Comparison

LapTrace vs Trackside

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

Head to head
About

LapTrace

Features
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Turn your iPhone into a local-first telemetry recorder and video companion for karting, cycling, and outdoor activities. RECORD THE SESSION • Start a karting, road-cycling, or outdoor session in seconds. • Capture timestamped location and motion telemetry with source and quality information. • Follow recording duration, current speed, quality, and active Apple-device sources with a local Live Activity. • Road cycling includes moving-time auto-pause, with a per-ride option to turn it off; raw telemetry and elapsed time continue. • Open LapTrace on a paired Apple Watch to add a separate Watch location stream to the active iPhone recording. • Keep the original sensor log while LapTrace calculates useful derived values. UNDERSTAND THE DRIVE • Review your route, speed, distance, and telemetry quality. • Optionally download nearby public kart-track data from OpenStreetMap after a clear permission prompt; normalized track data is cached locally for offline use. • When route evidence is strong, review the matched track layout, edit an unsaved start/finish suggestion, and compare an additional track-constrained route. • Set a non-destructive driving range to exclude setup or shutdown time from kart review and flat exports while preserving the complete raw recording. • When Watch data is available, compare iPhone, Apple Watch, and combined routes, observed rates, distance, gaps, and source timing. • See current, previous, and best lap times. • Compare lap deltas and inspect a speed trace without a wall of engineering data. • Configure a directed start/finish line and reusable track when needed. SYNC ACTION-CAMERA FOOTAGE • Import video from Photos or Files. • Align footage and telemetry with dependable coarse and fine offset controls. • Set video and telemetry in/out points. • Preview speed and lap values at the selected moment. CREATE A SHAREABLE VIDEO • Choose from reusable overlay presets. • Adjust overlay position, scale, and opacity. • Render the overlay with AVFoundation, then save or share the finished video. OWN YOUR DATA • Export CSV, JSON, GPX, FIT, or a documented LapTrace session archive where appropriate. • No account, LapTrace backend, analytics, tracking, or automatic upload. • Telemetry, imported media, projects, and exports remain local to your devices until you explicitly save or share them. LapTrace clearly labels each session's telemetry source and quality. FIT exports include timestamped position, altitude, speed, distance, lap, session, and activity records.

About

Trackside

Record and analyze track driving sessions with automatic lap timing, turn-by-turn insights, and video comparison. Connect your iPhone or compatible GPS receiver to capture telemetry data and share performance videos. Explore demo mode to test features without a vehicle.

Highlights
  • Automatic lap timing
  • Turn-by-turn telemetry analysis
  • Reference video comparison
  • Shareable telemetry videos
  • Friends and leaderboards
  • Import from VBOX, Garmin Catalyst
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Get more from every lap with free, unlimited recording and automatic lap timing. Record in any car with your iPhone, analyze your driving, and create shareable telemetry videos. LAP TIMING • Automatic track detection, predicted lap times, and live delta • Create custom circuits and point-to-point courses for autocross and other runs • View live delta timing and control recording with Apple CarPlay ANALYSIS & AI • Compare laps, sectors, and corners, review inputs, and see your optimal lap • Compare reference videos from YouTube with synchronized playback and a live time delta • Get in-app AI insights or explore synced telemetry with the Trackside ChatGPT plugin FRIENDS & LEADERBOARDS • Compare stats and personal bests on friends-only leaderboards • Share full session telemetry with friends and compare laps CAMERAS & VIDEO • Record with your iPhone or control supported GoPro, DJI, and Insta360 cameras • Import footage directly from supported cameras • Sync onboard footage and export videos with telemetry overlays IMPORT, SYNC & EXPORT • Import VBOX, Porsche Track Precision, Garmin Catalyst, and other supported files • Sync sessions with iCloud and export VBOX-compatible files GPS & OBD COMPATIBILITY • RaceBox: Mini, Mini S, and Micro • Dragy: Pro, Lite, DRG70, DRG70-C, and DRG69 • OBD: OBDLink CX, Veepeak OBDCheck BLE/BLE+, Dragy OBD II, Vgate (IOS-Vlink), and OBDBLE PORSCHE DIRECT CONNECTION Trackside supports the same Porsche models as Track Precision. • 911: all 992 models; 991.2 (2017+); 991.1 GT3 / GT3 RS (2015+) • Cayman & Boxster: 982 / 718 (2017+); 981 Cayman GT4 (2015+) • Cayenne, Panamera, and Taycan: 2022+ Questions or feedback? Email trackside@californiamotorsports.co Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

LapTrace4 screens
Trackside4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: LapTrace at none against Trackside's 2. Trackside's advantage is update cadence (daily vs every 6 weeks). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Trackside sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. LapTrace asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

LapTrace ships an update every 6 weeks, Trackside daily. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
LapTrace versus Trackside: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLapTraceTrackside
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—3 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Freemium
DevicesiPhone, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size11 MB45 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPhilipp SeifertDaniel Stratton

In-app purchases

None

LapTrace

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Trackside

Subscriptions2
  • Trackside Pro Monthly$9.991 Month
  • Trackside Pro Annual$59.991 Year

Questions

Is LapTrace free?
LapTrace is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Trackside free?
Trackside is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do LapTrace or Trackside have ads?
Neither LapTrace nor Trackside shows ads.
Which is updated more often, LapTrace or Trackside?
LapTrace ships an update every 6 weeks, and Trackside daily. Most recently, LapTrace was updated on October 24, 2026 and Trackside on October 24, 2026.

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