Comparison

Step Gazelle vs HillQuest

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

Head to head
About

Step Gazelle

This app encourages you to walk more by setting adaptive daily step goals based on your recent activity. Progress is visualized through a savanna art scene where your gazelle moves towards a watering hole as you reach your targets. Track your step history and plan your journey to a higher fitness goal.

Highlights
  • Adaptive daily step goals
  • Gamified progress visualization
  • Step history tracking
  • Customizable target goals
  • Home screen widgets
  • Privacy-focused, local data storage
Read full description

Step Gazelle sets your daily step goal from your own recent step history. Beat your 3rd-lowest day from the last 30 days, and your gazelle crosses the savanna to the watering hole. As you build your streak, your goal rises, moving you toward the target you set. How it works Your daily goal is your 3rd-lowest step count from the past 30 days. When you've been walking less, it's easier. As you build consistency, your daily goal rises. Hit your goal, and today counts toward your streak right away. Miss a day? Spend a pass to save your streak. Your gazelle A savanna scene tracks your day. Your gazelle walks toward the watering hole as you walk and reaches it when you hit your goal. Give your gazelle a name, and tap it to say hello. Trends See your step history by week, month, or six months. Track your average and distance, see how they compare with the previous period, and watch your steps rise over time. Plan Choose the target you're working toward and how quickly your goal climbs to get there. A projection chart shows when you'll reach it at your current pace. Nudges on your schedule An afternoon nudge if you're behind and an evening nudge when you're close. You choose when each one can arrive. Home screen widgets Small and medium widgets show your steps and your gazelle on the savanna, without opening the app. Your steps, from every device Step Gazelle reads from Apple Health, so steps from your iPhone, Apple Watch, or another tracker all count. No manual logging. Built for privacy All data stays on your device. No account, no cloud sync, no tracking. Free to use. Premium unlocks widgets, the difficulty dial, and full Trends history with a one-time purchase. No subscription.

About

HillQuest

Features
Read full description

Every step climbs a mountain. HillQuest turns the walking, running and stair climbing you already do into an expedition up real mountains. Connect Apple Health and progress is tracked automatically. No workout to start, no Apple Watch required. HOW IT WORKS · Pick a mountain: Everest, Fuji, Mount Tai, Huangshan, Mount Hua and more. 15 real routes with elevation, landmarks and route notes. · Just live your day: walks, runs and stair climbs move your climber up the trail. On first launch you see how far your last 7 days would already have taken you. · Everest in 30 days: an 8,848 m total-ascent challenge, with a clear "how much per day" target. · Streaks and sharing: generate a pixel progress poster in one tap. · Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets plus watch face complications: see where you are at a glance. · Treadmill / stair-machine mode: enter speed and incline on Apple Watch and watch your pixel climber ascend live. End early and you simply make camp, then continue next time. · Trail surprises: squirrels, goats, sea of clouds, rainbows. Low-frequency, never in your way. · Health loop: heart rate, calories and workouts are saved to Apple Health, with heart-rate curves and trail events in your stats. DATA HillQuest reads walking and running distance, flights climbed, heart rate and workouts to calculate your climbing progress and stats. PRO SUBSCRIPTION Free includes 3 routes: Everest, Fuji and Mount Tai. HillQuest Pro (yearly) unlocks all 15 routes, full gear customization and detailed stat curves. Billed yearly via your Apple ID; cancel anytime in Settings. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Step Gazelle4 screens
HillQuest4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Step Gazelle at fortnightly against HillQuest's every 5 weeks. On price, 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

Both are free to download. Step Gazelle sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and HillQuest sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $5.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Step Gazelle ships an update fortnightly, HillQuest every 5 weeks. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Step Gazelle versus HillQuest: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStep GazelleHillQuest
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (13 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings13 — better—
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size11 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMATTHEW MICHAEL YOUNG阳 孙

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Step Gazelle

One-time1
  • Step Gazelle Premium$9.99
1 purchases

HillQuest

Subscriptions1
  • HillQuest_Yearly$5.991 Year

Questions

Is Step Gazelle free?
Step Gazelle is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is HillQuest free?
HillQuest is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Step Gazelle or HillQuest have ads?
Neither Step Gazelle nor HillQuest shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Step Gazelle or HillQuest?
Step Gazelle ships an update fortnightly, and HillQuest every 5 weeks. Most recently, Step Gazelle was updated on October 24, 2026 and HillQuest on October 24, 2026.

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