Wikiloc carries the largest user-recorded trail library in the outdoor app world, which is also why people start looking elsewhere. The free tier shows only one outdoor map style, blocks the Route Planner behind Premium, caps offline downloads, and reserves 3D map previews and weather forecasts for paying members. We tested seven Wikiloc alternatives that handle hiking, cycling, trail running, and backcountry navigation, then ranked them by what they actually do better than Wikiloc rather than how loudly they market it.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Free plan | Starting price | Standout feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AllTrails | Trail discovery in the US | Yes, limited | About $36/yr | Largest curated US trail database with photos |
| Komoot | Bike and hike route planning | Yes, one region | About $30/yr | Surface-aware routing across roads and trails |
| OsmAnd | Free offline navigation | Yes, ample | About $30/yr | Full OpenStreetMap data offline, open-source |
| Gaia GPS | Backcountry and overland | Yes, basic maps | About $40/yr | Hundreds of overlay maps including USGS topo |
| Outdooractive | Alps, DACH, official trails | Yes, basic | About $35/yr | Verified national-park and tourism-board routes |
| MAPS.ME | Simple offline hiking maps | Yes, full | About $15/yr | One-tap offline pack, no account required |
| Strava | Athletes who also hike | Yes, basic | About $80/yr | Heatmap shows the most-used trails near you |
Why people leave Wikiloc
Five complaints come up again and again in trail forums, app reviews, and r/hiking threads.
The route planner sits behind Premium
Wikiloc’s planner builds routes that mirror what other community members have actually walked, but it requires a paid subscription. Hikers used to free planners on Komoot or Strava feel pushed to pay just to draft their own route.
Free users get one outdoor map style
The free tier locks the Wikiloc Outdoor map, IGN, OpenCycleMap, and the satellite-with-paths hybrid behind Premium. For trail running on technical terrain or skiing in the Alps, the included style is often the wrong tool.
Offline downloads are capped
Free accounts can save a small number of trails for offline use; Premium expands that meaningfully. Multi-day trips or international travel where data is unreliable push people to apps with unlimited offline.
3D previews and weather sit behind the paywall
Wikiloc’s 3D map and trail-specific weather forecast are useful for judging a route before leaving home, but only paying members see them. Gaia GPS, Komoot, and Outdooractive bundle these into cheaper tiers or include them free.
Trail quality is uneven because anyone can upload
The breadth that makes Wikiloc useful also produces noise. A “trail” can be a single hiker’s wrong turn that the planner now treats as a real path. Curated platforms like AllTrails and Outdooractive filter harder.
The alternatives
1. AllTrails
AllTrails is the default outdoor app for North American hikers and runs strong in Western Europe too. The free tier lists 450,000+ trails with photos, difficulty ratings, and recent condition reports written by other users. AllTrails+ adds offline maps, wrong-turn alerts, 3D flyovers, and Lifeline (live location sharing while on trail).
Where it falls short: trail coverage thins outside the US, France, Spain, and the UK. The free tier is heavily upsell-driven, with offline maps and turn-by-turn navigation gated behind AllTrails+.
Pricing:
- Free: trail search, ratings, reviews, photos
- Paid: AllTrails+ around $36/year, sometimes lower regional pricing
- vs Wikiloc: comparable annual cost; AllTrails wins on curation, Wikiloc wins on raw count
Migrating from Wikiloc: export your Wikiloc tracks as GPX, then import them one-by-one into AllTrails as custom routes. There is no native Wikiloc-to-AllTrails sync. Plan an hour for a 20-track collection.
Bottom line: Pick AllTrails when you hike mostly in North America and want vetted trail picks with current trip reports. Stay on Wikiloc if you travel internationally or want raw global breadth.
2. Komoot
Komoot plans routes that know the difference between gravel, singletrack, and pavement. The planner asks for sport type (hiking, road cycling, gravel, MTB, trail running) and routes accordingly, with a surface breakdown and elevation profile before you start. Voice navigation works well, and the offline regions cover entire countries cheaply.
Where it falls short: Komoot vs Wikiloc on community-recorded trails is no contest, Wikiloc has more. The free tier covers only one offline region; full-world access requires a one-time region purchase or the Premium subscription.
Pricing:
- Free: one region, route planner, basic navigation
- Paid: Premium around $5/month or $30/year; lifetime World Pack one-time around $30
- vs Wikiloc: cheaper for full offline; more flexible because the World Pack is a permanent unlock
Migrating from Wikiloc: import GPX files individually under “Plan a tour” with the file upload option. Komoot recognizes elevation and waypoints but not photos.
Bottom line: Pick Komoot for serious route planning, especially on a bike. Skip it if your priority is browsing routes that other people recently walked.
3. OsmAnd
OsmAnd runs on OpenStreetMap data, which makes it the deepest free alternative to Wikiloc for navigation. You get vector offline maps, custom map styles, GPX recording, contour lines, hillshade, and full route planning without an account. The free version allows seven map downloads, OsmAnd+ removes that limit.
Where it falls short: the interface is dense and assumes a power user. New hikers often bounce within minutes. There is no curated trail library; you find routes by reading the map.
Pricing:
- Free: full app, seven map downloads, all core features
- Paid: OsmAnd Pro around $30/year or OsmAnd+ one-time around $20
- vs Wikiloc: significantly cheaper and more capable once you accept the learning curve
Migrating from Wikiloc: import GPX directly under My Places > Tracks. OsmAnd respects waypoints, elevation, and segment breaks.
Bottom line: Pick OsmAnd if cost matters most and you are comfortable spending an hour learning the menus. Skip it if you want a polished trail-browsing experience.
4. Gaia GPS
Gaia GPS is what serious backcountry users move to when Wikiloc’s outdoor map feels too generic. Hundreds of overlay maps include USGS topo, MVUM motor-vehicle-use maps, satellite imagery, public-land boundaries, wildfire history, and avalanche layers. Track recording is rock-solid in airplane mode.
Where it falls short: non-US trail coverage and community-recorded trails are weaker than Wikiloc. The depth of map overlays can overwhelm casual users.
Pricing:
- Free: basic maps, GPS tracking
- Paid: Gaia Premium around $40/year; Outside+ bundle around $100/year adds magazines
- vs Wikiloc: similar yearly cost, Gaia wins on map depth, Wikiloc wins on community trails
Migrating from Wikiloc: import GPX through gaiagps.com on a desktop, then sync to mobile. Folder structure and waypoints carry over.
Bottom line: Pick Gaia for overlanding, hunting, ski touring, or any trip where the topo overlay matters more than recent user photos. Skip it for casual day hikes in town parks.
5. Outdooractive
Outdooractive partners directly with national parks, regional tourism boards, and alpine clubs across Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Italy. The result is verified, signposted trails with official condition reports, including via ferrata grades and avalanche bulletins.
Where it falls short: outside Central Europe and the Alps, coverage drops to community uploads similar to Wikiloc. The free tier limits offline maps to a small radius.
Pricing:
- Free: trail browsing, basic navigation
- Paid: Pro around $35/year, Pro+ around $60/year
- vs Wikiloc: similar entry pricing; Outdooractive wins in DACH and ski touring
Migrating from Wikiloc: GPX import via the web app at outdooractive.com, then sync to mobile. The app reads waypoints but does not import photos.
Bottom line: Pick Outdooractive if you hike or ski-tour in the Alps or DACH region and want trails that align with what’s actually marked on the ground. Skip it for the Americas or Asia.
6. MAPS.ME
MAPS.ME is the simplest path off Wikiloc for hikers who just want offline maps that work. Download a country pack once, and the app shows hiking and biking paths from OpenStreetMap, including trail names, refuges, and water sources. No account required.
Where it falls short: there is no trail discovery beyond what is drawn on the map, no community-recorded routes, no elevation profile in planning, and minimal turn-by-turn voice navigation on dirt trails.
Pricing:
- Free: full offline maps and navigation
- Paid: MAPS.ME+ around $15/year removes ads and adds bookmarks sync
- vs Wikiloc: dramatically cheaper but with far less hiking-specific functionality
Migrating from Wikiloc: import GPX through the Bookmarks menu. MAPS.ME draws the track on the map but does not handle waypoints in the rich way Wikiloc does.
Bottom line: Pick MAPS.ME for travelers who need a single map app that handles streets and trails offline. Skip it if you want elevation analysis, route planning, or community trail reports.
7. Strava
Strava is built for athletes, but its global heatmap is one of the best free tools for discovering where people actually run, ride, and hike. The heatmap shows brightness where activities concentrate, which often surfaces local trails that no curated app lists. Subscription adds segment leaderboards, route builder, and live tracking.
Where it falls short: Strava treats hiking as a secondary activity. There are no trail descriptions, no photo galleries on routes, and no offline downloads unless you build them as Personal Routes first.
Pricing:
- Free: activity tracking, basic heatmap, route browsing
- Paid: Strava Premium around $80/year
- vs Wikiloc: noticeably pricier for the hiking use case; cheaper if you also run and cycle
Migrating from Wikiloc: export GPX from Wikiloc, then upload as activities under Upload Activity on Strava’s website. Strava treats them as historical workouts rather than reusable routes.
Bottom line: Pick Strava if you already log runs and rides there and want to fold hikes into the same training log. Skip it if hiking is your only outdoor activity.
How to choose
Pick AllTrails if you hike mostly in North America and want vetted trail picks with photos. Pick Komoot if you want a strong route planner that handles bikes, road, and gravel cleanly. Pick OsmAnd if cost matters most and you can spare an hour learning the menus. Pick Gaia GPS for backcountry, overlanding, or any trip where topo overlays matter more than user photos. Pick Outdooractive if you hike the Alps, DACH, or Italy and want trails verified against ground signage. Pick MAPS.ME if you just need offline maps that show trails without any of the extras. Pick Strava if hiking is one of several sports you already track.
Stay on Wikiloc if the community-recorded trail library is the single feature you use most, and you do not mind paying for Premium to unlock the planner and offline downloads. No other app matches Wikiloc on raw count of user-uploaded routes outside of North America.
FAQ
Is AllTrails better than Wikiloc? AllTrails is better for curated US trails with current condition reports. Wikiloc is better for sheer global volume of user-recorded routes, particularly in Europe, Latin America, and parts of Asia. Most hikers pick the one whose strength matches their region.
Can I import my Wikiloc tracks into another app? Yes, Wikiloc lets you export individual trails as GPX files. Every alternative on this list accepts GPX. The catch is that custom waypoints, photos, and notes do not always carry over cleanly. Plan to redo any annotations that matter.
What is the cheapest Wikiloc alternative? OsmAnd’s free tier is the most capable for hikers who want zero subscription. MAPS.ME+ at around $15/year is the cheapest paid option. Both rely on OpenStreetMap data, so they shine where OSM contributors are active.
Is there a free version of Wikiloc? Yes, the free Wikiloc tier shows community trails, lets you record your own, and allows a limited number of offline saves. The Route Planner, multiple map styles, 3D previews, weather, and large offline libraries require Premium.
Which Wikiloc alternative works best offline? OsmAnd, Gaia GPS, and Komoot (with a region purchased) all handle full offline navigation reliably. MAPS.ME works offline too but with thinner trail-specific features. AllTrails works offline only on the paid plan.
