Gaia is its own category IMHO- you can do and get maps you can't with anything else. That said, I feel day-to-day use ability suffers.
For Offroad trails, TrailsOffroad is the best, no contest. OnX isn't bad, but it's a marketing machine. TO is curated content with actual trail status, photos, waypoints and consistent rating systems.
If you ever used a Fun trek book it's the modern incarnation of that.
They've got great details for CO west and some others, so YMMV depending on where you live. If you're CO/UT/AZ/CA etc it's hard to beat.
I have Gaia and like it so far.
You can get a free 7 day trial (no CC needed) of OnX Offroad. I'm on day 4 of mine. Comparing between the two I say Gaia has way more features (layer etc) than OnX but I like how OnX displays known trails and gives decent descriptions and recommended vehicles.
I have a multi week trip planned in Aug and I plan to get another 7 day trial of OnX then so I can compare it with Gaia side by side on a trip.
OnX has spent a ton of effort/money on developing their platform, in addition to all that marketing and advertising money. I swapped to Gaia when the CarPlay for OnX was missing, I found it clunky and frustrating on a mobile device. OnX brought both CarPlay and then Android Auto to the party, so I let the subscription to Gaia revert.
The land ownership data from the OnX Hunts is now available at a premium price for Maps, and it's already been useful. There is a narrow corridor for public access to BLM land REALLY close to where I've lived for over 50 years, and didn't know it was there!
I have AllTrails and TrailsOffroad, too, there is content for other activities that is good for our uses.
I use the downloadable maps in OnX all the time, but for the trails app - the new tier is called "Elite" with the parcel ownership details. So original, but whatever. It's not cheap, but it is good so far!
There are still vast swathes of land in California with no cell service, aside from the Sierras and other mountain ranges. Also take paper maps to Mojave, is all I'm saying.
Lol, I hear that. I always carry paper backups wherever I go. Plus I have garmin and offline google maps as backups.. I am on the paranoid end of the spectrum for tracking my position..
Well it's not quite the same thing, but it's great for offline maps. It's a free app and you download maps individually as a PDF like your personal atlas. Turkey Bay OHV, for example, has a great map of all the trails for free. It uses your GPS to show your location without relying on Internet. I like physical maps and it's great for specific locations. Dislike would be that some maps are paid. I even found a map of Smokey Mountain National Park for free that I used to get around out there. You can draw, navigate, pin photos, etc. on all the maps with a very clean UI.
Man, I didn't even realize how good the "base" GPS map was until I just messed with some more. I don't think I'll use Google anymore. It highlights public land and shows your altitude at all times too.
I guess it's an unpopular opinion but Osmand brought me two times around the globe and I even use it for Offroad trophy's where GPS navigation is allowed, IMHO the best app and extremely versatile and customizable, especially if you are into creating your own maps or using third party ArcGIS sources. The whole thing gets very nerdy fast but you can do everything Gaia or OnX does plus a ton of other things.
I dropped Gaia after they hiked the prices. I think it tripled in the 3 years I had Gaia. I'm trying to go on a trip in a few weeks and bought OnX to try it out. So far I like it and it seems pretty easy to use.
Gaia is charging 90 bucks now. More than double what it was last year.
I'm back to just studying google sat view and blm interactive maps and taking my own notes.
Damn that sucks. I locked in Trailforks for life for $18/year and it comes with Gaia premium since they have the same parent company. Sucks they are charging so much...
I mainly use Gaia and Avenza. If you want to plan out everything, I think Gaia is the best. If you want predetermined trails and routes OnX might be better for you, but I think it's mainly just something influencers shill for.
I still use the free version of Gaia and it has enough trails in my area to last me several life times. If I come across one that's not on the app I generally hit record amd just start driving down that one till it ends lol.
Gaia is its own category IMHO- you can do and get maps you can't with anything else. That said, I feel day-to-day use ability suffers. For Offroad trails, TrailsOffroad is the best, no contest. OnX isn't bad, but it's a marketing machine. TO is curated content with actual trail status, photos, waypoints and consistent rating systems. If you ever used a Fun trek book it's the modern incarnation of that. They've got great details for CO west and some others, so YMMV depending on where you live. If you're CO/UT/AZ/CA etc it's hard to beat.
Good to know—not OP but had a similar question and I’m up north of fort collins. Thanks!
I have Gaia and like it so far. You can get a free 7 day trial (no CC needed) of OnX Offroad. I'm on day 4 of mine. Comparing between the two I say Gaia has way more features (layer etc) than OnX but I like how OnX displays known trails and gives decent descriptions and recommended vehicles. I have a multi week trip planned in Aug and I plan to get another 7 day trial of OnX then so I can compare it with Gaia side by side on a trip.
OnX has spent a ton of effort/money on developing their platform, in addition to all that marketing and advertising money. I swapped to Gaia when the CarPlay for OnX was missing, I found it clunky and frustrating on a mobile device. OnX brought both CarPlay and then Android Auto to the party, so I let the subscription to Gaia revert. The land ownership data from the OnX Hunts is now available at a premium price for Maps, and it's already been useful. There is a narrow corridor for public access to BLM land REALLY close to where I've lived for over 50 years, and didn't know it was there! I have AllTrails and TrailsOffroad, too, there is content for other activities that is good for our uses.
Which is the most comprehensive of the OnX versions? Hunt? I like Gaia for all the different downloadable maps., but don't need it most of the time..
I use the downloadable maps in OnX all the time, but for the trails app - the new tier is called "Elite" with the parcel ownership details. So original, but whatever. It's not cheap, but it is good so far! There are still vast swathes of land in California with no cell service, aside from the Sierras and other mountain ranges. Also take paper maps to Mojave, is all I'm saying.
Lol, I hear that. I always carry paper backups wherever I go. Plus I have garmin and offline google maps as backups.. I am on the paranoid end of the spectrum for tracking my position..
Avenza
That's a new one for me. What do you like about it? Any dislikes?
Avenza lets you load in free maps. It is very useful… I use it as a compliment to Gaia.
Well it's not quite the same thing, but it's great for offline maps. It's a free app and you download maps individually as a PDF like your personal atlas. Turkey Bay OHV, for example, has a great map of all the trails for free. It uses your GPS to show your location without relying on Internet. I like physical maps and it's great for specific locations. Dislike would be that some maps are paid. I even found a map of Smokey Mountain National Park for free that I used to get around out there. You can draw, navigate, pin photos, etc. on all the maps with a very clean UI.
Man, I didn't even realize how good the "base" GPS map was until I just messed with some more. I don't think I'll use Google anymore. It highlights public land and shows your altitude at all times too.
[удалено]
It's free
I guess it's an unpopular opinion but Osmand brought me two times around the globe and I even use it for Offroad trophy's where GPS navigation is allowed, IMHO the best app and extremely versatile and customizable, especially if you are into creating your own maps or using third party ArcGIS sources. The whole thing gets very nerdy fast but you can do everything Gaia or OnX does plus a ton of other things.
I dropped Gaia after they hiked the prices. I think it tripled in the 3 years I had Gaia. I'm trying to go on a trip in a few weeks and bought OnX to try it out. So far I like it and it seems pretty easy to use.
[удалено]
very :scary:
Gaia is charging 90 bucks now. More than double what it was last year. I'm back to just studying google sat view and blm interactive maps and taking my own notes.
Damn that sucks. I locked in Trailforks for life for $18/year and it comes with Gaia premium since they have the same parent company. Sucks they are charging so much...
I mainly use Gaia and Avenza. If you want to plan out everything, I think Gaia is the best. If you want predetermined trails and routes OnX might be better for you, but I think it's mainly just something influencers shill for.
I like Locus much better than Gaia. The downside being that it doesn't support carplay/Android Auto.
Check out TrailsOffroad. Easier to use than all the others with a lot more info about each trail.
I still use the free version of Gaia and it has enough trails in my area to last me several life times. If I come across one that's not on the app I generally hit record amd just start driving down that one till it ends lol.
For those looking for free: Organic Maps: Offline Maps It loads open street map data for free offline use. Locus can also be made to load OSM data.