Backroads vs exploreCHQ
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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!
exploreCHQ
Discover the natural beauty of the Chautauqua Institution campus with this self-guided touring app. Explore thousands of trees, hundreds of gardens, and the thriving lakeshore habitat alongside its renowned cultural activities.
- Self-guided campus tours
- Discover trees and gardens
- Explore lakeshore habitat
- Information on local flora and fauna
- Highlights cultural activities
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Chautauqua Institution is known for its lectures, theater, opera, symphony, ballet, sailing, golf, and tennis. But living amongst all that human activity is a rich natural world with thousands of trees and birds, hundreds of gardens, and a thriving lakeshore habitat. Use the Chautauqua Bird, Tree & Garden Club's self-guided touring app to discover the natural world on the 250-acre campus.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: exploreCHQ at 5.0 against Backroads's 3.3. exploreCHQ also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 4 months). Backroads's advantage is ratings volume (62 vs 2). 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.
exploreCHQ holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Backroads has 62 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Backroads ships an update every 4 months, exploreCHQ every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on August 31, 2026 and May 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Backroads | exploreCHQ |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.3 (62 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 52.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 62 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 173 MB | 131 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Backroads | THE CHAUTAUQUA BIRD TREE AND GARDEN CLUB INC |
Customer experience
Backroads
exploreCHQ
In-app purchases
Backroads
No in-app purchases
exploreCHQ
No in-app purchases
