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Maps · head to head

Ride with GPS vs Trailforks

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
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Trailforks logo

Trailforks

Maps

Mountain-bike-specific trail database and navigation app owned by Outside Inc

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: 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.; Trailforks the free tier only allows one offline region downloaded at a time, which is limiting for a rider visiting multiple trail areas.
  • They diverge on capability: Ride with GPS covers Route builder, Trailforks covers Mountain bike trail database.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Ride with GPS and Trailforks differ
AttributeRide with GPSTrailforks
Pricing modelFreemium, per user per monthFreemium, standalone Pro or bundled with Outside+
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidiOS, Android, Web

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Maps).

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 Ride with GPS

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

Only in Trailforks

  • Mountain bike trail database
  • Community trail reports
  • Premium basemaps
  • Heatmap overlay
  • Weather and fire overlays

Both cover

  • Offline maps

What people use each for

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

Ride with GPS

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

Trailforks

  • A mountain biker planning a ride on unfamiliar singletrack who needs direction-of-travel and difficulty datanot Ride with GPS
  • Someone riding in an area with no signal who needs an offline downloaded trail mapnot Ride with GPS
  • A rider checking recent community trail condition reports before heading outnot Ride with GPS
  • Someone comparing several mountain bike regions using the usage heatmap before choosing where to ridenot Ride with GPS

Where each one falls short

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

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.

Trailforks

  • The free tier only allows one offline region downloaded at a time, which is limiting for a rider visiting multiple trail areas.
  • Pro pricing appears to be shifting toward bundling with the wider Outside+ media subscription, making the standalone price less stable and worth checking directly before buying.
  • Its focus on mountain biking means it is a weaker choice than Ride with GPS for road or gravel route planning.
  • Trail data quality depends on community contribution, so newer or less-ridden regions can have sparse or outdated information.
  • Being owned by a media company with a broader outdoor content bundle strategy introduces some uncertainty about how the standalone app product is prioritised long term.

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Trailforks

Free
  • Trailforks FreeFree
    • Trail database access
    • Basic basemaps
    • One offline region at a time
  • Trailforks Pro$undefined/year
    • Unlimited offline regions
    • Premium basemaps including Gaia and ArcGIS satellite
    • Heatmap, weather and fire overlays

Which should you pick?

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

Choose Trailforks if

  • You need mountain bike trail database.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, Android, Web.
  • You also want community trail reports.
Trailforks review

Questions people ask

Is Ride with GPS or Trailforks better?
Neither clearly leads. Ride with GPS starts at Free and Trailforks at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Ride with GPS or Trailforks?
Ride with GPS starts at Free and Trailforks at Free.
Does Ride with GPS or Trailforks run on more platforms?
Ride with GPS runs on Web, iOS, Android. Trailforks runs on iOS, Android, Web.
Can I use Ride with GPS for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Ride with GPS best used for?
Ride with GPS is most often used for a cyclist planning a multi-day touring route who needs offline maps for areas without signal, someone who wants turn-by-turn voice navigation on unfamiliar roads rather than checking a screen, a rider who wants to see popular local routes via the heatmap before committing to a paid tier, a cyclist syncing custom routes directly to a garmin computer for a big ride. Of those, a cyclist planning a multi-day touring route who needs offline maps for areas without signal and someone who wants turn-by-turn voice navigation on unfamiliar roads rather than checking a screen are not what Trailforks is typically brought in for.
What can Ride with GPS do that Trailforks cannot?
Ride with GPS covers Route builder, Global heatmap, Turn-by-turn navigation, Garmin sync. Trailforks covers Mountain bike trail database, Community trail reports, Premium basemaps, Heatmap overlay. Both handle Offline maps.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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.

Trailforks: Is Trailforks free?

A free tier exists with trail data and one offline region at a time; Pro removes that limit and adds premium map layers.

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.

Trailforks: Who owns Trailforks?

Outside Inc, which also owns Pinkbike and CyclingTips, acquired it in 2021.

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.

Trailforks: Is it only for mountain biking?

Mountain biking is the core focus, though it has secondary support for hiking, gravel and motorised trail use.

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