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Maps · head to head

Trailforks vs Zonar Systems

Trailforks logo

Trailforks

Maps

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

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 Trailforks has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Trailforks the free tier only allows one offline region downloaded at a time, which is limiting for a rider visiting multiple trail areas.; 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: Trailforks covers Mountain bike trail database, Zonar Systems covers EVIR.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Trailforks and Zonar Systems actually diverge.

Attributes where Trailforks and Zonar Systems differ
AttributeTrailforksZonar Systems
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelFreemium, standalone Pro or bundled with Outside+quote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsiOS, Android, WebWeb, iOS, Android
CategoryMapsFleet Management

Identical on both: 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 Trailforks

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

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.

Trailforks

  • A mountain biker planning a ride on unfamiliar singletrack who needs direction-of-travel and difficulty datanot Zonar Systems
  • Someone riding in an area with no signal who needs an offline downloaded trail mapnot Zonar Systems
  • A rider checking recent community trail condition reports before heading outnot Zonar Systems
  • Someone comparing several mountain bike regions using the usage heatmap before choosing where to 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 Trailforks
  • A pupil transport operation that needs to answer parent queries about which bus a child boarded and whennot Trailforks
  • A waste or utilities fleet with heavy vehicles where a missed defect becomes a liability question in courtnot Trailforks
  • A public sector fleet running a formal tender where verified inspection records are a scored requirementnot Trailforks

Where each one falls short

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

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.

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

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

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 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

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 Trailforks or Zonar Systems better?
Neither clearly leads. Trailforks 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, Trailforks or Zonar Systems?
Trailforks has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Trailforks and On request for Zonar Systems.
Does Trailforks or Zonar Systems run on more platforms?
Trailforks runs on iOS, Android, Web. Zonar Systems runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use Trailforks for free?
Yes. Trailforks has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Zonar Systems starts at On request.
What is Trailforks best used for?
Trailforks is most often used for a mountain biker planning a ride on unfamiliar singletrack who needs direction-of-travel and difficulty data, someone riding in an area with no signal who needs an offline downloaded trail map, a rider checking recent community trail condition reports before heading out, someone comparing several mountain bike regions using the usage heatmap before choosing where to ride. Of those, a mountain biker planning a ride on unfamiliar singletrack who needs direction-of-travel and difficulty data and someone riding in an area with no signal who needs an offline downloaded trail map are not what Zonar Systems is typically brought in for.
What can Trailforks do that Zonar Systems cannot?
Trailforks covers Mountain bike trail database, Community trail reports, Offline maps, Premium basemaps. Zonar Systems covers EVIR, Z Pass, MyView, Zonar Logs.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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.

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.

Trailforks: Who owns Trailforks?

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

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.

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.

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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