NomadTracks vs. WorkOutDoors
WorkOutDoors is a small legend among Apple Watch athletes: an ultra-configurable watch-first workout app — vector maps on the wrist, 800+ data fields, turn-by-turn along planned routes — for a one-time $8.99. NomadTracks overlaps on the watch but is a different kind of tool: a track and map library across iPhone, iPad, Mac and Watch, where you import and georeference your own maps and everything syncs through your own cloud. Plenty of people would be happy with either; here's the honest split.
Get NomadTracks free on the App Store
Side by side
| NomadTracks | WorkOutDoors | |
|---|---|---|
| Watch workout screens & data fields | Clean recording screens with the essentials | Its superpower — hundreds of configurable metrics and graphs |
| Turn-by-turn along a planned route (Watch) | No — follow the route line on the map by eye | Yes — alerts at turns and waypoints |
| Your own georeferenced paper/PDF maps | Yes — core feature, free, unlimited | No — its own vector maps only |
| POIs with photos and notes | Yes — full waypoint library with photos, categories, folders | Waypoints for navigation |
| Track library & organization | Folders, recoloring, trimming, elevation/speed/pace charts on all devices | Workout history, strongest on the watch |
| iPad and Mac apps | Yes — the whole library, everywhere | iPhone companion + Watch focus |
| Multi-device sync | Your own iCloud / Dropbox / Synology NAS | Watch ↔ iPhone |
| Heart rate & Apple Health | Yes — recorded on the Watch, saved to Health | Yes — deep workout metrics, saved to Health |
| Price model | Free core; optional Pro subscription | One-time $8.99, all features included |
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 WorkOutDoors if …
you live on the Apple Watch and want the most configurable workout screens in existence, plus turn-by-turn cues along planned routes — as a pure watch workout instrument, WorkOutDoors is superb and its one-time price is famously fair.
Choose NomadTracks if …
recording is only half your use case: you want your own maps (park handouts, GeoPDFs, paper sheets) as live offline overlays, POIs with photos, a library that lives on iPhone, iPad and Mac, and private sync through your own cloud — with the Watch as one recorder among several.
FAQ
Is NomadTracks or WorkOutDoors better for Apple Watch?
For pure watch workouts with rich metrics and turn alerts, WorkOutDoors. For standalone watch recording that lands in a full map-and-track library with your own georeferenced offline maps and private sync, NomadTracks. Many hikers and runners actually keep both — they cost nothing to combine, since NomadTracks' core is free and WorkOutDoors is a single $8.99 purchase.
Can WorkOutDoors open GeoPDF or paper maps?
No — WorkOutDoors uses its own vector maps, which are excellent for workouts but can't display your own georeferenced GeoPDF/TIFF or photographed paper maps. That workflow is NomadTracks' core feature, free and unlimited.
Can I use both apps' recordings together?
Yes — both export GPX, and NomadTracks imports GPX with timestamps and elevation, so a WorkOutDoors workout can live in your NomadTracks library alongside everything else.