Comparison

Gulliver Steps vs HillQuest

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

Head to head
About

Gulliver Steps

Features
Read full description

Gulliver Steps is a pedometer that turns your daily walking into Gulliver's voyages. Every step you take moves the journey forward: set sail on the Antelope, wake up tied down in Lilliput (where your 1 step counts for 12), cross the giants' fields of Brobdingnag (where 12 of yours count for 1), pass under the flying island, and reach Luggnagg - the last port your sea chart can name. The chart ends there. The country doesn't. Beyond the false destination lies the one land Gulliver visited that your maps can only misspell: Yedo, Nangasac - 長哎. Unlock The Unknown Port and walk the readable country - the harbor of Nagasaki, the country of horses, and the long walk home. 42,000 steps, door to door. FEATURES • Steps counted on your iPhone - no account, no ads, no data collection • 12 chapters illustrated with public-domain engravings and ukiyo-e prints (Grandville, Rackham, Hiroshige, the Nagasaki school) • Lines quoted letter-for-letter from the 1735 text of Gulliver's Travels • Scale conversion: watch your steps count twelvefold in Lilliput • 10 collectible keepsakes along the road, from a pocket telescope to the key to Redriff • Apple Watch app: your voyage on your wrist • One one-time purchase opens the second half. No subscriptions. The chart is sepia. The sea past Luggnagg is indigo. Walk until the letters change.

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 Ā· Pick a mountain: Everest, Fuji, Mount Tai, Huangshan, Mount Hua and more. 15 real routes with elevation, landmarks and route notes. Ā· 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. Ā· Everest in 30 days: an 8,848 m total-ascent challenge, with a clear "how much per day" target. Ā· Streaks and sharing: generate a pixel progress poster in one tap. Ā· Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets plus watch face complications: see where you are at a glance. Ā· 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. Ā· Trail surprises: squirrels, goats, sea of clouds, rainbows. Low-frequency, never in your way. Ā· 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

Gulliver Steps4 screens
HillQuest4 screens

Verdict

The call

Gulliver Steps and HillQuest are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. Gulliver Steps 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

Gulliver Steps ships an update every 2 months, HillQuest every 5 weeks. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Gulliver Steps versus HillQuest: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGulliver StepsHillQuest
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, Apple WatchiPhone, Apple Watch
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size13 MB4 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperRIEKO NAITO阳 孙

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Gulliver Steps

One-time1
  • The Unknown Port$2.99
1 purchases

HillQuest

Subscriptions1
  • HillQuest_Yearly$5.991 Year

Questions

Is Gulliver Steps free?
Gulliver Steps is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is HillQuest free?
HillQuest is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Gulliver Steps or HillQuest have ads?
Neither Gulliver Steps nor HillQuest shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Gulliver Steps or HillQuest?
Gulliver Steps ships an update every 2 months, and HillQuest every 5 weeks. Most recently, Gulliver Steps was updated on October 24, 2026 and HillQuest on October 24, 2026.

Other comparisons