Games and entertainment decision
Runner
A single competent developer can reproduce the app's core: an interactive map, local POI database, filters and StoreKit purchases within about a week; nothing on the listing indicates an unreproducible data or infrastructure moat.
View on the App Store↗$0.58/mo
$7/yr
Read off the official pricing page.
$100one-off40 h to build
$0/mo3 h/mo upkeep
On cash alone, building overtakes the subscription at 15 seats.
No open-source build does this yet
Nothing published replaces this one, so a replacement starts from an empty file. Here is what it would have to cover.
What a replacement has to do
- Open interactive map → view/filter POIs → open location details or guide entry → optionally unlock paid content via in‑app purchase.
What it still won’t have
- App Store presence, ratings and distribution handled for you
- Polished design and ongoing incremental updates from the existing developer
- Integrated reviews/ratings and existing user support channels (Discord links)
- Existing curated game-specific content and community trust
What remains hard
- Product polish and ongoing maintenance
First-year cost
Keep paying
Paying is—cheaper in year one.
On cash alone, building overtakes the subscription at 15 seats.
Money you would actually spend
Time you would spend
—
What you would spend
What we assumed
The verdict above measures whether you could build it. This one is only about money.
Runnable build prompt
Build an iOS companion map app in Swift (SwiftUI + MapKit) with a local SQLite/JSON content store and simple backend-free content update. Core features in scope: interactive map with clustered tappable markers, category filters and search, marker detail screens with guide text/images, offline caching of marker assets and basic map tiles (MapKit), StoreKit integration for a yearly subscription and one‑time purchases, content update downloader, error handling and unit/UI tests. Out of scope: server-side user accounts, real-time multiplayer, and a custom map tile server. Provide automated tests for content parsing, purchase gating logic, and map marker display, and include basic CI to run tests.
How we checked
How the score was reached
- Build verdict base78
- 2 cited sources+1
- Price verified on pricing page+3
- Evidence score82
The base comes from the verdict. Everything under it is a check that either happened or did not, and each one is a fact frozen in this record rather than a judgement made at render time - so the same evidence always produces the same number.
How scoring works →Cited sources · 2
Every page the run actually retrieved.
- official productRunner - Marathon Map App Store listing
- official pricingRunner - App Store in‑app purchases
Integrity checks
What held up, and what did not.
