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Fleet Management · head to head

NexTraq vs Ride with GPS

NexTraq logo

NexTraq

Fleet Management

US small-fleet telematics now absorbed into Michelin Connected Fleet

From
On request
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite
Ride with GPS logo

Ride with GPS

Maps

Cycling route planning and navigation with a genuinely usable free tier and two paid tiers above it

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Ride with GPS has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: NexTraq the NexTraq brand has been absorbed into Michelin Connected Fleet, so the product name, the account team and eventually the platform underneath you are all subject to a consolidation plan you have no say in.; Ride with GPS turn-by-turn navigation and offline maps are locked behind the paid tiers, so the free tier alone is not enough for navigation in an area without signal.
  • They diverge on capability: NexTraq covers Vehicle tracking, Ride with GPS covers Route builder.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which NexTraq and Ride with GPS actually diverge.

Attributes where NexTraq and Ride with GPS differ
AttributeNexTraqRide with GPS
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquoteFreemium, per user per month
Free tierNoYes
CategoryFleet ManagementMaps

Identical on both: platforms (Web, iOS, Android), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in NexTraq

  • Vehicle tracking
  • Hours of service
  • Fuel and idling reporting
  • Maintenance scheduling
  • Job dispatch
  • Driver scorecards

Only in Ride with GPS

  • Route builder
  • Global heatmap
  • Turn-by-turn navigation
  • Offline maps
  • Garmin sync
  • Extra map layers

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

NexTraq

  • A North American trades or field service fleet that wants tracking, dispatch and ELD compliance from one mid-market vendornot Ride with GPS
  • An operator already buying Michelin tyres and fleet services that can negotiate telematics into a wider commercial agreementnot Ride with GPS
  • A fleet replacing an ageing tracking system that values an owner with a large corporate balance sheet over a venture-funded challengernot Ride with GPS
  • A distribution business needing straightforward fuel and idling reporting to justify a driver behaviour programmenot Ride with GPS

Ride with GPS

  • A cyclist planning a multi-day touring route who needs offline maps for areas without signalnot NexTraq
  • Someone who wants turn-by-turn voice navigation on unfamiliar roads rather than checking a screennot NexTraq
  • A rider who wants to see popular local routes via the heatmap before committing to a paid tiernot NexTraq
  • A cyclist syncing custom routes directly to a Garmin computer for a big ridenot NexTraq

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

NexTraq

  • The NexTraq brand has been absorbed into Michelin Connected Fleet, so the product name, the account team and eventually the platform underneath you are all subject to a consolidation plan you have no say in.
  • Michelin is merging three separately engineered telematics products, which historically means feature freezes on the older platforms and a migration that existing customers pay for in disruption rather than cash.
  • The feature set is mid-market and unexceptional, so it rarely wins a technical evaluation against Geotab or Samsara on capability alone.
  • Contracts bundle hardware into multi-year terms, so a fleet that shrinks or is acquired continues paying for devices, and early exit triggers hardware recovery costs.
  • The integration ecosystem is small and the API is not a selling point, so connecting telematics data to job costing or payroll usually means custom work or scheduled file exports.

Ride with GPS

  • Turn-by-turn navigation and offline maps are locked behind the paid tiers, so the free tier alone is not enough for navigation in an area without signal.
  • There are two separate paid tiers rather than one, and some navigation-adjacent features are split between Basic and Premium in ways that are easy to misjudge before subscribing.
  • It is general cycling focused, not mountain-bike trail specific, so a trail rider is better served by Trailforks for singletrack detail.
  • The web-based route builder is more capable than the mobile app for planning, so serious route creation is awkward to do purely from a phone.
  • Exact free-tier limits, such as any cap on saved routes, are not clearly published, so a heavy free-tier user may hit an undocumented limit unexpectedly.

Pricing, plan by plan

NexTraq

On request
  • NexTraq$undefined/year
    • Per vehicle subscription with hardware bundled into the term
    • Multi-year agreements are standard
    • ELD and dispatch modules priced as tiers

Ride with GPS

Free
  • StarterFree
    • Route creation
    • Ride recording
    • Global heatmap access
  • Basic$7.99/month
    • Turn-by-turn navigation
    • Offline route maps
    • ETA and advanced route planning
  • Premium$9.99/month
    • Everything in Basic
    • Extra map layers: wind, air quality, cell coverage

Which should you pick?

Choose NexTraq if

  • You need vehicle tracking.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want hours of service.
NexTraq review

Choose Ride with GPS if

  • You need route builder.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want global heatmap.
Ride with GPS review

Questions people ask

Is NexTraq or Ride with GPS better?
Neither clearly leads. NexTraq starts at On request and Ride with GPS at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, NexTraq or Ride with GPS?
Ride with GPS has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for NexTraq and Free for Ride with GPS.
Does NexTraq or Ride with GPS run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, iOS, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Ride with GPS for free?
Yes. Ride with GPS has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. NexTraq starts at On request.
What is NexTraq best used for?
NexTraq is most often used for a north american trades or field service fleet that wants tracking, dispatch and eld compliance from one mid-market vendor, an operator already buying michelin tyres and fleet services that can negotiate telematics into a wider commercial agreement, a fleet replacing an ageing tracking system that values an owner with a large corporate balance sheet over a venture-funded challenger, a distribution business needing straightforward fuel and idling reporting to justify a driver behaviour programme. Of those, a north american trades or field service fleet that wants tracking, dispatch and eld compliance from one mid-market vendor and an operator already buying michelin tyres and fleet services that can negotiate telematics into a wider commercial agreement are not what Ride with GPS is typically brought in for.
What can NexTraq do that Ride with GPS cannot?
NexTraq covers Vehicle tracking, Hours of service, Fuel and idling reporting, Maintenance scheduling. Ride with GPS covers Route builder, Global heatmap, Turn-by-turn navigation, Offline maps.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

NexTraq: Is NexTraq still a separate company?

No. Michelin bought it in 2017 and has folded it into Michelin Connected Fleet, together with Masternaut in Europe and Sascar in Brazil.

Ride with GPS: Is Ride with GPS free?

A free Starter tier exists with route creation and the heatmap, but turn-by-turn navigation and offline maps require the Basic or Premium paid tier.

NexTraq: Will my NexTraq system be migrated to a different platform?

Assume so, eventually. Ask directly what the migration timetable is, what happens to historical data, and who bears the cost of re-fitting or re-configuring devices.

Ride with GPS: What is the difference between Basic and Premium?

Premium includes everything in Basic plus extra map layers such as wind, air quality and cell coverage.

NexTraq: Does buying Michelin tyres get me a better telematics price?

It is worth testing. The commercial logic of the acquisition is bundling vehicle services, and that is where discounting is most likely to be available.

Ride with GPS: Is it mountain-bike specific?

No, it is general road, gravel and touring focused; Trailforks is the mountain-bike trail specific option.

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