HikeTracker vs Backpackers Friend

Why another tracking app? ACCURACY - GPS receivers, including smartphones, can record locations every second but have inherent and unavoidable errors that are small compared to the distance traveled in that second by an automobile, airplane or cruise missile but are large enough to overwhelm the data when used in human-powered activities like • Hiking • Walking • Running and Cycling This is especially true In situations where the GPS satellite signals can be compromised by things that block or absorb microwaves: • Hills and mountains • Heavy tree cover • Rain and clouds SIMPLICITY - Most apps have a lot of features that may be very useful for some folks but they often make the user hunt for the simple stuff. Also I have occasionally lost all my data when I accidentally touched the wrong thing on a busy and complicated screen HikeTracker was designed with Accuracy and Simplicity in mind to support hiking in the mountains of the beautiful Pacific Northwest but it works just as well for less challenging activities like walking and biking around town. It uses several strategies to combine and curate the raw GPS data, filtering out some of the inherent errors and saving only enough points to get a smooth and accurate picture of the user’s track and accurate distance measurements. But all that fancy-schmancy stuff is kept out of sight - to use it you just: • Open HikeTracker • Press “Start” • Go What it does • Makes an accurate GPS-based track of your activity • Shows accurate distance traveled and elevation gained • Saves that info in a standard GPX (GPS file exchange format) file that can be saved and/or shared with other apps and programs What it lacks • No social media • No ads • No in-app purchases • No saving or sharing of personal data • iPhone only • Currently lacks support for languages other than English

Backpackers Friend is built for multi-day and thru-hike trips — not adapted from a day-hike app. Plan your route with trail-snapped GPS navigation, auto-cached maps before you lose signal, and track every mile from trailhead to summit. Everything runs on-device. No account required. No cloud. Just you and the trail. PLAN YOUR TRIP ------------ Draw your route on the map and watch it snap to real trail networks. Add waypoints — campsites, water sources, summits, trailheads — and organize them by day, then filter the map to a single day to focus on today's miles. Hiking between resupplies? Split your gear and food into legs and know exactly what you're carrying on every stretch. Built on OpenStreetMap trail data, the routing engine finds the best path even where trail coverage is sparse. Backpackers Friend comes pre-loaded with 16 iconic multi-day routes including the John Muir Trail, sections of the PCT, and the Enchantments — fully planned with waypoints and elevation data, so you can explore on day one without building anything from scratch. NAVIGATE OFFLINE ------------ The most dangerous moment in backcountry navigation is realizing you forgot to download the map. In Backpackers Friend, that moment doesn't exist: plan a trip and the app automatically caches the maps and the trail network for your entire route — no download button to remember. Once your trip shows Offline Ready, the map, your route, and trail-snapped navigation keep working with zero bars — included with Premium. No cell service, no Wi-Fi, no problem. A dedicated hiking topo map with high-fidelity contour lines and USGS Topo are both available. TRACK EVERY MILE ------------ Hit GO at the trailhead and Backpackers Friend tracks your route, records GPS fixes, and measures distance, elevation gain, pace, and splits. Your activity history builds over time — every trip logged, every mile counted, every summit recorded. Achievements track what matters to backpackers: lifetime distance milestones, first summit, first completed thru-hike segment, multi-trip streaks, and more. Every trip you finish adds to a history worth keeping. FREE FEATURES ------------ ◆ Unlimited trip creation with waypoints ◆ Trail-snapped GPS route drawing ◆ Online maps — hiking topo and USGS Topo ◆ Live GPS tracking and activity recording ◆ Full activity history and lifetime stats ◆ 16 pre-built iconic routes to explore on day one BACKPACKERS FRIEND PREMIUM ------------ ◆ Offline maps and navigation — auto-downloaded for every trip ◆ Gear checklist with weight tracking by category ◆ Multi-leg food and gear planning between resupplies ◆ Off-trail alerts when you stray from your route ◆ Background GPS tracking when your screen is locked ◆ Elevation profiles for every route ◆ Weather forecasts for your trip dates ◆ Battery-saver GPS mode Premium is a monthly or annual subscription. Cancel anytime. WHO IT'S FOR ------------ PCT section hikers. JMT planners. First-time overnighters. Anyone who has ever tried to plan a multi-day trip in a day-hike app and felt the gap. Backpackers Friend is built specifically for the moment you leave the trailhead and don't come back for days. NO ACCOUNT. NO CLOUD. NO TRACKING. ------------ Every piece of data — trips, routes, gear lists, activity history, achievements — lives in a database on your phone. Nothing is sent to a server. No ads, no analytics. No account to create, no password to forget. The core app is free and fully functional without ever opening your wallet. Backpackers Friend was built on a simple principle: your data belongs to you, and your maps work when signal doesn't. Whether you're planning your first overnight or your fifth JMT attempt, Backpackers Friend gives you the tools serious backpackers actually need — without the bloat. Download free. No account needed. Just open the app and start planning. Privacy Policy: https://backpackersfriend.app/privacy Terms of Use (EULA): https://backpackersfriend.app/terms