Comparison

GPS Tracks vs Garmin Explore™

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

GPS Tracks

This app allows users to track outdoor activities like hiking, biking, and running. It enables navigation to waypoints, storage of favorite destinations, and offers advanced features for route planning and data export with a subscription.

Highlights
  • Track hiking, biking, running, and walking routes
  • Navigate to saved waypoints
  • Store and manage favorite destinations
  • Offline map downloads
  • Export tracks and waypoints (GPX, KML, CSV)
  • Real-time track sharing
  • Apple Watch app for direct activity tracking
Features
Read full description

"One of the better GPS apps for sporting enthusiasts for the iPhone..." - Bryan Wolfe, AppAdvice.com Do you want to track your hiking, biking, walking, running? Do you want to track your outdoor activities? Do you need to navigate to waypoints? Do you want to store your favorite destinations? Explore anywhere, without limits with GPS Tracks. It is an ideal app for offline hiking, running, walking, cycling, and any other route tracking activity. It is a perfect companion for traveling, hunting, fishing, and other navigational activities where you need to store specific waypoints. Use Applications - • Great for hiking offline, running, walking, and biking to track your route! • Great for photographers who need to track location data for their pictures! • Great for hunters and fishermen who need to store specific locations! • Great for golfing to find the distance to the pin! • Great for military navigational applications! Features Upgrade to GPS Tracks Pro & Premium (requires subscription) • Download maps for offline use • Use Street, Terrain, Topo, Satellite, USGS, NOAA nautical charts, FAA charts, and many other alternate map sources • Add map overlays of local trails or area boundaries from images, files, or directly from your camera • Use custom Map Tile Server URLs • Export tracks and waypoints to GPX, KML, KMZ, or CSV • Print Maps in PDF • GPS Tracks Live - real-time track sharing with friends which allows you to see your friends tracks live on the map • Use the Range Finder • Create a track pacesetter or goal to improve your time on a given track • Weather at waypoints • Elevation profiles for tracks • Create routes manually by tracing the map or dropping pins • GPS Tracks uses WGS84 datum, over 220 datums available with the subscription • Subscription syncs via iCloud to other devices Track • Record your track for any activity • Save your favorite waypoints • Take GPS static observations to average current location for more accurate waypoints • Easily navigate to waypoints with the waypoint guide on the compass • Add a vector as a waypoint with angle and distance • Convert between four sets of coordinates (Decimal, DMS, MGRS, UTM) anytime Measure (requires subscription) • The Range Finder allows you to measure distance, elevation and angle between any two points on the map • Map measuring tools allow you to measure area and distance on the map • Draw or drop pins to measure Apple Watch App • Track your activity directly with your Apple Watch without your iPhone • Will save your workouts to the Health app from the watch (only the watch app uses HealthKit) Connect • iCloud syncing (will sync between Mac, iPad, and iPhone version) • Import from Dropbox, iCloud Drive, or the local device storage • Send a waypoint to the Apple, Google, or Waze app for driving directions • Import tracks and coordinates in a GPX, KML, BIN, CSV, or NMEA format Live Activities & Widgets • Live Activity for tracking and navigating waypoints • Lock Screen & Home Screen widget for distance today and current location • Home Screen widget for last track and add new waypoint There are many other great features. Privacy Policy and Terms of Use - http://www.dmsoftwaresolutions.com/privacyPolicyTermsOfUse.html Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.

About

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.

Highlights
  • Off-grid navigation
  • Trip planning
  • Offline map downloads
  • Pair and sync with Garmin device
  • Activity library
  • Cloud storage
  • LiveTrack location sharing
Currently charting
Read full description

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.

Screenshots

GPS Tracks4 screens
Garmin Explore™4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: GPS Tracks at 88% against Garmin Explore™'s 45%. GPS Tracks also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.1) and ratings volume (18K vs 1K). Garmin Explore™'s advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3). On price, update cadence, ads and chart position 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. GPS Tracks sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $29.99 per year. Garmin Explore™ asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

GPS Tracks holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: GPS Tracks has 18K ratings behind it against 1K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 88% of GPS Tracks's written reviews are positive against 45% of Garmin Explore™'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

GPS Tracks ships an update fortnightly, Garmin Explore™ monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
GPS Tracks versus Garmin Explore™: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGPS TracksGarmin Explore™
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (18K ratings) — better4.1 (1K ratings)
Positive reviews88.1% of reviews — better45.0% of reviews
Number of ratings18K — better1K
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#73 — better#96
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Vision Pro — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.4
Further details — not scored
Size107 MB449 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperDavid MorneaultGarmin

Customer experience

GPS Tracks

All ratings17,616 ratings
Positive93.8%
Neutral3.4%
Negative2.8%
Written reviews1,119 reviews
Positive88.1%
Neutral3.3%
Negative8.6%

Garmin Explore™

All ratings1,015 ratings
Positive76.9%
Neutral6.0%
Negative17.0%
Written reviews544 reviews
Positive45.0%
Neutral11.9%
Negative43.0%

User reviews

GPS Tracks

From 18K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Accurate GPS tracking
  • 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
  • 💡 Versatile features for various activities
  • 🚀 Responsive customer support
  • 👍 Reliable and consistent performance

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes or glitches
  • 🔋 Battery drain issues
  • 🔒 Concerns about privacy and data security
  • 👎 Offline maps not fully functional

Garmin Explore™

From 1K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🚀 Excellent for planning routes and activities
  • 💡 Great for offline navigation with downloaded maps
  • 👍 Seamless integration with Garmin devices
  • 👍 Useful for tracking and sharing adventures

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Sync issues with Garmin devices
  • 🔍 Lacking detailed map options in some regions
  • 🔍 Confusing interface and terminology
  • 🐛 Crashes and performance issues
  • 🔒 Requires login and internet connection for full functionality

Bugs and requests

GPS Tracks

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Tracks disappearing after updates
  • GPS coordinates not always accurate
  • Difficulty deleting unwanted waypoints

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to edit waypoint names
  • Improved map synchronization across devices
  • Integration with popular fitness apps
  • Landscape map view option
  • Automatic activity tracking without user interaction

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

In-app purchases

3 purchases

GPS Tracks

Subscriptions2
  • GPS Tracks Pro7 Days trial$29.991 Year
  • GPS Tracks Premium$49.991 Year
One-time1
  • Datum Add-On Pack$2.99
None

Garmin Explore™

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is GPS Tracks free?
GPS Tracks is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Garmin Explore™ free?
Garmin Explore™ is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, GPS Tracks or Garmin Explore™?
GPS Tracks is rated higher. GPS Tracks averages 4.7 out of 5 from 18K ratings, while Garmin Explore™ averages 4.1 from 1K ratings.
Do GPS Tracks or Garmin Explore™ have ads?
Neither GPS Tracks nor Garmin Explore™ shows ads.
Which is updated more often, GPS Tracks or Garmin Explore™?
GPS Tracks ships an update fortnightly, and Garmin Explore™ monthly. Most recently, GPS Tracks was updated on September 23, 2026 and Garmin Explore™ on September 24, 2026.
Which is more popular, GPS Tracks or Garmin Explore™?
GPS Tracks currently peaks at #73 in the App Store charts, and Garmin Explore™ at #96. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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