NomadTracks vs. AllTrails
This is the comparison where 'it depends' is genuinely the answer — because the two apps solve different problems. AllTrails is a trail discovery platform: a huge database of routes with photos, conditions and reviews from a very large community. NomadTracks is a recording instrument: precise private tracks, your own maps, no account. Plenty of people use AllTrails to choose Saturday's hike and NomadTracks to record it.
Side by side
| NomadTracks | AllTrails | |
|---|---|---|
| Trail database with reviews & conditions | No | Yes — its core strength, with a very large community |
| GPS track recording | Full recorder: elevation/speed/pace charts, photo waypoints, trimming | Basic recording |
| Your own georeferenced paper/PDF maps | Yes — free and unlimited | No |
| Apple Watch standalone recording | Yes — GPS + heart rate without the iPhone | Companion app |
| Route planning | Yes (Pro) — on real roads and trails | Yes — within its trail network |
| Account required | No | Yes |
| Where your data lives | Your device + your own iCloud/Dropbox/NAS | Vendor cloud; community features are public by design |
| Offline maps | Custom maps fully offline | Offline downloads with AllTrails+ |
| Price model | Free core; optional Pro subscription | Free with limits; AllTrails+ subscription |
Feature overview as of June 2026, written by the NomadTracks team in good faith — products evolve, so please verify current features and pricing with each vendor. All product names are trademarks of their respective owners.
Choose AllTrails if …
you mainly need to FIND trails: tested routes, recent condition reports, photos and crowd wisdom. No recording app replaces that database.
Choose NomadTracks if …
you already know where you're going — or nobody does, because it's a paper-map-only national park, a sailing day or a 4x4 expedition. Recording quality, privacy and custom maps are in a different league.
FAQ
Can NomadTracks replace AllTrails?
Only if you don't need the trail database. For finding hikes with reviews and conditions, AllTrails is excellent. For recording, privacy and custom maps, NomadTracks is the stronger tool — many hikers simply use both.
Can I import an AllTrails route into NomadTracks?
Yes — AllTrails routes can be exported as GPX and imported into NomadTracks, where you can follow them while recording your own private track.
Is my data public in NomadTracks like AllTrails activities can be?
No. NomadTracks has no community feed, no account and no servers — recordings stay on your devices and in your own cloud. Nothing is ever published unless you export and share it yourself.