Waypath vs Stepwise
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Waypath
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Waypath is a run, hike and ride tracker built around one idea: the ROUTE. Browse 426,000 trails across 37 countries. Draw your own line and follow it live. Chase a pacer that reads the climbs ahead instead of holding a flat number. And see training figures that tell you when they do not have enough data yet, instead of guessing. EXPLORE 426,000 TRAILS • 75 curated regions — the Alps, the Rockies, the Appalachians, Patagonia, the Japanese Alps, the Drakensberg and more • Each region says what the ground is like and the season it usually suits • Distance, elevation, shape and difficulty for every trail • Conditions from other walkers: "icy above 1800 m, reported two days ago" is worth more than any star rating • Photographs, comments and reports from the people who were just there GHOST RUNNER — A PACER THAT READS THE GROUND • Chase your best on this route, a personal record, the course record, or a race goal • It reads the climbs and descents ahead, so it holds your EFFORT rather than a flat pace • Four clear states, each with its own word, symbol and colour • A buzz when you cross between them, and optional spoken alerts • On your wrist, the Lock Screen, the Dynamic Island and a Live Activity TRACK • GPS for runs, walks, hikes and rides — start, pause, resume, finish • Live time, distance, current and average pace, elevation gain • Smart filtering drops bad fixes and speed spikes, so the distance is honest • Records with the screen locked; location is used only while you record APPLE WATCH, ON ITS OWN • Start, pause and finish from the wrist with no phone nearby • Heart rate, pace, distance, elevation and the pacer, in Always-On • Your watch's measured calories, not an estimate TRAINING YOU CAN TRUST • Readiness from sleep, resting heart rate and heart-rate variability, against your own 28-day baselines • Training load, fitness and freshness • Race predictions fitted to your own results across separate days — and clearly labelled as the standard model until you have enough • VO₂max says whether Apple measured it or Waypath modelled it. Never both at once ROUTES AND MAPS • Draw a route by tapping the map; each leg snaps to walkable paths • Follow it live with your planned line under your track, and a warning if you drift • 3D terrain, satellite and hybrid • Your personal heatmap, built from every finished activity SHARE • Share cards and a cinematic flyover of your route • Live position sharing — the people you send the link to can follow along in any browser, with no account and no app • Follow friends, react, comment, repost PREMIUM Free covers tracking, one saved route and the basics. Premium adds unlimited routes, the full heatmap, the Ghost Runner, training analysis, race predictions and coach-grade reports. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the period ends. Manage or cancel in your Apple Account settings. Trail data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Region photographs are used under Creative Commons or public-domain licences and credited in the app. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://waypath.run/privacy
Stepwise
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Stepwise (步步看) is a calm, pressure-free pedometer (計步器) for anyone who wants clarity without complex charts, streaks, or badges. Simple by Design | 極簡設計 Instant Step Count: See today's total immediately. (開啟即看) Hourly Insights: View your active hours with readable timeline bars. (時段分析) Smart Comparisons: Match activity with yesterday, last week, or last month. (數據對比) Fully Accessible: Large text, high contrast, and VoiceOver support. (無障礙優化) Private by Design | 隱私至上 No Accounts: Zero registration or social rankings. (免註冊、無壓力) 100% Secure: Safely reads data from Apple Health (Apple 健康). Data stays on your device. (資料不外流) Compatibility & Ads | 系統支援與廣告 Supports Light/Dark Mode (淺色/深色模式). Supported by standard banner ads. Advertisements are strictly non-personalized and never access your Apple Health data.(支援英文及繁體中文。本 App 包含非個人化廣告,絕不存取您的健康數據。)
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Stepwise at none against Waypath's 1. Stepwise also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 11 days). Waypath's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, 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. Waypath sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Stepwise asks for nothing beyond the download.
Waypath ships an update every 11 days, Stepwise every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Waypath | Stepwise |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 11 days | Every 2 days — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Devices | iPhone, Apple Watch — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 85 MB | 5 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | HUGO ANATOLE PAUL MORICEAU | Ryan Fung |
In-app purchases
Waypath
- Waypath Premium Lifetime$59.99
Stepwise
No in-app purchases









