Garmin Explore™ vs Fantic
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Garmin Explore™
Navigate off-grid with this app, which pairs with a compatible Garmin device for trip planning, mapping, and navigation even without Wi-Fi or cellular service. Plan routes, download maps for offline use, and sync data to the cloud.
- Off-grid navigation
- Trip planning
- Offline map downloads
- Pair and sync with Garmin device
- Activity library
- Cloud storage
- LiveTrack location sharing
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OFF-GRID NAVIGATION When paired with your compatible Garmin device(1), the Garmin Explore app lets you use your mobile device for outdoor navigation, trip planning, mapping and more — with or without Wi-Fi® connectivity or cellular service. SEARCH TOOL Easily locate geographic points — such as trailheads or mountain summits — associated with your adventure. STREAMING MAPS For pre-trip planning, you can use the Garmin Explore app to stream maps when you’re within cellular or Wi-Fi range — saving valuable time as well as storage space on your mobile device. Download maps for offline use when venturing outside cellular range. PAIR, SYNC AND SHARE With Garmin Explore, you can pair your smartphone or tablet with your compatible Garmin device to sync and share data for off-grid adventures. Use downloadable maps for navigation anywhere. EASY TRIP PLANNING Plan your next trip by downloading maps and creating courses. Specify your start and finish points, and automatically create a course you can sync with your compatible Garmin device. ACTIVITY LIBRARY Under the Saved tab, review and edit your organized data, including your saved waypoints, tracks, courses and activities. See map thumbnails to easily recognize your trips. SAVED COLLECTIONS The collections list allows you to quickly find all data related to any trip — making it easy to sort and locate the course or location you’re looking for. CLOUD STORAGE The waypoints, courses and activities you’ve created will automatically sync to your Garmin Explore web account when you’re within cellular or Wi-Fi range, preserving your activity data with cloud storage. A Garmin account is required for storing your data in the cloud. LIVETRACK™ With the use of the LiveTrack™ feature, loved ones can follow your location in real time(2) and see data such as distance, time and elevation. What You Get with Garmin Explore • Unlimited map downloads; access topographic maps, USGS quad sheets and more • Aerial imagery • Waypoints, tracking and route navigation • High-detail GPS trip logging and location sharing • Unlimited cloud storage of routes, waypoints, tracks, and activities • Online trip planning 1. https://explore.garmin.com/appcompatibility 2. When used with your compatible smartphone, the Garmin Explore® app and your compatible inReach® technology-enabled Garmin device. The Bluetooth word mark and logos are registered trademarks owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of such marks by Garmin is under license.
Fantic
This app enhances your Fantic E-Bike experience by providing advanced navigation, e-bike diagnostics, and route management. Plan routes based on range and elevation, track your rides, and personalize motor settings for a customized journey.
- Route planning with range and elevation consideration
- Offline navigation with downloaded maps
- E-Bike dashboard with range and assist level
- Personalize motor tuning and thrust factors
- Record and save routes
- Import GPX route plans
- View speed, distance, and cadence
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Connect with Fantic E-Bikes. The Fantic App is the optimum add-on for Fantic E-Bikes, provided with a Bluetooth add-on Adapter, the Brose (Allround and Remote), the Yamaha (Display C and Interface X) displays or with a TQ HPR-50 Engine. Tailored specifically to the Brose, Yamaha and TQ drive systems, the connectivity solution allows a number of additional functions such as navigation to be accessed. The app functions in overview: Navigation - Search for destinations and plan routes, depending on range and elevation profile - Battery friendly route planning - Accurate range calculation and display - Navigate offline using previously downloaded maps - Search for addresses, navigate to map points, view points of interest nearby E-Bike Dashboard - All the most important info about your E-Bike - Reliable Range calculation - Assist Level - Possibility to personalize the Motor Tuning and the Thrust Factors of each single Assist Level (only for Brose and TQ systems) Tour Manager - Record the current route, save it - Retrieve recorded routes - Create a route plan on the PC (.gpx file) and import it into the app Information - View speed, distance covered, travelling time and cadence - Topographical data such as elevation gain and route profile - Analyze speed, cadence and altitudes using graphs To be able to establish the connection between the telephone and the bike, please follow the instructions into the User Manual, at https://fantic.gpstuner.com/user_manual The list of the supported E-Bikes models can be found at https://fantic.gpstuner.com/supported-bikes
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Garmin Explore™ at 45% against Fantic's 0%. Garmin Explore™ also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 4 months) and chart position (#95 vs unranked). Fantic's advantage is iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.4). 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.
Garmin Explore™ ships an update monthly, Fantic every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and August 19, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Garmin Explore™ | Fantic |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.1 (1K ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 45.0% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1K — better | — |
| Update frequency | Monthly — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | #95 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 18.4 | 16.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 449 MB | 129 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Garmin | GPS Tuner Systems Kft. |
Customer experience
Garmin Explore™
Fantic
Bugs and requests
Garmin Explore™
Reported bugs
4 issues- Sync failures between app and Garmin devices
- Disappearing or corrupted user data
- Compatibility issues with newer iOS/Android versions
- Unreliable offline map downloads
Requested features
5 requests- Ability to edit waypoint coordinates
- More customization options for map layers and displays
- Improved route planning and navigation features
- Better syncing and data management between app and devices
- Support for more Garmin device models
Fantic
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Garmin Explore™
No in-app purchases
Fantic
No in-app purchases









