Buyer's guide
The best Garmin Catalyst alternatives in 2026
The Garmin Catalyst 2 is a superb in-ear driving coach — and at $1,199.99, a serious investment in a single-driver box. If you want track analysis without the price tag, or you want to share and stream what you capture, here are the best Catalyst alternatives.
We make Pace, so we ranked ourselves #1 — but the prices, pros, and cons below are honest, including where rivals win (Garmin’s in-ear coaching). Hit the head-to-heads for the receipts.
Our pick — the whole platform
Pace — telemetry, live streaming & analysis, free on your phone
Pace captures pro-grade telemetry and HD video from the phone you already own, syncs them frame-for-frame for replay, streams the session live so family and fans can follow from anywhere, and lets that audience become sponsors. A couple of apps here now add a feed or live timing; Pace goes furthest — live video, community, and sponsorship in one place — and it starts at $0.
Be one of the first on the track.
Telemetry, live streaming, and a front-row seat for everyone who follows you — free, on the phone you already own. Join the waitlist and invite friends to move up the grid.
Free on iPhone · Android coming
RaceBox Mini S
deviceRaceBox's popular consumer box — 25 Hz GNSS plus IMU, with on-board storage so it records without a phone tethered, all driven by the polished RaceBox app for lap timing, drag runs, and predictive timing. A great solo data box with no camera or video of its own; it stops at your own screen.
Best for: Solo drivers who want accurate, affordable lap & drag data.
Pros
- +Accurate 25 Hz GNSS + IMU
- +Standalone — records without a tethered phone
- +Polished app with predictive & drag timing
- +Affordable for the data quality
Cons
- −Solo — no live stream or audience
- −No camera or synced video of its own
- −Another device to buy and mount
- −No sponsorship or social layer
Missing vs Pace: Live video streaming · Barometric elevation & slope · Setup ↔ performance tracking · Sponsor placement & payouts · Dual front + rear video · Family & fans can follow · Video synced to data · Runs on the phone you own
Bottom line
Pace turns every session into a broadcast, a following, and a faster driver — live video with telemetry on the picture, a channel family and fans watch from anywhere, sponsorship that pays for the racing, and the analysis to find the next tenth. It records a RaceBox natively at 25 Hz, so the box's numbers finally have an audience and a purpose. A RaceBox alone is data on your own screen; inside Pace it's part of a racing career.
AiM MyChron
deviceThe paddock-standard kart dash and logger (MyChron 5S, 6, and 6 2T): 25 Hz GPS, engine RPM, and one or two exhaust / head / water temperature channels standard, with throttle, brake, and steering sensors available through AiM's expansion modules — all analyzed in the free Race Studio 3 desktop suite. The real thing. What it doesn't do: video without a ~$1,500 SmartyCam, live streaming, or any audience beyond the laptop.
Best for: Competitive karters who want the proven paddock dash.
Pros
- +25 Hz GPS; paddock-proven accuracy
- +RPM + engine temps standard
- +Throttle / brake / steering via AiM sensors
- +Excellent Race Studio 3 analysis
Cons
- −+~$1,500 SmartyCam for any video
- −Laptop-first review in AiM's format
- −No live streaming, audience, or sharing
- −One kart, one driver
Missing vs Pace: Live video streaming · Barometric elevation & slope · Setup ↔ performance tracking · Sponsor placement & payouts · Dual front + rear video · Family & fans can follow · Runs on the phone you own
Bottom line
Pace shows the race to everyone: live video with telemetry on the picture, a channel family and fans follow across the season, records and progression that build a racer's story, and sponsorship that helps pay for it — free, from the phone you already own. A MyChron shows the kart's vitals to whoever opens the laptop, with no video without a ~$1,500 SmartyCam and nobody in the stands. The dash measures a machine; Pace builds a racer.
RaceChrono
appA capable lap-timing and video-overlay app that records telemetry and video on the phone (and pairs with external GPS or OBD-II if you want). Great for solo post-session analysis — but nothing is live, with no broadcast, no social graph, and no path from fans to sponsors.
Best for: Tinkerers who want a flexible analysis app on a budget.
Pros
- +Flexible, affordable analysis app
- +Wide external-sensor / OBD support
- +Video overlay export
Cons
- −Records & analyzes only — nothing live
- −Solo post-session workflow
- −No audience or sponsorship
Missing vs Pace: Live video streaming · Barometric elevation & slope · Setup ↔ performance tracking · Sponsor placement & payouts · Dual front + rear video · Family & fans can follow
Bottom line
Pace does the lap timing and frame-synced analysis to find pace, then streams the run live with telemetry on the picture, puts family and fans in the passenger seat, and turns the people watching into sponsors — one app. RaceChrono is an analysis utility that stops at your own screen. Analysis alone doesn't fill the stands.
Harry's LapTimer
appA deep, long-running lap-timing app sold in tiers — Rookie ($9) records data out of the box on the phone, Petrolhead ($20) adds video recording and overlay, GrandPrix ($28) adds pro sensors and multi-cam. Powerful but solo and technical — built for the driver and a laptop, not for everyone who wants to watch.
Best for: Power users who want maximum configurability.
Pros
- +Extremely deep and configurable
- +Broad sensor + import support
- +Strong video overlay tools
Cons
- −Video only from the $20 Petrolhead tier up
- −Steep learning curve
- −Built for the driver, not an audience; no broadcast
Missing vs Pace: Live video streaming · Barometric elevation & slope · Setup ↔ performance tracking · Sponsor placement & payouts · Dual front + rear video · Family & fans can follow
Bottom line
Pace is one tap to everything: capture, live broadcast with telemetry on the picture, frame-synced breakdown, a following, and sponsorship — power measured by what the session becomes, not by a settings menu. Harry's sells configuration depth in tiers, with video paywalled from the second tier up, for a driver alone with a laptop.
Racelogic VBOX
deviceProfessional-grade GNSS logging and synced in-car video with real-time overlay, paired with the excellent Circuit Tools desktop suite — a reference for serious data and coaching. The full video systems run $3,500 to $7,000+ (the compact VBOX Sport logger is ~$580, but records no video). Powerful and accurate, with no live streaming, social, or sponsorship layer.
Best for: Serious teams who want broadcast-grade in-car video + data.
Pros
- +Pro-grade GNSS accuracy
- +Synced video + real-time overlay
- +Excellent Circuit Tools analysis
Cons
- −$3,500–$7,000+ for the video system
- −Hardware install; desktop workflow
- −No live streaming, social, or sponsorship
Missing vs Pace: Live video streaming · Barometric elevation & slope · Setup ↔ performance tracking · Sponsor placement & payouts · Dual front + rear video · Family & fans can follow · Runs on the phone you own
Bottom line
Pace delivers synced in-car video and data from the phone in your pocket, streams it live to family, fans, and sponsors, and builds the audience and career around the driver — free to start. VBOX is thousands of dollars bolted into the car and reviewed at a desk, where nobody outside the garage ever sees it. Pace is the part of racing that gets watched.
At a glance
Everything above, side by side — including what it costs to start.
| Capability | Pace$0 | RaceBox$199 | AiM$599+ | RaceChrono$19.99+ | Harry's$9–$28 | Racelogic$3,500–$7,000+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Only on Pace | ||||||
Live video streamingone tap, live video + telemetry | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — |
Barometric elevation & slopetrue gradient, not GPS altitude | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — |
AI pace insightstelemetry + laps + setup, where to find time | ◌ | — | — | — | — | — |
Setup ↔ performance trackingsetup changes linked to lap data | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — |
Sponsor placement & payoutspackages, card checkout — Pace takes 0% | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — |
| Where Pace leads | ||||||
Dual front + rear videoroad + driver, one session | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — |
Family & fans can followsocial feed, following, reactions | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — |
| The basics everyone has | ||||||
GPS + motion telemetryphone IMU + GNSS, no extra box | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Lap & session analysisline, speed, g, elevation — pair a RaceBox for tight circuits | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Video synced to datareplay + frame-aligned telemetry | ✓ | — | ＋ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Real-time on-track coachingaudio cues while you drive | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Runs on the phone you ownno extra hardware to start | ✓ | — | — | ✓ | ✓ | — |
Catalyst's real-time coaching is genuinely excellent. But for a fraction of the cost, Pace captures your sessions, syncs video to data, streams it live, and builds you an audience — on the phone you already own.
Be one of the first on the track.
Telemetry, live streaming, and a front-row seat for everyone who follows you — free, on the phone you already own. Join the waitlist and invite friends to move up the grid.
Free on iPhone · Android coming
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