If you've been using Strolly to find a fresh walk near home, you already know the appeal: open the app, get a loop, go. But maybe you want to choose exactly how long you'll be out, or you'd like directions while you walk. If you're looking for a Strolly alternative, this guide compares Strolly and Looopr side by side, honestly, so you can pick the one that fits how you walk.
Both apps are made by small independent teams, both run on iPhone, and both plan circular routes so you end up back where you started. The differences are in how you set up a walk and what happens once you're out the door.
Download Looopr: Walking Loop Routes on the App Store and try it on your next walk.
What Strolly does well
Strolly is made by Nil Coalescing, a small studio that builds apps for Apple platforms. Its idea is simple and charming: fresh looping walks in your own neighbourhood, every day, with no planning.
According to its App Store page and website (checked 27 October 2026), Strolly:
- Suggests up to three walks a day near you, generated as loops
- Lets you mark areas you enjoy and places you'd rather avoid, and flag route segments you don't want
- Lets you change your starting point
- Gives time estimates for walking, jogging or running
- Has Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets
- Plans routes on your iPhone using Apple's maps, and the developer reports that no data is collected
Strolly is free to download with one walk a day. Strolly+ adds more route options and replacement walks; on the US App Store it's listed at $2.99 a week or $24.99 a year. The current version requires iOS 26.3 or later and is iPhone-only.
If you like being handed a surprise walk each morning, and you value an app that learns which streets you like, Strolly is a lovely choice.
Where Looopr is different
Looopr starts from a different question: how much time do you have? You set a duration anywhere from 15 minutes to 3 hours, and Looopr plans circular walks from where you are that fit it, routed past parks and landmarks along the way.
That makes it handy for days with a fixed window: a 30-minute lunch break, an hour before dinner, a long Sunday stroll. You don't have to translate “short” or “medium” into real time; you just say “45 minutes”.
Once you've picked a route, Looopr guides you with turn-by-turn directions, and a Live Activity shows your progress on the lock screen so you don't need to keep the app open. Finished walks can be saved to Apple Health, and you can export any route as a GPX file. There's no account to create.
Free and paid, side by side
It's worth being precise here, because both apps have a free tier and a paid upgrade.
| Strolly | Looopr | |
|---|---|---|
| How you set a walk | Pick from daily suggestions; walk, jog or run estimates | Choose a duration from 15 min to 3 h |
| Free | One walk a day | 2 routes per search, with parks and landmarks |
| Paid | Strolly+: more route options and replacement walks ($2.99/week or $24.99/year, US App Store) | Looopr Pro: up to 8 routes per search, plus cafés and restaurants along the route with ratings and opening hours (€2.99/month or €24.99/year, 1-week free trial on annual) |
| Directions while walking | Not described on its App Store page | Turn-by-turn, with a lock-screen Live Activity |
| Route preferences | Mark areas you like or avoid; flag segments | Not offered |
| Apple Health / GPX | Not described on its App Store page | Save walks to Apple Health; GPX export |
| Account needed | No | No |
One thing to be clear about: on Looopr's free plan you see parks and landmarks, but not cafés or restaurants. Coffee and food stops along the route, with ratings and opening hours, are a Looopr Pro feature.
Which one should you choose?
Choose Strolly if you want a daily surprise and a very light-touch app. Its route preferences are a real strength: if you walk the same neighbourhood every day and want the app to steer away from that busy main road, Strolly does this and Looopr doesn't. Its widgets and pace estimates for jogging and running are nice touches too.
Choose Looopr if your walks are shaped by the clock, or if you'd like to be guided rather than follow a line on a map. It's also a good fit when you're somewhere unfamiliar: a new neighbourhood, a work trip, a weekend away. Set the time, pick a loop, and follow the directions back to where you started.
There's no rule that says you can only have one. Both apps are free to try, so the easiest test is to take the same evening walk with each and see which feels more like you.
How Looopr helps
Looopr is built for people who want to walk more but don't always know where to go. It isn't a hiking app; it's for the everyday walk from your front door, your office or your hotel.
- Set how long you want to walk, from 15 minutes to 3 hours.
- Pick one of the circular routes Looopr suggests, past parks and landmarks.
- Follow turn-by-turn directions, with your progress on the lock screen.
- Save the walk to Apple Health when you're home.
With Looopr Pro you get up to 8 routes per search and can see cafés and restaurants along the way, if you like to build a coffee stop into your walk. If you're curious how the idea started, read Introducing Looopr.
Get Looopr: Walking Loop Routes on the App Store — free to download.
Sources
- Strolly: Generated daily walks on the App Store (checked 27 October 2026)
- Strolly on the Nil Coalescing website (checked 27 October 2026)
- Introducing Strolly, Nil Coalescing blog