Southern Explorations vs Backroads
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Southern Explorations
Organize all your travel plans in one place, from itineraries and packing lists to restaurant recommendations and local facts. Access all trip details offline, anytime, anywhere on your smartphone or tablet to relax and enjoy your journey.
- Personalized trip itinerary
- Weather forecasts
- Restaurant recommendations
- Packing lists
- Offline access
- Destination facts
- Share itinerary and photos
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Southern Explorations presents an interactive app that organizes all your travel plans into one convenient location. Each tab contains all the information you need to know, both before you depart and while traveling. Not sure what kind of jacket you need for chilling with penguins in Antarctica? Searching for the highest rated asado restaurant in Buenos Aires? Curious which Galapagos island is best for spotting blue-footed boobies? The app has you covered. Find weather forecasts, packing lists, FAQs, restaurant recommendations, reading suggestions, your personalized trip itinerary, and so much more. You can access all the details for your trip anytime, anywhere on your smartphone or tablet, even without a Wi-Fi or data connection. With these details at your fingertips in the user-friendly app, you can relax and enjoy your trip. Download the app today to begin your incredible journey to Latin America! Key Features: · Personalized trip itinerary, including hotel details, flight schedule and emergency contact information · Weather forecasts for all areas you’re visiting · Southern Explorations recommended restaurants for each city on your trip · Packing list · Tipping guide · Recommend reading list to learn more about your trip destinations · FAQs · Information about currency exchange rates and other money matters · Health & safety details · Quick facts about your destination country, including population data, geographical details, and political information · Ability to share your trip itinerary and photos with friends and family
Backroads
This app provides detailed information and daily route options for active travel adventures like biking and hiking. It offers helpful tips and regional information to enhance your journey. Your trip leaders are also available through the app for guidance.
- Daily route options
- Trip schedules
- Helpful tips
- Regional information
- Trip leader access
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Backroads is the leader in active travel, offering Biking, Hiking and Multi-Adventure Trips in 55+ countries worldwide. This Trip Companion app, and a unique log-in code, will be available to you just before your trip starts. You’ll find daily route options, schedules, helpful tips and other regional information. Of course, your incredible Trip Leaders are available every day of your trip to guide you through some of the most beautiful places in the world. We look forward to seeing you out there!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Southern Explorations at 4.5 against Backroads's 3.3. Southern Explorations also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.4). Backroads's advantage is update cadence (every 4 months vs every 10 months) and ratings volume (62 vs 4). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Southern Explorations holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Backroads has 62 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Southern Explorations ships an update every 10 months, Backroads every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Southern Explorations | Backroads |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (4 ratings) — better | 3.3 (62 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | — | 52.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 4 | 62 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 10 months | Every 4 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 16.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 26 MB | 173 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | whistleBox | Backroads |
Customer experience
Southern Explorations
Backroads
In-app purchases
Southern Explorations
No in-app purchases
Backroads
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Southern Explorations free?
Is Backroads free?
Which has better reviews, Southern Explorations or Backroads?
Do Southern Explorations or Backroads have ads?
Which is updated more often, Southern Explorations or Backroads?
Other comparisons
