Comparison

ArtTrails vs Unlock Earth

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

Head to head
About

ArtTrails

Transform your movement into unique GPS art by drawing or snapping routes to real paths. Generate, export, and share your creative masterpieces with friends and fitness apps.

Highlights
  • Generate GPS art from movement
  • Smart Mode for road snapping
  • Manual Mode for free drawing
  • Interactive map tools
  • Export routes as GPX files
  • Share creations on social media
Features
Read full description

ArtTrails turns your running, cycling, and walking routes into creative GPS art. Draw shapes on a map, snap them to real roads, and export as GPX files to follow with Strava, Garmin, Komoot, or any fitness app. HOW IT WORKS Pick a shape, draw freehand, or upload your own image to trace. Tap "Snap to Roads" to fit your drawing to walkable paths. Export as a GPX file and open it in your favourite fitness app. Follow the route and watch your GPS art come to life! UPLOAD YOUR OWN DESIGNS Got a logo, mascot, or drawing you want to turn into a route? Upload any image and ArtTrails will let you trace it directly onto the map. If you can picture it, you can run it. 50+ SHAPES TO EXPLORE Hearts, stars, animals, arrows, crowns, sea creatures, landmarks, and more. New shapes added regularly. SNAP TO REAL ROADS Your drawings automatically adjust to real walkable roads and paths, so you get a route you can actually follow - not just a line on a map. EXPORT ANYWHERE One-tap GPX export works with Strava, Garmin Connect, Komoot, Apple Fitness, AllTrails, MapMyRun, and any app that supports GPX files. MULTIPLE MAP STYLES Plan your route on the map style that works best - Standard, Outdoors, Light, Dark, or Satellite view. SAVE & SHARE Save your favourite routes and share them with friends. See the distance before you go so you can plan the perfect outing. PRO FEATURES Upload custom images and trace your own shapes Unlimited saved routes All 5 map styles including Satellite Completely ad-free Early access to new features Whether you're a runner looking to spice up your daily route, a cyclist planning a creative ride, or just someone who loves maps - ArtTrails makes every workout a masterpiece.

About

Unlock Earth

This app uses your GPS activities to permanently unlock real-world places you've traveled through. Connect your Strava account to automatically track runs, rides, and hikes against official municipality boundaries. Earn achievements and claim World Firsts as you build a personal collection of unlocked locations.

Highlights
  • Connect Strava account
  • Automatic GPS activity tracking
  • Unlock real municipality boundaries
  • Permanent collection of unlocked places
  • Dozens of achievements
  • World First claims
Features
Read full description

Unlock Earth turns your real GPS activities into a permanent collection of places you've actually moved through. Connect Strava once. From then on, every qualifying run, ride, hike or ski is automatically checked against real municipality boundaries — sourced from official government and international open-data providers, not approximations. Cover enough distance inside a municipality's real boundary in one activity, and it's yours: permanently unlocked, even if you later delete the activity from Strava. HOW IT WORKS • Connect your Strava account — no manual map or import steps, ever. • Your history syncs automatically, including in the background while the app is closed. • Meet the distance rule inside a real boundary, and that place unlocks for good. • Be the first person ever to unlock a municipality, and claim a World First. WHAT YOU GET • A permanent, personal collection of every place you've earned • Dozens of achievements, from your first unlock to conquering an entire country • Real municipality boundaries, independently verified against authoritative sources — not guesses • Full support for running, hiking, cycling, gravel, mountain biking, cross-country skiing and backcountry skiing COVERAGE More than 150 countries across Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa and Oceania, including the USA (county level, the only US tier with complete, gap-free coverage), Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. Some boundary sets are older or coarser, and a few countries (for example India, China and Russia) are not available yet. The Coverage screen in the app lists every country, its status and the reason. PRIVACY Unlock Earth never sells your data. Your GPS routes are used only to determine what you've unlocked. Delete your account and all your data, permanently, any time from the app.

Screenshots

ArtTrails4 screens
Unlock Earth4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Unlock Earth at 5.0 against ArtTrails's 3.7. Unlock Earth also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 4) and ads (none vs shown). On price, ratings volume, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. ArtTrails sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Unlock Earth asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Unlock Earth holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 2 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ArtTrails ships an update every 5 weeks, Unlock Earth every 5 days. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
ArtTrails versus Unlock Earth: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterArtTrailsUnlock Earth
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.7 (3 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings3 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 5 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS15.115.1
Further details — not scored
Size75 MB33 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJonathan McKennaEirik Enger Karlsen

Customer experience

ArtTrails

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral100.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative50.0%

Unlock Earth

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

4 purchases

ArtTrails

Subscriptions2
  • GPS Art Pro$3.991 Month
  • GPS Art Pro (1 Year)$9.991 Year
One-time2
  • GPS Art Pro$1.99
  • Lifetime Purchase$14.99
None

Unlock Earth

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ArtTrails free?
ArtTrails is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Unlock Earth free?
Unlock Earth is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, ArtTrails or Unlock Earth?
Unlock Earth is rated higher. ArtTrails averages 3.7 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while Unlock Earth averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do ArtTrails or Unlock Earth have ads?
ArtTrails shows ads; Unlock Earth does not.
Which is updated more often, ArtTrails or Unlock Earth?
ArtTrails ships an update every 5 weeks, and Unlock Earth every 5 days. Most recently, ArtTrails was updated on October 24, 2026 and Unlock Earth on October 24, 2026.

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