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Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

Trailforks vs Strava

Trailforks 4.7★ · Free to download 65
Winner Strava
Strava 4.8★ · Free + IAP 75

For dedicated mountain biking and trail navigation, Trailforks offers superior detail, but Strava is the better all-around fitness tracker with a more robust social community, despite its own issues with premium pushes and customer support.

Full reviews: Trailforks · Strava

Trailforks excels in detailed trail maps and navigation for mountain biking, but its aggressive paywall and app stability issues frustrate many users. Strava offers comprehensive activity tracking and a strong social component, though it faces criticism for persistent subscription prompts and poor customer support.

Head to head

Features & Specialization edge: TrailforksR5R9R11R13
Trailforks Trailforks is highly praised for its detailed, color-coded trail maps, making it excellent for finding and navigating mountain biking trails, especially for new riders and when traveling R5R11R14R17. Users appreciate the ability to view photos and videos of trails R5R17. However, some users find the route creation and organization features to be poor and unintuitive within the app R9R13. There are also requests for features like auto-pause and better trailhead directions . Some users note that the app doesn't include unsanctioned trails .
Strava Strava is a versatile activity tracker, popular for running, cycling, and walking, offering maps, progress tracking, and group events . Users value its ability to keep them motivated and accountable . However, some users report issues with inaccurate tracking, such as missing the beginning of workouts, stopping midway, or incorrect distances and elevation gains . Users have also requested features like music playlists , live tracking for friends , multi-sport tracking , and better swim tracking options . Some find the AI features to be boilerplate or excessive .
Ease of Use & Interface tieR12R13R14R17
Trailforks Trailforks is generally considered easy to use for finding trails and navigation, with users appreciating the color-coded trails and offline maps R14R17. However, many users criticize its non-intuitive interface for other features like saving rides or route creation R12R13. Recent updates have made the free version difficult to use due to intrusive banners and locked features . Some users also report issues with the app constantly recording activities when only maps are desired and annoying GPS notifications .
Strava Strava is often described as easy to use for tracking activities . However, a significant number of users find the interface unintuitive and frustrating, requiring too many steps to find basic information . Recent updates have been criticized for breaking the UI, causing issues like white text on white backgrounds, inconsistent dark mode, and slow loading times . The app is also described as clunky and filled with pop-ups .
Reliability & Performance tieR1R6R12R19
Trailforks Trailforks users report significant reliability issues, including the app freezing up, force closing, and not working after updates R1R6. Many feel the app has become buggier since the introduction of paid subscriptions R19. Some users experience problems with activities not saving R12 or the app not displaying trails correctly . There are also reports of account security issues R48 and login problems R54R56.
Strava Strava also suffers from reliability issues, with users reporting the app crashing frequently , not loading R67, and missing parts of workouts or recording inaccurate data . Connectivity issues with Apple Watch and other devices are also mentioned . Some users note that the app's performance has declined with recent updates .
Price & Value edge: StravaR1R4R7R10
Trailforks Trailforks faces severe criticism for its aggressive paywall, with many users stating the app is "useless" or "inaccessible" without a Pro subscription, which costs around $54-$60 per year R1R4R7R10. Users feel that too many features, including community-contributed data, are now locked behind a paywall . Some long-time users are frustrated by price increases and the shift from a more generous free model . However, some paying users find the subscription "well worth the money" .
Strava Strava offers a free version that many users find sufficient for basic tracking . However, it is heavily criticized for constant and intrusive subscription prompts and upsells, even for basic features R69R78. Users find the premium price of around $80 per year to be "outrageous" and too expensive . Some long-time premium subscribers have canceled due to price increases and the removal of features . There are also complaints about difficulty canceling subscriptions and being charged unexpectedly .
Customer Support tieR48R54R56R67
Trailforks Trailforks users report extremely poor customer support, with issues like account deactivation, inability to log in, and no response to multiple requests for assistance R54R56. One user also mentioned poor security leading to an account hack and inability to delete the account R48.
Strava Strava's customer support is widely criticized as atrocious, with users reporting an inability to speak to a real person, reliance on unhelpful chatbots ("Miles"), and no responses to emails or chat requests R67R73. Paying subscribers also report being ignored when facing issues like incorrect charges or app malfunctions .
Pick Trailforks if

Pick Trailforks if you are a dedicated mountain biker or trail user who needs highly detailed, specialized maps and navigation, and are willing to pay for a subscription to access full features R5R11R14R17.

Pick Strava if

Pick Strava if you want a comprehensive activity tracker for multiple sports, value a strong social community, and are comfortable with a free version that has limitations or are willing to pay for premium features despite the cost and support issues .

Evidence note: The evidence for Trailforks is heavily skewed towards negative feedback regarding its paywall and recent changes, while positive reviews often highlight its core map functionality. Strava's reviews also show significant frustration with its premium pushes and support, but its broader utility and social features still garner strong positive sentiment.

Frequently asked

Is Trailforks free to use?
Trailforks is free to download, but many users report that the app is "useless" or "inaccessible" without purchasing a Pro subscription, which costs around $54-$60 per year, as most useful features are locked behind a paywall R1R4R16R19.
What are the main complaints about Strava?
The main complaints about Strava include constant and intrusive subscription prompts, an "outrageous" premium price of around $80 per year, poor customer support with unhelpful chatbots, and reliability issues like app crashes, inaccurate tracking, and broken user interface elements after updates R67R69R73R78.
Which app is better for finding new trails?
Trailforks is generally considered better for finding new trails, especially for mountain biking, due to its detailed, color-coded maps, ability to show local trails when traveling, and user-contributed photos and videos R5R11R14R17.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R5] Trailforks 5/5 · US Great App: I use this app anytime I ride. I like that I can open it up when I travel and see the local trails. The addition of pictures and videos on reviews is very helpful.
  2. [R9] Trailforks 3/5 · US Needs updated: This app is of course the go to trail reference but the other features like route creation and organization need their UI updated badly as they are almost useless in the app and only slightly more useable in the website. When pink bike owned it and the subscription was cheap, this was all understandable but now that Outside owns it, it seems like an update should happen.
  3. [R11] Trailforks 5/5 · US New to the mt bike world: Been nice as a newbie to to be able to find trails in my skill range. Trailforks has done that for me
  4. [R13] Trailforks 1/5 · US really bad route planner: i want to use this but its unusable using the app to make routes. also i used a computer with a mouse pad and its also awful. im not gonna go sit in a desk with a mouse. will try to use other apps instead…. this one is terrible
  5. [R12] Trailforks 3/5 · US Good map/Bad interface: Ride went fine, it followed my progress, but it didn't save easily, shows my ride in a weird spot, and just generally has a non-intuitive interface.
  6. [R14] Trailforks 5/5 · US Easy to use: I love the color coded trails and offline maps feature. Great app, makes it easy to navigate.
  7. [R17] Trailforks 5/5 · US Best mtb trail maps: When I got on Trailforks the sign in was easy and efficient. Using it is also really easy. One of my favorite features is looking at the photos of the trails to know how it looks. 6/5 stars top three best apps out there. Recommend fully.
  8. [R1] Trailforks 1/5 · US $54 a yr and the app doesn’t work: You would think when they charge you $54yr the app would actually work and not freeze up and the updates would fix that issue
  9. [R6] Trailforks 3/5 · US Force Closing: I don’t use this very often, and for some insane reason I pay for this thing. I was just trying to look at some trail centers in the app and it kept force closing. I also pay for Strava premium which I’ve already canceled, but my subscription runs through July. Don’t make me go back to them.
  10. [R19] Trailforks 1/5 · US Useless without a paid subscription: I used the app for years and contributed to trail logs etc. When they started charging I thought, ok, paid for a subscription for a year. It wasn’t that worth it considering the information is crowdsourced and the app is never updated and buggy. It expired and I’m so disappointed with the free version. They make it totally useless. Can’t see any details and a p
  11. [R4] Trailforks 1/5 · US Pay to play: This app is entirely inaccessible without buying pro. Dont download this unless youve already spent the 60 dollars on traiforks pro
  12. [R7] Trailforks 1/5 · US Pro ads are crippling: This used to be the go-to app; the intrusive “buy pro now” ads make it unusable. I’m not opposed to buying apps (am an AllTrails Subscriber) but this feels obnoxious. Will delete instead.
  13. [R10] Trailforks 1/5 · US Pay to use: I can't even use it without it telling me to use my free trial
  14. [R48] Trailforks 1/5 · US Account hacked poor security: Don’t use this app my account was hacked and they will not delete the account even though it’s been inactive hurt several years . Poor app security and response
  15. [R54] Trailforks 1/5 · US 0 customer support: This is indeed my favorite mtb app out there, I've been using it for years. It's great, until you have a problem! Recently my app stopped working and saying "user has been deactivated" when I try to login. I have tried everything to login or reset my account, even tried to set up a new account which gave me a different error. I have reached out multiple times on 2 separate oc
  16. [R56] Trailforks 2/5 · US Waste of time: So for some reason this app randomly completely blocks you out. Won't let you login won't let you reset your password. If you contact customer service you're jumping through 1 million hoops. you can't even seeing anything without paying for the app. Don't waste your time
  17. [R67] Strava 1/5 · US Used to be good.: Recently this app has gone downhill. You cannot get a real person to speak to if you’re having issues with the app. Recently the app does not load. It is just a black screen and an error message that says please try again. The only way to contact user support is a chat bot that doesn’t understand you and can’t help you and when it realizes there is no answer to give you it gives
  18. [R16] Trailforks 1/5 · US Useless unless you pay…: This app is absolutely useless if you don’t pay for Pro…. Literally 95% of the app is locked behind a paywall. Just disgusting. You guys ever wonder why AllTrails has over a million downloads? Because you can actually SEE useful information WITHOUT having to pay! Plus the paid version is cheaper! Get a clue…
  19. [R69] Strava 3/5 · US Stop with the subscription requests: Holy moly. The app is good but for heavens sake, every prompt I make pulls up a subscription prompt! I don’t need to subscribe… you’re doing too much.
  20. [R73] Strava 1/5 · US Atrocious customer support!: Their AI bot “Miles” has no ability to solve anything and closes chats with you. There is no way to talk to customer support. Even when the bot says someone will be in touch you just get an email saying they can’t help you. I am a paying subscriber and you are ducking answering any questions or actually helping me with the fact that you are letting another user in a di
  21. [R78] Strava 3/5 · US The push for payment is annoying: Every time I load a run, I scroll down and see an ad about the subscription showing a completely made up PR. It’s literally making up data that I’m faster than I actually am in an attempt to get me to sign up for premium. It’s so gross, if you’re going to push your subscription on non subscribers constantly, don’t lie about it too. App works great otherwise and

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store