Comparison

Virtual Backyard Ultra vs Backyard Ultra Loop Run

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

Head to head
About

Virtual Backyard Ultra

Features
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Virtual Backyard Ultra turns the last-one-standing race format into something you can run solo, anywhere. The rules are simple. Every hour, on the hour, you run a "yard" — a set loop. Finish inside the hour and you earn a rest until the next one begins. Miss the cutoff and you're out. The last runner standing wins, so the only goal is one more yard. Virtual Backyard Ultra is your timekeeper and distance tracker for every yard: • Corral clock — a clear countdown to the top of the hour, with audio, haptic, and spoken cues at 3-2-1 and the starting bell. • GPS distance — track how far you cover each yard, with live distance-to-go and turnaround prompts on out-and-back courses. • Your format — set the yard distance, interval, and course type. The classic 4.167 mi per hour (24 yards = 100 miles) is one tap away. • Live Activity & Dynamic Island — keep the corral clock on your lock screen and in the Dynamic Island while you run. • Apple Watch — the corral clock on your wrist: the yard you're on, the countdown to the next bell, and your distance. It taps you at the bell, when you finish, and if you miss a corral. • Race resume — if the app goes down mid-race, from a crash or a force-quit, reopening it puts you straight back in with the clock where it should be. • History & personal best — every run is logged, with your longest streak front and center. • Export & share — save a finished run to Apple Health as a running workout, one segment per yard with your route, or export a .fit or .gpx file. Share a result card when you're done. • Screen-off friendly — distance keeps counting in your pocket, and the bell still rings. No account. No sign-up. Just you, the clock, and one more yard. Free to download.

About

Backyard Ultra Loop Run

Features
Read full description

Every 60 minutes, 4.167 miles. Until only one runner is left. Backyard Ultra is the most honest race format in the world – and Backyard is the app that gets you ready for exactly that. YOUR TRAINING PLAN, BUILT FROM YOUR NUMBERS Backyard builds your plan from your current weekly mileage, your longest run, your level, and your target date. No one-size-fits-all program off the shelf, but weeks tailored to you – with easy runs, long runs, tempo runs, intervals, back-to-back runs on tired legs, strength & stability work, and recovery weeks. Every workout comes with a target pace, a description, and the reason it's in the plan. Haven't booked a race yet? Then you'll get an open 12-week plan and can add the date later. BACKYARD SIMULATION WITH LIVE YARD TIMER The core feature: simulate a full Backyard race. Yards of 4.167 miles on a 60-minute cycle, with a countdown to the next start, remaining time display, and an alarm that calls you back to the corral. Run with a yard limit or an open end – keep going until you can't anymore. The simulation keeps running with the screen locked and shows your yard, pace, and countdown right on the lock screen. GPS TRACKING THAT KEEPS UP Distance, pace, time, elevation gain, and your route – recorded live, even in the background. After your run, you'll see your per-mile splits and the route you ran on a map. If GPS falls short on tight loops, you can end the yard manually. ROUTE FINDER FOR REAL LOOPS Find loop courses near 4.167 miles close to you – built from real map data, with surface type, elevation profile, and traffic levels. Prefer pavement, filter for low traffic, adjust the radius, save a route, and pull it straight into your next simulation. STATS THAT ANSWER THE RIGHT QUESTIONS Total miles, runs, longest run, elevation gain, and longest streak – plus the numbers that actually matter in a Backyard: fastest yard, average yard time, successful yards, longest simulation. The analysis shows your weekly mileage trend, pace progression, and yard drop-off and yard variance: how much do your late yards slow down compared to your first ones? That's exactly what decides how far you'll get. RACE GUIDE FOR YOUR FIRST BACKYARD Pacing, fueling, sleep, clothing, headlamp, batteries – the guide explains what matters in the late hours, including a checklist you can tick off. YOUR DATA BELONGS TO YOU Backyard works completely without an account – in that case, all data stays on your device. With Apple or Google sign-in, you can sync your plan, runs, and yards across devices. Export runs and yards as CSV or your session as GPX and take it wherever you want. You can delete your account anytime with one tap. English and German, kilometers or miles, dark interface throughout for nighttime use. BACKYARD PREMIUM Backyard is free to use. Premium unlocks the full training plan, the Route Finder, in-depth analysis with export, and an ad-free experience – as a monthly, yearly, or one-time purchase. Loop by loop. One more loop. Last one standing. Terms of use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://artvation.com/privacyapps

Screenshots

Virtual Backyard Ultra4 screens
Backyard Ultra Loop Run4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Virtual Backyard Ultra at none against Backyard Ultra Loop Run's shown. Backyard Ultra Loop Run's advantage is iOS requirement (16.4 vs 18.0). On price, update cadence, 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

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Virtual Backyard Ultra ships an update every 6 days, Backyard Ultra Loop Run every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 4 level
Virtual Backyard Ultra versus Backyard Ultra Loop Run: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterVirtual Backyard UltraBackyard Ultra Loop Run
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 6 days — betterEvery 8 days
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.016.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size14 MB86 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCow Cow Technologies LLCAnnika Koenemann

In-app purchases

None

Virtual Backyard Ultra

No in-app purchases

None

Backyard Ultra Loop Run

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Virtual Backyard Ultra free?
Virtual Backyard Ultra is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Backyard Ultra Loop Run free?
Backyard Ultra Loop Run is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Virtual Backyard Ultra or Backyard Ultra Loop Run have ads?
Backyard Ultra Loop Run shows ads; Virtual Backyard Ultra does not.
Which is updated more often, Virtual Backyard Ultra or Backyard Ultra Loop Run?
Virtual Backyard Ultra ships an update every 6 days, and Backyard Ultra Loop Run every 8 days. Most recently, Virtual Backyard Ultra was updated on October 7, 2026 and Backyard Ultra Loop Run on October 13, 2026.

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