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Maps · head to head

Ride with GPS vs Zonar Systems

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
Zonar Systems logo

Zonar Systems

Fleet Management

Telematics for school buses and vocational fleets, built around verified physical inspections

From
On request
Free plan
No
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: 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.; Zonar Systems the product is shaped around pupil transport and heavy vocational work, so light commercial van fleets pay for inspection and ridership machinery they will never use.
  • They diverge on capability: Ride with GPS covers Route builder, Zonar Systems covers EVIR.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Ride with GPS and Zonar Systems differ
AttributeRide with GPSZonar Systems
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelFreemium, per user per monthquote
Free tierYesNo
CategoryMapsFleet Management

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 Ride with GPS

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

Only in Zonar Systems

  • EVIR
  • Z Pass
  • MyView
  • Zonar Logs
  • Fault code monitoring
  • Zonar Coach

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 Zonar Systems
  • Someone who wants turn-by-turn voice navigation on unfamiliar roads rather than checking a screennot Zonar Systems
  • A rider who wants to see popular local routes via the heatmap before committing to a paid tiernot Zonar Systems
  • A cyclist syncing custom routes directly to a Garmin computer for a big ridenot Zonar Systems

Zonar Systems

  • A school district that must evidence pre-trip inspections to a state regulator and cannot rely on a driver ticking boxes on a screennot Ride with GPS
  • A pupil transport operation that needs to answer parent queries about which bus a child boarded and whennot Ride with GPS
  • A waste or utilities fleet with heavy vehicles where a missed defect becomes a liability question in courtnot Ride with GPS
  • A public sector fleet running a formal tender where verified inspection records are a scored requirementnot 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.

Zonar Systems

  • The product is shaped around pupil transport and heavy vocational work, so light commercial van fleets pay for inspection and ridership machinery they will never use.
  • EVIR requires RFID tags fitted at zones on every vehicle plus a handheld or tablet, so installation labour and ongoing tag replacement are real costs that a plug-in competitor does not carry.
  • Continental has been separating its automotive divisions into standalone businesses, which leaves the long-term ownership and investment path for Zonar uncertain just as districts sign multi-year agreements.
  • The interface and reporting are dated next to newer platforms, and administrators moving from a modern dashboard find report building and data export unnecessarily manual.
  • Pricing is quoted rather than published and bundles hardware into multi-year terms, so comparing it fairly against a month-to-month competitor requires modelling total cost across the whole contract rather than the monthly figure.

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

Zonar Systems

On request
  • Zonar Systems$undefined/year
    • Per vehicle subscription with hardware and installation quoted separately
    • RFID inspection tags and rugged tablets priced per vehicle
    • Student ridership and parent app licensed per district

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 Zonar Systems if

  • You need evir.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want z pass.
Zonar Systems review

Questions people ask

Is Ride with GPS or Zonar Systems better?
Neither clearly leads. Ride with GPS starts at Free and Zonar Systems at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Ride with GPS or Zonar Systems?
Ride with GPS has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Ride with GPS and On request for Zonar Systems.
Does Ride with GPS or Zonar Systems 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. Zonar Systems starts at On request.
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 Zonar Systems is typically brought in for.
What can Ride with GPS do that Zonar Systems cannot?
Ride with GPS covers Route builder, Global heatmap, Turn-by-turn navigation, Offline maps. Zonar Systems covers EVIR, Z Pass, MyView, Zonar Logs.

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.

Zonar Systems: What does EVIR actually prove?

That a person carrying the scanning device was physically next to each tagged zone on the vehicle in sequence. It does not prove they looked carefully, but it removes the common defence that an inspection was recorded from the cab.

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.

Zonar Systems: Is Zonar only for school buses?

No. It is used across waste, utilities, construction and transit, but pupil transport is where its ridership and parent-facing features have no direct equivalent.

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.

Zonar Systems: How disruptive is the installation?

More disruptive than a plug-in device. Expect a vehicle out of service for a fitting appointment, tags mounted at several points, and a rolling programme across the fleet rather than a same-day rollout.

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