Cyclist vs XOSS
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Cyclist
This app delivers in-depth road cycling content, featuring reviews of bikes and gear, expert advice, and stunning photography. Explore iconic brands, pro peloton stories, and breathtaking rides from around the world.
- Road bike reviews
- Cycling gear reviews
- Expert performance advice
- Pro peloton stories
- Stunning photography
- App-friendly format
- Video content and 360° views
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The Cyclist app brings the digital magazine, website, podcast and store together in one place. • Catch up on the latest news, kit launches, race highlights and opinions on the website. • Use the interactive map to browse the back catalogue of rides and climbs around Britain, Europe and the rest of the world. • Flick through the latest issue of Cyclist magazine – or any back issues – with enhanced reading facility to make it phone-friendly. • Listen to the podcast, where we talk to some of the biggest names in the sport, including Tadej Pogačar, Greg LeMond, Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney, Bradley Wiggins, Tom Pidcock, Lizzie Deignan, Pippa York and many, many more. • Head to the store to find back issues of Cyclist magazine, plus books, t-shirts, prints and other gifts. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
XOSS
Record and analyze your outdoor sports activities with detailed metrics like speed, cadence, and heart rate. Plan routes, sync data from various bike computers, and share your progress with friends. Offers advanced data analysis with charts and GPS tracking.
- Syncs with bike computers
- Records workout data
- Advanced data analysis
- GPS tracking on map
- Route planning
- Syncs with Strava/TrainingPeaks
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XOSS is an "ALL IN ONE" application specialised in cycling and other outdoor activities. With XOSS you can do: - Data syncing from verified bike computers. Including: XOSS, CooSpo, CYCPLUS, etc.. - Workouts recording with all the data you need for free: Speed, Cadence, Power, Heart-rate, Elevation, Calories, Distance, Time, etc... - Advanced data analyzing with charts and graphics. GPS track on map, Elevation, Speed, Cadence, Heartrate Charts, Training zone analysis(Heart-rate, Power), and much more is coming! - Sync with other apps like STRAVA, TRAININGPEAKS. - Share with your friends by connecting to Strava and Training Peaks or share your workouts to social media. - Route planning before your journey. - XOSS uses Health Kit to export your activities into the Health app and to read heart rate. Follow us on FB and IG: xoss.co. More information is available at https://www.xoss.co
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: XOSS at none against Cyclist's 10. XOSS also leads on update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 4 months). Cyclist's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 4.4) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads 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. Cyclist sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $13.99 per 3 months. XOSS asks for nothing beyond the download.
Cyclist holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 147 and 395 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 46% of Cyclist's written reviews are positive against 52% of XOSS's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Cyclist ships an update every 4 months, XOSS every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Cyclist | XOSS |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (147 ratings) — better | 4.4 (395 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 46.2% of reviews | 52.2% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 147 | 395 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 6 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Subscription | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 — better | 18 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 90 MB | 110 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Metropolis International Group Ltd | XOSS HONG KONG CO., LIMITED |
Customer experience
Cyclist
XOSS
User reviews
Cyclist
From 147 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 📚 High-quality magazine content and writing
- 📸 Stunning photography and visual design
- 🎨 Well-thought-out digital layout optimized for mobile/tablet
- 📖 Excellent mix of articles, reviews, and cycling routes
- 🌍 Engaging travel and destination coverage
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezes
- ⚠️ Persistent subscription and login issues
- 📥 Downloaded magazines disappear or fail to persist
- 🔌 Requires internet connection to access downloaded content
- ⏱️ Lack of app updates for years
XOSS
From 395 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Clean and simple interface
- 🚀 Reliable data tracking
- 💡 Useful 3D route visualization
- 🤝 Seamless Strava integration
- 💰 Good value for money
Room to improve
- 🐛 Inconsistent GPS connectivity
- 🔄 Sync issues with Strava
- 🔍 Limited data analytics
- 🌐 Lack of language options (e.g. French, Russian)
- 🔋 Battery drain concerns
Bugs and requests
Cyclist
Reported bugs
17 issues- App crashes immediately on launch
- Incompatible with iOS 17 and newer versions
- Downloaded magazines don't persist on device
- Partial downloads despite good internet connection
- App locks up and freezes during use
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- Cannot access downloads without internet connection
- Subscription validation errors (iTunes receipt error 21004)
- Login fails to recognize email or account credentials
- App resets and loses all downloaded content after updates
- Menu structure completely broken after updates
- White pages stating data source cannot be read
- Jittery page loading during browsing
- Unable to navigate between issues
- App becomes unusable after forced updates
- Subscription status not recognized despite valid payment
- Issues 100-108 cause app to crash
- Subscribe button leads to useless page
Requested features
10 requests- Bookmark functionality to save reading position
- Page sync across devices
- Offline reading without internet requirement
- Zoom-enabled contents page
- Device-compatible GPS files for cycling routes
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- More North American cycling destination coverage
- Integration of advertisements with shop/web links
- Ability to re-open magazine where you left off
- Display percentage of magazine read on cover
- Improved navigation between editions
XOSS
Reported bugs
4 issues- App crashes after recent updates
- Unable to update device firmware on iOS
- Sensor connectivity problems
- Incorrect distance/speed measurements
Requested features
4 requests- Add more detailed metrics (e.g. elevation, power)
- Improve route editing and privacy controls
- Introduce automatic sync options
- Provide more comprehensive data export capabilities
In-app purchases
Cyclist
- 3 month subscription1 Month trial$13.993 Months
- 6 month subscription$26.996 Months
- 12 month subscription$49.991 Year
- Cyclist Single Issue 47$4.99
- Cyclist Single Issue 49$4.99
- Cyclist Single Issue 52$4.99
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- Cyclist Single Issue 14$5.99
- Cyclist Single Issue 44$5.99
- Cyclist Single Issue 46$5.99
- Cyclist Single Issue 48$5.99
XOSS
No in-app purchases
