Withlocals vs Backroads
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Withlocals
Discover unique city experiences with private tours led by local guides. Personalize your itinerary based on your interests, from food and culture to family-friendly adventures. Explore hidden gems and authentic local stories, skipping tourist crowds.
- Private tours with local guides
- Personalized city and food experiences
- Discover hidden gems and authentic spots
- Skip tourist traps and crowds
- Explore at your own pace
- Verified traveler reviews
- Secure in-app booking and payment
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Private tours with local guides, personalized for you. Book private tours and food tours led by local guides who know their city inside out. Discover unique things to do, skip the crowds, avoid tourist traps, and explore at your own pace. With the Withlocals app, every city tour is private and tailored to your interests. Chat with your local tour guide before you go and personalize the experience together. Whether you’re into food tours, culture, history, or traveling with kids, your travel experience fits your style. Discover authentic food spots, hidden neighborhoods, and local stories you won’t find in guidebooks. From private food tours to cultural walks and family-friendly city tours, you choose how you explore. Why travelers choose Withlocals: Private tours with trusted local guides Personalized city tours and food experiences Authentic activities and hidden gems Verified reviews from fellow travelers Easy booking with secure in-app payment Choose from 2,500+ private tours and local experiences in 250+ cities worldwide. Travel deeper. Travel locally. Travel with Withlocals.
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!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Withlocals at 4.8 against Backroads's 3.3. Withlocals also leads on review sentiment (87% vs 52%) and update cadence (weekly vs every 4 months). Backroads's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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.
Withlocals holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Withlocals has 659 ratings behind it against 69, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 87% of Withlocals's written reviews are positive against 52% of Backroads's.
Withlocals ships an update weekly, Backroads every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Withlocals | Backroads |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (659 ratings) — better | 3.3 (69 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 87.2% of reviews — better | 52.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 659 — better | 69 |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 16.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 76 MB | 173 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Withlocals B.V. | Backroads |
Customer experience
Withlocals
Backroads
Bugs and requests
Withlocals
Reported bugs
5 issues- Issues with login and account creation
- Inability to view full review history
- Glitches in chat and messaging features
- Inconsistent app behavior across devices
- Problems with location and map integration
Requested features
5 requests- Improved app stability and performance
- Better communication with guides before tours
- More detailed review system for guides
- Expansion to more countries and cities
- Flexible cancellation and refund policies
Backroads
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Withlocals
No in-app purchases
Backroads
No in-app purchases
