Back vs Garmin Explore™
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Back
This navigation tool uses your device's GPS to help you return to saved locations. Mark spots like parking or hotel locations and easily find your way back. Offers customizable display options and power-saving features.
- Save and return to marked locations
- Mark current location or enter coordinates
- Customizable user interface styles
- HUD for location information
- Power saving mode
- Unlimited preset destinations
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Using the GPS of your device, Back Track helps guide you back to any location you've marked. Any time you're somewhere you think you may need to return to, but you're not sure you'll be able to find your way back, simply save your position with Back Track by marking the location. Whether it's where you parked your car or the hotel you're staying at, you can be sure you'll be able to find the location again. When ready, select the saved location and start tracking. It's as easy as that! Features - Create and edit unlimited preset destinations. - Mark your current location or enter longitude and latitude coordinates manually. - Choose from a selection of user interface styles. - HUD for detailed information of your current and target locations. - The settings panel gives you full control over information displayed and measurement units used. - Includes a power saving mode to conserve battery life. Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life. Back Track's accuracy is dependent on that of your device. For better results, keep your device away from magnets and electronics, and calibrate it if prompted to do so.
Garmin Explore™
Navigate off-grid with this app, compatible with Garmin devices. Plan trips, download maps for offline use, and track your adventures. Share your location in real-time with loved ones.
- Off-grid navigation with compatible Garmin devices
- Trip planning and course creation
- Downloadable maps for offline use
- Real-time location sharing via LiveTrack
- Activity library for saved waypoints and tracks
- Cloud storage for trip data
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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.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Garmin Explore™ at 4.2 against Back's 3.6. Garmin Explore™ also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (monthly vs every 20 months). Back's advantage is iOS requirement (8.0 vs 18.4). On price, review sentiment, ads and device support 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. Back sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Garmin Explore™ asks for nothing beyond the download.
Garmin Explore™ holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 3.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Garmin Explore™ has 1.1K ratings behind it against 17, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 41% of Back's written reviews are positive against 46% of Garmin Explore™'s.
Back ships an update every 20 months, Garmin Explore™ monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 13, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Back | Garmin Explore™ |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.6 (17 ratings) | 4.2 (1.1K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 41.2% of reviews | 45.8% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 17 | 1.1K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 20 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | — | #113 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 8.0 — better | 18.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 14 MB | 457 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Pilot X | Garmin |
Customer experience
Back
Garmin Explore™
Bugs and requests
Back
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or 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
In-app purchases
Back
- Remove Ads$0.99
Garmin Explore™
No in-app purchases









