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Atlas Obscura Travel Guide vs its rivals

Side-by-side comparison against Atlas Obscura Travel Guide's closest competitors — identity, store metrics, ratings & sentiment, and strategic intel.

Atlas Obscura Travel Guide
This App
Roadtrippers - Trip Planner
Nemesis
Geocaching®
Contender
Randonautica
Contender
Wikiloc - Trails of the World
Peer
Tripadvisor: Plan & Book Trips
Peer
AllTrails: Hike, Bike & Run
Peer
Field Trips - Powered by Via
New Kid
Core Identity
DeveloperAtlas Obscura, IncRoadtrippersGroundspeak Inc.Randonauts, LLCWikiloc Outdoor SLTripadvisorAllTrails, Inc.Via Transportation, Inc.
CategoryNavigationTravelNavigationNavigationNavigationTravelHealth & FitnessTravel
PlatformiOS, AndroidiOS, AndroidiOS, AndroidiOS, AndroidAndroid, iOSiOS, AndroidiOS, AndroidiOS, Android
Store Metrics
Rating4.8 / 54.6 / 54.8 / 53.3 / 54.8 / 54.8 / 54.9 / 54.7 / 5
Ratings Count9,05460,96363,57610,5995,077466,1641,026,24395
PriceFreeFreeFreeFreeFreeFreeFreeFree
Release DateOct 29, 2021Nov 25, 2014Sep 16, 2009Feb 19, 2020May 19, 2011Feb 5, 2019Dec 17, 2010Jul 8, 2025
Last UpdatedFeb 28, 2026Apr 8, 2026Apr 2, 2026Apr 8, 2026Apr 13, 2026Apr 29, 2026Apr 28, 2026Mar 17, 2026
Sentiment & Reviews
Sentiment--mixed-mixedexcellentmixed-
Score--55/100-55/10085/10055/100-
Praises--
  • Outdoor exploration mechanics encourage users to visit new locations and trails daily
-
  • Reliable trail navigation and offline map access provide confidence for outdoor exploration
  • Travel planning utility remains high due to reliable and accurate local information sources
  • Offline map downloads provide essential navigation security for hikers in remote areas without cellular service
-
Complaints--
  • Aggressive paywall restrictions limit access to basic caches for free-tier users
-
  • GPS tracking inaccuracies and straight-line rendering issues disrupt the utility of recorded routes
  • Recent interface changes make comparing hotel prices more time consuming and less intuitive
  • Aggressive monetization tactics and frequent paywall prompts disrupt the user experience for both free and paid users
-
Requests--
  • Driving navigation integration within the app to simplify travel between cache locations
-
  • Granular privacy controls for activity uploads to prevent automatic public sharing of home locations
  • Improved interface efficiency for hotel price comparisons to match previous navigation speeds
  • Improved filtering and search functionality to better manage trail discovery and reduce map clutter
-
Strategic Intel
Strengths
  • Editorial-driven database creates a high barrier to entry for commercial competitors
  • Community-contributed content model lowers database maintenance costs
  • High user ratings indicate strong product-market fit for the niche
-
  • Global community network effect creates a treasure hunt barrier
  • Physical-digital hybrid experience increases switching costs
  • 25-year brand history sustains organic install velocity
-
  • 77 million trail database creates a high barrier to entry
  • Hardware-integration partnerships with Garmin and COROS lock in power users
  • Billion-review repository functions as a high-intent traffic magnet
  • Trip Cash rewards program creates a direct retention loop
  • AI trip builder increases session frequency
  • Community-generated trail database reduces acquisition costs
  • Editors' Choice badge sustains organic velocity
-
Weaknesses
  • Discovery-only functionality forces user migration to competitors for trip execution
  • Lack of offline map support limits utility in remote areas
  • No integrated booking or monetization funnel
-
  • Premium tier at category-median pricing
  • 0.2★ Android-iOS rating gap
  • Login failures post-update
-
  • Public-by-default activity sharing drives privacy complaints
  • 0.7★ Android-iOS rating gap indicates platform-specific UI/UX neglect
  • Hotel price comparison flow requires excessive clicks
  • Regional activation bugs prevent account registration
  • Mobile review submission failures
  • Premium tier pricing above category median
  • 0.28★ Android-iOS rating gap
  • High battery consumption during tracking
-
Pricingfreefreemiumsubscriptionfreemiumfreemiumfreesubscriptionfree
MomentumActiveIntenseIntenseIntenseIntenseActiveIntenseActive
Update Cadence5 versions5 versions5 versions5 versions5 versions5 versions, ~4d avg5 versions, ~5d avg5 versions

Compare Atlas Obscura Travel Guide head-to-head

Disclosure: Independent intel to help mobile builders succeed.

AI-powered analysis with editorial review, built from publicly available sources. Marlvel.ai is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Atlas Obscura Travel Guide, its developer, the app publisher, Apple, or Google Play. All trademarks, logos, and screenshots referenced remain the property of their respective owners.

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