Why people leave onX Offroad
- The membership renews automatically and most features sit behind it. Land ownership layers, full offline downloads, and Premium maps all require a yearly plan.
- Offline regions cover trail networks well, but storing several states fills a phone fast. Heavy users move maps to SD card or thin out aggressively.
- Trail conditions and closure status are crowd-fed. Coverage is strong in popular OHV areas but thin in remote BLM and forest service trails where verification matters most.
- Land ownership data is excellent in the western US and patchier east of the Mississippi. Drivers in the Appalachians and Northeast see fewer parcel boundaries.
- The 3.5 store rating reflects real friction: GPS drops on long rides, login loops after updates, and Android Auto sync issues come up in user reports.
If any of those push you to compare, here are 7 onX Offroad alternatives worth installing.
Which app should you choose?
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Gaia GPS if you want the most credible topo and land-overlay alternative across all activities.
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AllTrails if you mix off-road riding with hiking or biking trail discovery.
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Trailforks if you ride dirt bikes, MTB, or moto and want a community-built trail database.
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Avenza Maps if you want to import official BLM, USFS, or state agency PDF maps and use them with GPS.
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Komoot if you cycle gravel or bikepack and want a route planner that snaps to real surfaces.
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OsmAnd if you want fully offline open-source maps with no subscription.
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Polaris Ride Command if you ride a Polaris RZR, Ranger, or Sportsman and want OEM trail data.
Stay on onX Offroad if you ride 4x4 or SxS in the western US and you actively use the land-ownership and gate-closure layers to avoid private property surprises.
Comparison table
| App | Best for | Offline maps | Land ownership | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gaia GPS | All-terrain navigation | Full worldwide | Premium tier | Free + paid plans |
| AllTrails | Hiking and biking trails | Pro tier only | No | Free + paid plans |
| Trailforks | MTB and moto trails | Pro tier only | No | Free + paid plans |
| Avenza Maps | Importing official maps | Free with import limit | No | Free + paid plans |
| Komoot | Bike and gravel planning | Region purchases | No | Free + region packs |
| OsmAnd | Open-source full offline | Full worldwide | No | Free + plus tier |
| Polaris Ride Command | Polaris OHV owners | Trail downloads | No | Free |
1. Gaia GPS -- Best overall alternative
Gaia GPS has been a backcountry standard for years. The default basemap is a strong topo, the layer library covers USFS Motor Vehicle Use Maps, USGS quads, weather overlays, satellite, and snow forecasts, and offline downloads work across the entire map area you choose.
Gaia GPS vs onX Offroad is the closest head-to-head in the lineup. Gaia covers more activity types (hike, bike, ski, snowmobile, overland, hunt), and its Premium plan includes private land overlays similar to onX. The trail database leans wider but less OHV-specific than onX.
Advantages:
- Largest layer library, including USFS MVUM and topo overlays
- Cleaner offline download workflow with stackable layers
- Strong community track sharing and route building
- Web planner syncs to phone
Disadvantages:
- Land ownership detail is less polished than onX in some western states
- Premium tier required for most useful layers
- Heavy on storage when downloading large regions
Pricing: Free tier with limited offline access. Paid plans add full offline and premium layers; pricing is annual.
Bottom line: Pick Gaia GPS for the broadest backcountry coverage across activities and the cleanest layer system.
2. AllTrails -- Best for mixed-use trail discovery
AllTrails carries the largest curated trail database on phones, with more than 400,000 routes, reviews, photos, and recent condition reports. It isn’t built for 4x4 traffic, but it nails dual-sport and gravel use cases, plus the hike-after-the-ride part of most trips.
AllTrails vs onX Offroad is a recommendation engine versus a navigation system. AllTrails tells you which trail is worth riding. onX tells you whether the gate at the end is open and who owns the land beyond it.
Advantages:
- Massive trail catalogue with credible community reviews
- Strong filters for surface type, difficulty, dog-friendly, and accessibility
- Photo-rich trail pages help pre-trip planning
- Apple Watch and Wear OS support for tracking
Disadvantages:
- Limited OHV-specific filtering
- No land ownership data
- Pro tier required for offline maps and wrong-turn alerts
Pricing: Free tier covers basic discovery. Pro plan adds offline maps and real-time alerts on an annual basis.
Bottom line: Install AllTrails to scout trails and combine off-road rides with hiking or biking days.
3. Trailforks -- Best for moto, MTB, and OHV community trails
Trailforks indexes more than 270,000 trails worldwide, with strong sub-databases for MTB, dirt bike, ATV, and motorized routes. The trail status feed, built by riders, often updates within hours of a closure or maintenance event.
Trailforks vs onX Offroad shifts the strength from agency data to rider knowledge. Trailforks knows the singletrack and OHV loops; onX knows the federal land boundaries around them.
Advantages:
- Strongest community-driven trail database for two-wheeled riders
- Region-specific OHV layers with detail onX sometimes misses
- Free tier remains generous for casual users
- Heatmap layer shows what’s actually being ridden
Disadvantages:
- Less useful for 4x4 truck and SxS routes outside known OHV areas
- Pro tier required for offline downloads
- UI prioritizes MTB conventions, which can feel off for moto-only riders
Pricing: Free tier covers map browsing. Pro plan adds offline maps and advanced layers on an annual basis.
Bottom line: Choose Trailforks if you spend most weekends on two wheels and need real-time community trail status.
4. Avenza Maps -- Best for official agency maps
Avenza Maps reads any georeferenced PDF or KMZ and lays your GPS position on top. The Avenza Map Store hosts thousands of free official maps from the US Forest Service, BLM, NPS, and state agencies, which means you can carry the exact paper map the rangers use, with live position.
Avenza Maps vs onX Offroad is the question of who you trust more: agency cartographers or onX’s curated layers. Agencies update slowly but authoritatively. onX updates faster but is selective.
Advantages:
- Reads official USFS Motor Vehicle Use Maps directly
- Works fully offline once a map is downloaded
- Free tier allows three maps stored on device at once
- Track recording and waypoints with photo geotagging
Disadvantages:
- Not a navigation app in the route-finding sense
- Three-map limit on the free tier hits power users quickly
- Custom imports require a small amount of GIS knowledge
Pricing: Free for three maps. Paid plans expand the map limit and unlock map collection management.
Bottom line: Run Avenza Maps when you want the exact agency map in your pocket with live GPS.
5. Komoot -- Best for gravel and bikepacking
Komoot plans routes by surface, not by line. Tell it you want a gravel ride, a dirt-road bikepacking loop, or a hike, and it stitches together unpaved sections, trail surfaces, and singletrack into a turn-by-turn route. Voice navigation, offline regions, and import of GPX rounds out the package.
Komoot vs onX Offroad targets different riders. Komoot wins for self-powered exploration. onX wins for motorized exploration with property data.
Advantages:
- Best-in-class route planner for mixed surfaces
- Turn-by-turn voice cues with rerouting
- Strong gravel and bikepacking community sharing routes
- Wear OS, Garmin, and Wahoo sync
Disadvantages:
- Not built for motorized use
- Pricing is per-region or via a Komoot Premium subscription
- Map detail trails Gaia in remote North American backcountry
Pricing: Single regions purchased one-time, or Komoot Premium for the full world map.
Bottom line: Use Komoot for mixed-surface route planning where you pedal more than you motor.
6. OsmAnd -- Best open-source alternative
OsmAnd builds on OpenStreetMap data with no account requirement and no subscription. The free version covers a generous map quota; the Plus tier unlocks unlimited downloads and contour line overlays. There’s an F-Droid build for users who skip Google Play.
OsmAnd vs onX Offroad pits free open-source data against curated commercial layers. OsmAnd carries no land ownership and no curated trail database, but the underlying OSM data often includes forest service roads, tracks, and trails that commercial apps de-emphasize.
Advantages:
- Full offline use with no subscription
- Open-source, available on F-Droid as well as Play
- Contour lines, hillshading, and topo overlays via plugins
- Track recording and GPX import with no cap
Disadvantages:
- UI takes longer to learn than commercial competitors
- No land ownership or property line data
- Trail metadata depends entirely on OSM contributors
Pricing: Free with limits, or one-time purchase for the Plus tier.
Bottom line: Pick OsmAnd if subscriptions and accounts irritate you more than a steeper learning curve.
7. Polaris Ride Command -- Best free OEM trail app
Polaris Ride Command is the free OEM app for Polaris RZR, Ranger, General, and Sportsman owners. The trail database covers more than 175,000 miles in the US and Canada, with vehicle-specific filters and group ride features that link several phones on one map.
Polaris Ride Command vs onX Offroad is a different shape: Polaris is free and focused on its own riders. onX is paid and covers any vehicle. If you ride a Polaris and run with other Polaris riders, the OEM app costs nothing and integrates with the in-dash Ride Command displays on newer models.
Advantages:
- Free with no subscription
- Group ride: see your friends on the same map in real time
- Pairs with Polaris in-dash displays
- Offline trail downloads included
Disadvantages:
- Trail metadata leans toward Polaris-rider density
- No land ownership layer
- Less useful if you ride other brands
Pricing: Free.
Bottom line: If you bought a Polaris, install Ride Command before paying anyone else.
FAQ
Is Gaia GPS better than onX Offroad for 4x4 use? Gaia is broader and covers more activities, but onX leans deeper into private land ownership and motorized-only trail filtering. 4x4 riders who specifically need parcel boundaries usually keep onX; those who want one app for hunting, hiking, and overlanding lean Gaia.
Can I import my onX Offroad tracks into Gaia GPS? Yes, by exporting GPX from onX and importing into Gaia. Waypoints, tracks, and routes transfer; visual styling does not.
What’s the best free off-road navigation app? OsmAnd has the most generous fully-free tier with offline support. Polaris Ride Command is free if you ride a Polaris. Most other paid alternatives offer a free demo but lock offline downloads behind a subscription.
Does AllTrails show OHV trails? Some, but the database is hiker-first and many OHV-only routes are missing. For motorized riding, Trailforks or onX cover more ground.
Which app works without cell service? All of the alternatives listed offer some form of offline downloads. Gaia, OsmAnd, and Avenza Maps are the strongest fully-offline performers; AllTrails and Trailforks require a Pro subscription for offline use.
