NomadTracks vs. Footpath
Footpath Route Planner has one of the most delightful tricks in outdoor apps: trace a line with your finger and it snaps to real trails and roads, then guides you along it with turn-by-turn cues — on iPhone and Apple Watch, offline with the Elite subscription. NomadTracks is the other half of the workflow: a privacy-first recorder and map library, where you bring your own maps and everything stays in your own cloud, with the core free. They overlap less than they appear to.
Get NomadTracks free on the App Store
Side by side
| NomadTracks | Footpath | |
|---|---|---|
| Draw-a-route with finger snapping | No — waypoint routing on real trails (Pro) | Yes — its signature feature |
| Turn-by-turn cues along the route | No — follow the line on the map by eye | Yes — audio cues on iPhone and Watch (Elite) |
| Your own georeferenced paper/PDF maps | Yes — free, unlimited, in-app georeferencing | No — its own map styles |
| GPS track recording | Full recorder: elevation/speed/pace charts, photo waypoints, Live Activities | Recording along routes, with health metrics (Elite) |
| POIs with photos and notes | Yes — full library with folders and categories | Route-focused |
| Offline maps | Custom maps fully offline, free; basemap areas cached | Offline topo maps with Elite |
| Apple Watch | Standalone GPS + heart-rate recording without the iPhone | Routes + navigation on the Watch (Elite) |
| Account required | No | Sync via subscription account |
| Price model | Free core; optional Pro subscription | Free basics; Elite subscription for offline, unlimited routes, navigation |
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 Footpath if …
planning is the joy: you sketch next Sunday's loop with a finger, want spoken turn cues while you follow it, and don't need to bring your own maps — Footpath's drawing-and-guidance loop is unmatched at that.
Choose NomadTracks if …
recording and your own maps come first: precise private tracks with elevation charts, park handouts and GeoPDFs as live offline overlays, a POI library with photos, and no subscription needed for any of it.
FAQ
Is NomadTracks a Footpath alternative?
For recording, custom offline maps and a private track library — yes, free at the core. It won't replace Footpath's finger-drawn route planning with turn-by-turn cues; if that interaction is why you love Footpath, the two apps actually complement each other well.
Can I follow a Footpath route in NomadTracks?
Yes — export the route from Footpath as GPX, import it into NomadTracks, and follow the line on the live map while recording your own track. GPX moves freely in both directions.
Which is better on the Apple Watch?
Different jobs: Footpath Elite navigates you along a planned route on the wrist; NomadTracks records standalone on the Watch — GPS, heart rate and elevation with no iPhone along — into your private library.