LeadNav GPS vs Tread®
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
LeadNav GPS
Plan, coordinate, and navigate off-grid with this powerful GPS tool. Designed for demanding environments, it offers advanced features for mission planning, team communication, and detailed trip recording. Ideal for professionals and outdoor enthusiasts operating without reliable cellular service.
- Mission planning and coordination
- Offline mapping and navigation
- Team location tracking
- Route creation and sharing
- Audible and visual warnings
- Track recording and analysis
- GPX file support
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LEADNAV GPS is the professional off-road GPS for iPhone and iPad. Plan the route at home, run it with turn-by-turn voice guidance where there are no roads, and put your whole team on one map. Built for teams that work and travel off the grid: search and rescue, security details, expeditions, hunting camps, work crews, race teams and their chase crews. NAVIGATE WHERE THERE ARE NO ROADS • Turn-by-turn voice guidance from routes you build or import. Waypoints speak by name as you approach them. • Red warning rings and blue proximity rings that adjust to your speed, so the call comes when you need it. • Any ring you cross alerts, on the route or off it. Serpentine points keep you on the line without a word. • Works with no signal at all. Navigation never needs a connection. • Record tracks, convert them to routes, reverse a route to come back the way you went. • Drop markers for anything you want to find again. Recon, Aviation and Hunting marker sets are included for everyone. • Compatible with Bluetooth headsets, helmet intercoms and speakers for eyes-free navigation. TRIP PACKAGES • One file per trip, event or property: routes, tracks and markers together, with categories and Recently Deleted. • Built on the GPX standard. Import from and export to any GPS device or planning software. • Share a whole Trip Package with your team by AirDrop, Messages or email. • Route Editor with Undo, Join Multiple Routes, Convert Markers to Audio Waypoints, Export to GPS Unit for Garmin, Lowrance and other units. YOUR WHOLE TEAM ON ONE MAP • Group tracking is included with the app. One Team Code, a QR or an invite link builds the team. Teammates join in seconds and see each other live. • Runs over any internet connection: cellular, Wi-Fi at camp, or vehicle-mounted satellite internet such as Starlink. • Keeps sharing with the screen locked when you turn on background tracking. • No account, no login, nothing to sign up for. Your team identity is a random code you can reset any time. COMMS (PRO LICENSE) • Hold to talk with your teams from the pad on the map or from a wireless button. Release to send. • Every message is written out as text in the team thread, so a call you missed at speed is still there when you look down. • Several teams at once, each with its own channel and switch. Faster updates, teammate speed, off-screen arrows and breadcrumb trails. PRERUNNING TOOLS (PRO LICENSE) • PreRunner Bar and Pocket PreRunner: one-tap waypoint drops at speed, with a wipe-safe screen lock. • Wireless buttons: drop waypoints, record tracks, zoom and talk with your hands on the wheel. Part of our patent-pending prerunning system. • Waypoint Mic: hands-free voice notes at speed through your helmet comms. • Speed Highlighter: paint the route green, yellow and red as you run it. • Package Rules: proximity rings and marker symbols by name, saved in the file for everyone you share it with. • Off Route Alert: hear it the moment you leave the line, and which side the route is on. • Edit at speed: tap any waypoint in run mode to edit or delete it. OFFLINE MAPS • Free online map sources include USGS Satellite, USGS Topo and OpenStreetMap. • The Entry and Pro Licenses add offline map imagery for every map type, MBTiles import and overlays, and custom map URLs. Select areas and store them before you go. Maps are provided by outside services and are subject to change. LICENSES The app is a one-time purchase. Entry and Pro are auto-renewing licenses, managed in your Apple account. Details at leadnavgps.com/pricing. NOTES • This is a high-powered GPS and needs power for prolonged use in the field. Continued background GPS use can dramatically decrease battery life. • Wi-Fi-only iPads have no internal GPS chip. Use a cellular model, or an external GPS receiver with the app. • Group tracking and Comms need an internet connection. Navigation does not.
Tread®
Track friends, sync navigation data, and plan routes with this powersport navigator companion app. It allows for seamless data transfer and provides smart notifications and live weather updates.
- Track up to 20 friends on map
- Sync waypoints, tracks, and routes
- Plan routes with custom preferences
- Import and export GPX files
- Smart notifications
- Live weather updates
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Roam the unknown with the Tread® app. It lets you track up to 20 friends on the map of your smartphone and Tread® powersport navigator by using the Group Ride Mobile feature and syncs waypoints, tracks, routes and collections across devices. Easily plan routes on your smartphone with the same maps, vehicle profiles and route preferences you have on your Tread device. Users can import and export GPX files and get access to smart notifications and live weather. • Track up to 20 friends on the map of your smartphone and Tread® device by using the Group Ride Mobile1 feature • Wirelessly sync waypoints, tracks, routes and collections across your compatible smartphone and Tread® powersport navigator • Easily calculate faster time or adventurous routes on your smartphone with the same maps, vehicle profiles and route preferences you have on your Tread device • Import and export GPX files to try out new routes or revisit favorite rides • Keep your phone safely stowed away, and still get important messages and alerts via smart notifications2 on your Tread® device display when it’s paired with the Tread® app • Use the app to access live weather updates, viewable on your Tread® navigator’s display
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Tread® at Free against LeadNav GPS's $19.99. Tread® also leads on rating (4.5 vs 3.9) and in-app purchases (none vs 13). LeadNav GPS's advantage is chart position (#8 vs unranked). On review sentiment, update cadence, 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
Tread® is free to download; LeadNav GPS costs $19.99 up front. LeadNav GPS sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Tread® asks for nothing beyond the download.
Tread® holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 116 and 437 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 67% of LeadNav GPS's written reviews are positive against 65% of Tread®'s, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
LeadNav GPS ships an update every 5 weeks, Tread® every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | LeadNav GPS | Tread® |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $19.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 3.9 (116 ratings) | 4.5 (437 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 67.4% of reviews — better | 64.8% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 116 | 437 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #8 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 16.5 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 40 MB | 288 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | LeadNav Systems LLC | Garmin |
Customer experience
LeadNav GPS
Tread®
User reviews
LeadNav GPS
From 116 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🗺️ Excellent for off-road navigation
- 🏎️ Ideal for racing (Baja, KOH, etc.)
- 📍 Precise waypoint marking and voice text
- 🚀 Game changer for pre-running
- 👍 Versatile for various outdoor adventures
Room to improve
- 💰 High cost for subscriptions/features
- 📉 Map quality downgraded over time
- 🐛 Subscription renewal issues
- 🐛 Restore purchases not working
- 🐛 Files deleted upon app reinstallation
Tread®
From 437 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 💡 Ability to plan routes on phone/tablet
- 🚀 Easy to sync routes to Garmin device
- 👍 Customizable route settings (e.g. adventure mode)
- 👍 Offline maps and navigation
- 👍 Seamless integration with Garmin devices
Room to improve
- 🐛 Syncing issues between app and Garmin device
- 🐛 Corrupted/altered routes when transferred to device
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and glitches
- 👎 Unintuitive user interface, steep learning curve
- 👎 Limited functionality compared to competitors
Bugs and requests
LeadNav GPS
Reported bugs
9 issues- Subscription renewal issues
- Restore purchases not working
- App shuts down when opening tracks
- App dumping out when plotting routes
- Add-ons not purchasable
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- Support link not working
- Location inaccurate
- Battery draining even after force closing
- License not recognized on new devices
Requested features
18 requests- Option to disable confirmation notifications for edits for a period
- Alphabetical order for collections/files
- Call out waypoints in advance
- iCloud Sync
- Apple CarPlay Support
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- More user training videos
- Dark mode option
- Advanced analytics dashboard
- Ability to upload multiple files at once
- Download off-road maps along the route
- Ability to download maps for offline use without high cost
- Support for metric units
- Easier way to contact developers
- Photos for markers
- Custom names for downloaded areas
- Smaller on-screen buttons (zoom, speed)
- Hide unnecessary UI elements by tapping map
- Dark mode
Tread®
Reported bugs
4 issues- Inability to save/load routes on mobile app
- Inconsistent behavior when importing routes
- Frequent disconnections between app and device
- Lack of metric units and other regional support
Requested features
5 requests- Web/desktop app for route planning
- Improved offline map coverage
- Collaborative route planning features
- Better organization and folder structure
- Larger text/UI options for accessibility
In-app purchases
LeadNav GPS
- Entry License Monthly$6.991 Month
- Pro License Monthly$24.991 Month
- Entry License$69.991 Year
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- Satellite Group Tracking$149.991 Month
- Pro License$249.991 Year
- Hunting Markers$4.99
- Aviation Markers$4.99
- Recon Markers$4.99
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- Advanced Pack (1Year Subscription) - Map to Advanced Upgrade$19.99
- Advanced Subscription (1 Year)$69.99
- Advanced to Pro Upgrade$179.99
- Map to Pro Upgrade$199.99
- Pro Pack Subscription (1 Year)$249.99
Tread®
No in-app purchases









