Comparison

TrailForge vs Trail

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

Head to head
About

TrailForge

Features
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TrailForge is the planning app for trail and ultra runners who coach themselves. Plan your training in the units the sport actually uses β€” vertical gain and time on feet β€” then turn the same preparation into a race-day plan with pacing, weather and fuelling for your course. Most running platforms were built for the road: they measure your week in flat kilometres and treat elevation as an afterthought. TrailForge plans in vert and hours from the start. PLAN YOUR SEASON β€’ Build multi-week training plans on your phone β€” no desktop required β€’ Set weekly targets in vertical gain and time on feet, not just distance β€’ A full structured-workout editor: intervals, repeats, ramps, hill blocks β€’ Plan a backyard ultra with lap-based projections SEE PLANNED VS ACTUAL β€’ Completed runs sync back and match themselves to the planned session β€” scored on date, distance and route, always yours to override β€’ Watch each week fill in: planned vert against climbed vert, planned hours against hours on feet PLAN RACE DAY β€’ Import the course (GPX) and get terrain-aware splits that respect the climbing β€’ Weather projected along the course β€” the forecast for where you'll be when you get there, not for the start line β€’ A fuelling plan with carbs, fluids and sodium spaced across the race, aid station by aid station FUEL THAT LEARNS β€’ After long efforts, a three-tap check-in: did you follow the plan, how was your gut, how was your energy β€’ Your targets adjust from what actually worked for you β€” not a generic formula ROUTES β€’ Draw routes that snap to trails, or import GPX β€’ Elevation profile, distance and climbing for every route β€’ Follow your route in the field WORKS WITH YOUR WATCH β€’ Push planned workouts and routes to Garmin β€’ Import completed activities from Garmin or Strava β€’ Splits, grade-adjusted pace, heart-rate zones and elevation for every run β€’ Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets FREE AND PRO Logging, weather, route viewing, single workouts and the post-run fuel check-in are free forever. TrailForge Pro unlocks multi-week plans, race-day plans, personalised fuel targets and long-term stats. TrailForge Pro is an auto-renewable subscription: US $129/year or $14.99/month (prices vary by region), with a 2-week free trial on the annual plan. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period; any unused portion of a free trial is forfeited when you purchase. Manage or cancel in Settings > Apple Account > Subscriptions. Privacy Policy: https://trailforge.run/privacy/ Terms of Use (EULA): https://trailforge.run/terms/ Questions or ideas? support@trailforge.run β€” TrailForge is built by one trail runner in Norway.

About

Trail

Features
Read full description

Your life, automatically logged. Traillog records your movements in the background and turns them into a clear timeline of stays and trips. No manual check-ins, no third-party trackers β€” just your day, organized. AUTOMATIC TIMELINE β€’ Background location tracking β€” works even when the app is closed β€’ Stays and trips detected and labeled automatically β€’ Timeline and map views of your history β€’ Weather, health, and motion data added to each segment ACTIVITY & FITNESS β€’ Start workouts with one tap β€” running, cycling, walking, and more β€’ Readiness score and adaptive coaching (Apple Watch) β€’ Activity rings, daily goals, and training summaries β€’ Heart rate zones, auto-pause, laps, and activity metrics β€’ Import Garmin FIT, TCX, GPX, gzip, and ZIP activity files (Pro). Imported routes stay on-device. STATS & INSIGHTS (Pro) β€’ Distance, places visited, and trends over time β€’ Year in Review β€’ Export to GPX, KML, and CSV SHARED TIMELINES (Pro) β€’ Timeline shares include segment type, activity type when applicable, time, start/end map coordinates, address or place, and simplified travel paths. β€’ Shows the same trip paths as your map, including road-aligned driving routes when available. Traillog shares simplified coordinates onlyβ€”not timestamps, speed, altitude, accuracy, or HealthKit workout routes. β€’ Stats-only share creation has been removed; existing Stats links remain viewable but read-only and no longer update Shared timelines no longer include photos. Photos remain available on your personal timeline. Creating and publishing Timeline shares requires Pro. Accepting and viewing a Timeline share you're invited to is free. MORE PRO FEATURES β€’ Live Activity & Dynamic Island β€’ Photo matching on your timeline β€’ Daily and weekly summaries β€’ Tags on segments β€’ Saved places and movement profiles β€’ On This Day, My Trips, and badges PRIVACY FIRST Traillog uses only Apple frameworks β€” no third-party SDKs or analytics. Your data stays on your device and in your iCloud account. Works fully offline with optional iCloud sync. PLATFORMS β€’ iPhone with optional Apple Watch companion β€’ Home screen and Lock Screen widgets Start with a 30-day free trial of Traillog Pro. Cancel anytime. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://weganar.github.io/Trail-log-legal/traillog-privacy-policy.html

Screenshots

TrailForge4 screens
Trail4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is device support: Trail at 3 against TrailForge's 1. On price, ads, in-app purchases and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. TrailForge sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $12.99 per month and Trail sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Scorecard1 real difference Β· 5 level
TrailForge versus Trail: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTrailForgeTrail
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyβ€”Every 6 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch β€” better
Requires iOS26.026.0
Further details β€” not scored
Size55 MB68 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperBYTE-SIZED SYSTEMS ASWeganar

In-app purchases

2 purchases

TrailForge

Subscriptions2
  • Pro Monthly14 Days trial$12.991 Month
  • TrailForge Pro Annual14 Days trial$99.991 Year
4 purchases

Trail

Subscriptions4
  • Pro Monthly1 Month trial$2.991 Month
  • Family Monthly1 Month trial$4.991 Month
  • Pro Annual1 Month trial$24.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Family Annual1 Month trial$39.991 Year

Questions

Is TrailForge free?
TrailForge is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Trail free?
Trail is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do TrailForge or Trail have ads?
Neither TrailForge nor Trail shows ads.

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