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 September 22, 2026 and TrailShed on September 20, 2026.

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