When it comes to cycling, there’s an unlimited amount of routes to explore, but it’s easy to go out and find some great roads just to get home and forget where you went and how you got there.
A solution to this issue is using a ride-tracking application.
Tracking your ride has a huge amount of benefits, and a question we often get asked by our amazing readers is: Which ride-tracking app is best?
In this article, we are putting three of the most popular applications toe to toe, with Komoot vs AllTrails vs Gaia GPS. Here’s what we’ll be discussing:
- What Is A GPS Tracking Application?
- 4 Key Benefits Of Using A GPS Tracking Application?
- Hands-On With Komoot
- Hands-On With AllTrails
- Hands-On With Gaia GPS
- Komoot Vs AllTrails Vs Gaia GPS: Which Is The Best Cycling GPS Application?
Let’s dive in!
What Is A GPS Tracking Application?
The term GPS stands for Global Positioning System.
Years ago, GPS wasn’t what it is today. If we wanted to navigate an adventure, we would typically use a map and rely on our map-reading skills to ensure we were taking the correct route.
With technology advancing incredibly quickly and many of us having access to smartphones, we now generally choose to use applications. These GPS track applications give us a huge amount of data and the ability to navigate and record all the data in the process.
4 Key Benefits Of Using A GPS Tracking Application
There are a lot of benefits when it comes to using a GPS-tracking application. Here’s what you need to know:
#1. Navigation
GPS tracking applications allow you to navigate without the worry of getting lost.
With applications offering turn-by-turn navigation and alerts when you go off course, it’s ideal for keeping you on track.
#2. Route Planning
Next, we have route planning.
This is where you can use the application to help you plan a route that will offer you the best of the area you’re going to be in. They take into account where other people are exploring and can offer better options you might have yet to think about.
#3. Route Sharing
Then we have route sharing.
A lot of these applications offer the ability to share your route and connect with other like-minded cyclists who want to tell you about the journey they went on, giving you inspiration and even exact directions if you want to follow the same route.
#4. Data Tracking
Finally, we have data tracking.
Hands-On With Komoot
Komoot is one of the most popular applications for cyclists, and over the years, it has been heavily reinvested in.
It is the choice application for adventure cyclists and the top recommendation from many when it comes to planning routes.
Key Features
- Detailed Route Planning
- Offline Route Navigation
- Turn By Turn Navigation With Voice
- Incredible Community And Points Of Interest
- Integrations With GPS Devices
- Tracking And Data Statistics
- $70 Per Year For Premium
The Komoot application is an amazing place to start and, for us, sets the bar for the best GPS applications available.
The first thing to mention is that when it comes to GPS applications, it’s very user-friendly, and doesn’t take long to build up confidence using it.
Route planning is made easy, and for an excellent route, all you need to do is pick the type of bike route you want, your fitness level, and all the places you want to go.
The application will generate a route and give you points of interest on the way. It will even tell you the terrain you’re riding on and the elevation you need to climb.
You can start the navigation and use your phone to help guide you, or Komoot has the ability to link to GPS devices such as your Garmin.
The turn-by-turn directions are easy to follow, and when you’re done, the tracking data it offers is excellent. You get two overlays, a plain map, and a satellite option.
What really makes the application special is the community. With many riders using it and leaving routes for you to enjoy and comment on, you feel you are getting the best out of each area you’re exploring.
In my experience as an ultra-endurance cyclist, I have enjoyed Komoot and continue to use it for all my planning needs. There’s very little it can’t do, and using the community for routes shows you all the places you need to visit.
It’s $70 a year, but the value is there, and there is a free version if you don’t want to invest.
Komoot: The Pros
- Incredible Route Planning On The Go
- Easy To Get Used To
- Offline Maps
- Great Navigation
- Huge Community
- Great Points Of Interest
Komoot: The Cons
- Pricey
The Komoot application has so much to offer, and although it isn’t cheap, it does give an amazing experience. If you love adventure, cycling is worth every single cent.
Hands-On With AllTrails
Now we come to AllTrails, and although it might not be as popular as applications such as Komoot, it offers a great service. It is gaining a lot of traction in the cycling community.
Key Features
- Route Planning
- Offline Route Navigation
- Turn By Turn Navigation
- Explore Routes Option
- Tracking And Data Statistics
- $40 Per Year For Premium
AllTrails is a simple application to use and offers a great service for getting your adventure fix.
The application is simple to use and offers some great options for routes no matter where you are, although not as many as other applications.
Unlike the Komoot application, planning is currently done on the desktop computer and then can be saved to your profile for you to enjoy on the go. Although this doesn’t sound too difficult, it’s not like other applications where you can plan on the go.
When I used the application personally, I found the route the application would smart plan for me was ok, but as an expert on my local area, it could have been better. That aside, the turn-by-turn navigation is easy to follow and feels smooth and quick when used.
One thing that really impressed me about AllTrails was the number of details and different overlays regarding map reading. You get Satellite, Terrain, OCM, OSM, Air Quality, Pollution, and even Pollen. This gives the users so much real-time data to enjoy, which can be handy.
The tracking and data after are very basic, but it tells you everything you need to know.
Coming in at $35 per year, it’s good value for money and ideal if you’re in regions you might not know and looking for routes. It does come with a free version, but you miss all the good features.
Pros
- Good Navigation
- Offline Maps
- Lots Of Great Overlays
- Good Community
- Fair Price
- Easy To Get Used To
Cons
- Route Planning Could Be Better
- Not A Vast Amount Of Explore Routes
The AllTrails application is very good for what you’re paying. It can be tough when planning a route, but it does offer great navigation and excellent overlays.
Hands-On With Gaia GPS
Finally, we have the Gaia GPS application, and this was an application I hadn’t heard much about until I started using it.
It offers very detailed mapping and definitely feels like it’s all business compared to AllTrails and Komoot. Here’s what you need to know:
Key Features
- Route Planning
- Offline Route Navigation
- Turn By Turn Navigation
- Explore Routes Option
- Tracking And Data Statistics
- $40 Per Year For Premium
When I first started using Gaia GPS, I found it quite difficult. It can be quite tough to get the hang of. It took me a long time to start feeling comfortable with it, as it’s not like AllTrails or Komoot at all.
It looks more dated, but I found Gaia GPS to be incredibly detailed compared to other applications.
Zooming in on the route you might have planned shows anything from shops to parking and local businesses. It even showed some hidden trails I thought were secret in my local area.
As far as exploring new routes, I found very little in my area, and Gaia GPS, unlike the other two applications, doesn’t have a social side where you can easily share routes or comment on routes.
It’s easy to plan a route online or in the application. It makes sensible choices for you but nothing compared to the advice a local expert could give. If you plan on their website, the level of detail you can see is incredible.
The navigation on the Gaia GPS application was very good. It is super smooth, and with turn-by-turn navigation and a voice to guide you, it makes it very user-friendly once you feel more confident with the app and have worked out how to use it.
Pros
- Great Navigation
- Offline Maps
- Lots Of Great Overflows
- Good Price
- Detailed Route Planning Is Incredible
Cons
- A Difficult App To Learn
- No Community
- Currently Limited Routes To Explore
Gaia GPS is an application that will take some time to get used to. Once we knew what we were doing, it offered a good experience, and we loved the level of detail it offered when we knew where to look.
Komoot Vs AllTrails Vs Gaia GPS: Which Is The Best Cycling GPS Application?
Gaia GPS, AllTrails, and Komoot have a lot to offer, and although they do a similar job, they are completely different.
In our opinion, although it’s nearly double the price, Komoot is the best way to go for most riders.
It ticks every box. It’s easy to use, plans excellent routes in the application, links to your devices seamlessly, and has a huge community behind it.
The other applications are good and offer excellent overlays and some other features, but Komoot, for a cyclist, was a level above.
We still think Gaia GPS and AllTrails are excellent applications and worth the money, but they are more suited to hiking and running than cycling.
As far as Gaia GPS vs AllTrails we think they are pretty even.
Thanks for taking the time to check out Komoot vs AllTrails vs Gaia GPS!
Thank you for your benchmark.
I use only KOMOOT and I have to add something, only five things.
1. KOMOOT come in 3 version the free Map with only one region of about 10,000 km². One una tantum 30€ Map with all the world . The premium that that has much more but all you said is present in the Map for 30€ una tantum for ever.
2. KOMOOT planing and navigation and data logging are in Cloud. So it is possible to plan routs on desktop screen and it’s fabulous. Without doing anything you find you new planned route on mobile.
3. komoot is for hiking too.
4. KOMOOT has always brought me home but not always routes are so good. I used it in different part of Italy and there are areas that are not so we’ll covered.
5. You ca take photos during navigation and after you can share. For this comunity means to have not only POIs but amazing pictures for choosing new routes.