onX Backcountry is a navigation app for hikers, bikers, and skiers, providing offline 3D maps and land ownership data on iOS.
Product velocity
Intense
Daily rank 🇺🇸
#36
▲1Navigation · free
Sentiment
4.7
6k reviews
Nemesis
AllTrails: Hike, Bike & Run
The App DNA
What makes this app unique?
Users hire onX for safety-critical terrain scouting and boundary verification in remote areas where standard map apps fail.
For Outdoor enthusiasts including hikers, mountain bikers, backcountry skiers, and hunters who require precise land ownership and terrain data.
Key features
Displays property boundaries and ownership data.
Downloads LiDAR-based topography for off-grid navigation.
Visualizes hazard zones for winter sports.
How much does it cost?
Subscription model gates specialized map layers and offline functionality to drive long-term retention.
Velocity
Intense developmentShow more...
5 versions in history. Development pace: intense.
Who built it?
onXmaps
6 apps tracked · Navigation
onX Fish: Midwest Fishing Maps
TroutRoutes: Fly Fishing App
onX Hunt: GPS Hunting Maps
onX Offroad: Trail Maps & GPS
FieldRegs by onX: Hunting RegsUser Sentiment
What do users think recently?
Recent user voice shows an excited sentiment. Users appreciate offline map downloads and precise satellite positioning provide essential safety for backcountry navigation in remote areas and clear visual trail representation makes route identification easier than competing apps for outdoor enthusiasts.
How are ratings & reviews evolving?
What users say, by theme
- Offline map downloads and precise satellite positioning provide essential safety for backcountry navigation in remote areas
- Clear visual trail representation makes route identification easier than competing apps for outdoor enthusiasts
- Property boundary data helps users avoid trespassing on private land during state and national forest excursions
- Users report deceptive billing practices where subscriptions auto-renew or charge despite cancellation attempts
49 of 49 recent reviews analyzed · high confidence · Excited overall
Read the full review analysisUnlock 2 more frustration themes and 2 user requests, each backed by review evidence.
Access the full report for freeCompetition
Competitive landscape for onX Backcountry: Trail GPS App
How's the Navigation market?
onX Backcountry holds the #49 Free and #23 Grossing position in the US Navigation category. The gap between its free-chart rank and grossing rank indicates that its subscription-gated features successfully convert a high-intent segment despite the limited free-tier utility.
Read the market outlookThe rivals identified
By AllTrails, Inc.
With over 1 million ratings and a massive, highly active community, AllTrails dominates the outdoor recreation space by serving the same core hiking and trail-discovery audience.
- Massive user-generated content library provides trail conditions and photos that smaller apps cannot replicate
- Aggressive release cadence with 17 updates in six months signals rapid feature iteration and testing
- Broad cross-activity appeal captures casual hikers and serious trekkers in a single unified interface
Gaia GPS: Mobile Trail MapsContender
Wikiloc - Trails of the WorldContender
Footpath Route PlannerContenderUnlock the head-to-head verdict: where this rival wins, and where it loses.
Access the full report for freeThe Analyst's Read
Key takeaways for onX Backcountry: Trail GPS App
Where is it heading?
The navigation category is consolidating around social-discovery apps, leaving onX exposed to churn if it continues to prioritize high-friction conversion over casual discovery. The current maintenance-mode update cadence leaves the app vulnerable to faster-iterating rivals like AllTrails, so revenue growth hinges on resolving billing complaints and lowering the barrier to entry.
- Users report: Allegations of deceptive billing practices erode trust, which increases churn risk among the casual user base.
- High-fidelity LiDAR and private land data maintain strong retention among power users, providing a defensible moat against mass-market rivals.
The SWOT
- LiDAR-based 3D terrain data provides a technical barrier against mass-market map apps
- Private Land Layer functions as a B2B-grade distribution barrier for land-use researchers
- Developing a guest-preview mode would lower the barrier for casual discovery
- Expanding the map legend documentation would reduce user confusion
Next best moves
Ship guest-preview mode because the sign-in wall is the top-cited barrier to entry → increase new-user conversion.
+ 1 more prioritized moveThe counter-intuitive read
The app's reliance on a strict sign-in wall…
Read the full takeFeature gaps
Massive user-generated trail condition reports (available in AllTrails but missing here)
Since the last report: The app has pivoted toward a more restrictive, subscription-gated funnel, which has surfaced new user complaints regarding billing transparency and sign-in friction.
Bottom line
onX Backcountry maintains a technical lead in backcountry safety, because its LiDAR and land-ownership data provide utility that mass-market rivals lack, so the PM should prioritize a guest-preview mode to reduce the sign-in friction that currently caps the user funnel.
Unlock 2 critical frictions, 2 market threats, 1 more prioritized move and the analyst’s take.
Access the full report for freeFAQ
Is onX Backcountry free to use?
How does onX compare to AllTrails?
Is onX Backcountry safe for offline use?
What is a free alternative to onX?
Sources
- [1] App Store listing, source
Report last updated