# Pointz: Plan Safer on Bikes — user reviews > 51 indexed App Store user reviews of Pointz by Pointz Mobility, Inc., rated 4.30/5 from 140 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pointz-plan-safer-on-bikes/id1580218237/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pointz-plan-safer-on-bikes/id1580218237.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 106 · 4★ 9 · 3★ 6 · 2★ 4 · 1★ 15 ## What do users think of Pointz? Overall sentiment: mixed **Pros** - 💡 Great concept and idea - 🗺️ Good routing and bike-friendly paths - 👍 Safety slider for route preference - 🚴 Detailed cycling maps - 📍 Bike parking feature - 🤝 Crowdsourced data and community input - 🚀 Fast and easy to use - 📊 Safety scores for route sections - 🔄 OpenStreetMap data integration - ✨ Innovative slider for comfort vs. directness - ✅ User-friendly and intuitive features - 💯 Beats other mapping apps for biking **Cons** - 💸 Expensive annual fee ($79/year) - 💰 Subscription-only model - 🚫 Limited free tier (2 routes/week) - 🤢 Overly expensive paid model - 😫 Bait-and-switch from free to paid - 📉 Crowdsourced data needs more users - ⚠️ Maps can be inaccurate or dangerous - 💸 High price point for casual riders - 📱 Frequent upgrade pop-ups blocking screen - 😵‍💫 Confusing or incorrect voice navigation - 🧭 Directions like "Continue Northwest" - 🔄 App launches on its own - 😩 Not enough free functionality - 🐌 Slow routing - 🔂 Stuck in routing loop for long distances - 🎨 Route colors not colorblind friendly - ❓ Tutorial pop-ups can be intrusive - 📉 Some roads marked as unsafe unnecessarily - 📊 Limited route history and statistics - ❌ Requires an account to use **Commonly reported bugs** - App needs a lot of work to be more functional - Five ads in the first five minutes - Overlay ad takes up entire screen - Cannot sign up or log in - Directions not found error - App is too buggy to use - Map resets when zooming out or scrolling - Crashes repeatedly during sign in - Next button not always showing - App crashes after submitting review - Voice navigation is incorrect and dangerous - App launches on its own - Routing gets stuck in a loop for long distances - Some destinations don't appear **Most requested features** - Cheaper subscription option - Free tier with basic functionality - Option to remove ads - Colorblind mode with alternate colors - Ability to edit submissions - Mark unprotected and shared bike lanes - More powerful recording features (route history, sharing location) - Ability to turn off voice navigation - Show road ratings even when zoomed out - Add OpenCycleMap base layer to show bike lanes on map - Avatars in the next release ## Newest reviews (12 of 51) ### 2/5 — Needs work *2025-10-05, version 3.2.9* The concept is great and routes are usually pretty good, but the app needs a lot of work to be more functional. ### 1/5 — Great idea, but not subscription worthy yet *2024-04-27* The app needs work and it was a poor decision to switch to a subscription only model. App is useless without the subscription. You can test it for 7 days during which you will see how much work it needs. The routing is pretty good compared to other apps, but slow. It requires crowdsourcing to get better, but there will never be enough users if there is no free option. I added some data to improve the routing, but there’s no point anymore unless I pay a $60 subscription. ### 1/5 — Great idea BUT *2024-04-19, version 3.0.1* I’m used to being able to try the basic features of an app but the upgrade popups block the screen and I can’t get rid of them even temporarily. Not ready for prime time. Needs more testing. ### 2/5 — I would love to give 5 stars but too buggy *2024-04-16, version 2.3.1* I’ve been using the app for around 2 weeks to great affect, it’s helped me see nearby routes but now for some reason the second I input a destination it says “directions not found” even though it was working perfectly fine prior. The app is great but if it fixes just this one problem it’d be 5 stars ### 3/5 — Interesting but doesn’t work, not colorblind friendly *2024-04-15, version 2.3.1* Interesting idea but the route colors are not accessible to me (red/green colorblind), and every time I try to put in a destination it says “No directions were found”. The app should have a colorblind mode using alternate colors (blue/green for example). Also, the tutorial for the layers button pops up out of nowhere. There are three different tutorials: the onboarding, the one you can skip, then the layers button. Hopefully that can be cleaned ip so when I press “skip tutorial”, it can work for all three of those. ### 3/5 — Unparalleled safety options *2024-02-13, version 2.3.1* This app is amazing for cyclists that worry about getting pancaked by distracted drivers. No other apps come close to letting you not only adjust how safe you want your route to be, but also allow you to adjust said route manually. My only gripe is sometimes the app will launch on its own. You know how when you’re navigating somewhere, iOS will give you a blue bubble over your clock in your status bar indicating you’re on route via gps? Pointz does that even if you have forced the app closed. It does this even if you aren’t on your bike. It’s a little creepy. I only want to use this app if I have deliberately opened it. I emailed the developer about it a week ago and still haven’t heard anything. My quick fix, even though it isn't ideal, is to uninstall the app when I’m not using it. ### 4/5 — Awesome with more to do *2024-01-03, version 2.3.0* I really like this app. The concept of the slider for comfort vs directness is truly a game changer that shows deep understanding of what bike riders want to have available. The biggest problem is the data source underlying it all, which is good in some places and bad in others. If you know your city well, it’s possible to fix the issues directly, but that takes additional effort. (At least there is a way, other mapping apps have seemingly abandoned their bike information) ### 2/5 — Makes too many roads as unsafe *2023-05-26, version 2.2.4* The app is a good idea but on many occasions it marks roads with bike lanes as unsafe based on “high traffic road” case in point Santa Monica bvld which has bike lanes and is rated the same as sunset above it. Which is crazy ### 3/5 — A lot of potential but not quite usable. *2023-05-23, version 2.2.4* Love the slider, love that it took me ways I never would have discovered. But when navigating, the app repeatedly announced to turn left/right all the time when there was no junction. Considering how many turns this app recommends, this is an issue. ### 2/5 — Sadly disappointed *2023-05-20, version 2.2.4* I was really excited to download this app and use it. I plugged in my destination and set it on the safer end of the slider, which made a route that was a little more meandering but it promised to get me there on what seemed to be less trafficked paths and roads, many of which I’d never been on before. That was great because I’d hoped to use it to be safer, get some decent exercise on a longer route but still get where I needed to go *and* discover areas of my city I’d never been to. It seemed like an all around win. I connected it to my earbuds, put on some music, put the phone in my backpack and away I went. I didn’t get to the end of my street before I discovered how impossible it would be to actually use this way. As I approached the cross street, I hear nothing. I figured I’d just pick a direction and maybe it’d recalibrate and get me back on track. As I’m turning right onto the street, I hear the most unpleasant robotic voice I’ve ever heard tell me, “Turn left onto (the street I just turned right on)”. Oh well, maybe it’s just a hiccup and it’ll get better? No. I continued like this for another mile hoping it would improve. Not only did it not get better, often it does not have names for a particular road or path or perhaps it can’t tell what road you’re actually on for some unknown reason, and it’ll just tell you a direction. “Continue Northwest.” “Continue Southeast.” Apparently I need to invest in a compass. I got both of these exact conflicting directions within seconds of each other. The voice navigation actively made this more dangerous to use than if it had none at all. At one point it told me to make a U-turn after faithfully following the directions it had been giving me. I gave up before very long. The visual map seems like maybe it could be more accurate? If you have a phone mount on your handlebars, and like to ride distracted because you have to constantly look down to make sure you’re going the right way, maybe this app is for you. Personally, I feel pretty badly burnt by it because it promises something truly amazing that I’ve always wished for, and it fails at delivering it spectacularly. I wanted to give this one star because my experience was so bad, but I bumped it to two because I feel like maybe the overall route mapping is kind of neat and not awful. However, using that map without just memorizing the entire thing beforehand is basically impossible. I hope someday the developer it able to make it usable, but at the moment, I’m sad to say that I think it’s hot garbage. ### 3/5 — Short routes only? *2023-05-11, version 2.2.3* This app seems to work for short routes only. I can’t find an exact mileage where it cuts off, but the longest route I’ve been able to get it to do is 38 miles. If you try for longer, it gets stuck in a loop where you input destination, then it asks you for starting point. Input starting point, asks you again for destination. Repeat cycle over and over. There’s a lot of potential in this app, but it’s not there yet. ### 4/5 — Great alternative to Google Maps *2023-03-14, version 2.1.13* As an alternative to Google Maps for bicycle navigation, Pointz is wonderful. I’m very impressed with the routing algorithm, and I’m sure it can only get better. If you cycle only for commuting or recreation, then this is probably your best choice. For cyclists who even care a little bit about things like statistics, speed, etc. though, it falls a little short. There is a limited route history section, but that’s about it. No detailed information, no recording of routes, no sharing location with others, etc. I don’t think it needs to reinvent the wheel or be the new RideWithGPS, Komoot, or Strava, but at least some more powerful recording features would be greatly appreciated. ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — The $79 annual fee is close … *2026-05-06, version 3.3.2* … Dev just missed the decimal point, eg $7.90 one time fee, at best. Doesn’t even work — no scrolling despite words peeping up from the bottom. Smh ### 1/5 — Ads *2025-09-06, version 3.2.6* I appreciate that the developers need to get paid, but I uninstalled the app after seeing five ads in my first five minutes of using it. The final straw was an overlay ad that took up the entire screen while I was in the middle of trying to get directions. ### 1/5 — Scammy and dangerous *2025-07-08, version 3.2.4* Maps are not accurate and dangerous. Requested refund during trial and email ignored. Steer clear ### 1/5 — Can’t sign up *2025-06-02, version 3.2.4* Won’t let me pay the sign up or log in page ### 1/5 — Annual fee is insane *2024-10-05, version 3.1.3* I really enjoyed Pointz and I’m happy to support small app developers, but $79/year is a crazy price point for a causal rider (and the data is crowdsourced!). Give me a cheaper option without the roadside assistance and other fluff - I just want safe bike routes. ### 1/5 — 2 routes a week only??? *2024-07-03, version 3.0.6* I loved this app until you put it behind a paywall. Now it’s unusable. I don’t have unlimited money to subscribe to every single app I want to use. I don’t know if you need to bring in ads or something, and let the paid version remove ads, but it is absolutely ridiculous that you can only get 2 routes a week. I guess I’m going back to Google maps. 🙄 ### 1/5 — Now must pay to use this app *2024-06-16, version 3.0.4* I don’t have a car so bike commuting is necessary and finding safe routes is super Important. This app only allows 2 routes to map out per week. I am not paying $79/year for my safety. ### 1/5 — Bait and switch once again *2024-06-15, version 3.0.4* It is frustrating supporting the early development of freeware only to have it switch to an overly expensive paid model. I helped enter route info for the free version of this software only to watch it become an expensive software with almost no free functionality. You are competing with free software google maps. SUCH a disappointment. Nothing wrong with paying for a good software, but Pointz still needs lots of work to match up to pro apps like the ones from Google and Apple (and those are free.) Dissapointing! ### 1/5 — Needs a free tier *2024-05-25, version 3.0.2* Subscription only is not a good model for crowd sourced apps ### 1/5 — Used to Love it : The. They billed me for it! *2024-05-03, version 3.0.1* Pointz was a great app a few months ago. Then they went to a payment based app. Fine. But for $60 for a full year? No, thank you. The data that Points uses comes from two sources; Google and YOU! The User of the app! So all of my suggestions for Shortcuts to be used on the app was done by me, the user! And now that I have given information on new paths and routes and suggestions, they begin charging money for how I made the app better…. And other people did the same thing as I did too. Pointz you had a good thing going. Sure, I would love to pay you for the app! But a monthly or annual subscription payment? No, thank you. Deleting this app off of my phone. ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Hi *2026-06-08, version 3.3.2* I didn’t get lost This time ### 5/5 — Very useful for biking *2023-10-18, version 2.2.9* Great alternative to google maps with more detailed cycling maps. It is able to pick safe routes based on each individual street’s bike friendliness. The bike parking on the map is also a great feature to help people who bike commute. In terms of features that can make it even better, I think it’d be nice to mark where there are unprotected bike lanes and shared lanes. Even though they’re not as great as protected lanes, I’d rather ride in them than a regular street. ### 5/5 — Best bike route app for transportation! *2023-06-06, version 2.2.4* Snappy and easy to use. I love how you can quickly see the safety score of various sections of the route, and the slider that allows you to prioritize more safety vs a faster trip. (I’ve heard that this app has gotten a lot better in the past year.) It relies on OpenStreetMap data, so if I ever see a street safety score that seems wrong, or a missing trail, I can just go edit OpenStreetMap and eventually Pointz will refresh with that new data. Now we need to increase the user base so that Google Maps and Apple Maps will start feeling the heat, and feel pressure to improve their bike routes! ### 5/5 — Lots of features and easy to use *2023-05-03, version 2.2.3* I’ve tried out many different bike navigation apps and, after some recent app updates, Pointz is easily the best both in terms of features and ease of use. ### 5/5 — Good, and much improved! *2023-04-08, version 2.2.1* I downloaded this app very early-on and loved the concept, but didn’t use it in practice—it was a bit slow, and I tested it on some routes that I knew very well and it put me on more dangerous roads. I updated recently and tried some of those routes again, and they’re perfect. And I love the new safety slider. It’s also much faster now. Great job!! I highly recommend this to anyone wanting to plan out some bike routes in a city. ### 5/5 — Great app *2023-03-01, version 2.1.13* Love the app. My only complaint is that I wish there was a way to turn off the voice. Maybe I just havent found it yet? ### 5/5 — Best mapping app!! *2022-12-07, version 2.1.4* I love using Pointz whenever I'm scootering or biking in the city. I love that it shows me safety rankings from real users as well as the new "balanced" option. Highly recommend!! ### 5/5 — FINALLY!! *2022-12-05, version 2.1.3* Finally an app meant to help bikers stay safe! I love this app and love how it crowdsources info from local bikers. Thanks Pointz! ### 5/5 — Awesome app! Would love some color blind settings *2022-05-20, version 2.0.3* Amazing app, so grateful for this. Would really love for some more colorblind-friendly ratings. I can’t tell the difference between great and bad bike paths. Maybe a setting to use high contrast colors, or have numbers overlayed on the paths e.g. 1 = great, 5 = poor ### 5/5 — Excited for More *2022-03-21, version 2.0.0* SO excited for the avatars in the next release!! --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-09-01.*