Gaia GPS vs OnX Backcountry SHOWDOWN: Which App is Better For Hiking

[@lawyerdch]

Great video explaining a real life attempt at comparing these 2 apps. I am frustrated by Gaia being so unintuitive due to its complexity, but ONX not having obvious trails on their maps is kinda a non-starter for me. I was hoping for a lot more comments to this video with other people’s experiences. I’d love to hear from the ONX fans “defend” their choice against the complaints you’ve raised.

[@SummitForWellness]

I'm surprised that Gaia hasn't had any major ui updates in years, I thought they were the leaders in this area for a long time. But then it seemed like they abandoned it for awhile. I would love it if they made a simplified mode, I think that would bring a lot of people over to them. I just started playing around with CalTopo. I don't have any opinions on it yet since I haven't used it enough, but that could be another app for you to look at.

[@mikga]

@@SummitForWellness I believe the new Gaia owner, Outside, made a strategic decision to 'convert' Gaia to a social network app, capitalizing on the fantastic Gaia navigation feature set popularity among outdoors lovers. Thus, Gaia prospects (as a navigation tool) don't look bright. I too am looking into Caltopo now. So far, Gaia looks better for my use case (weekend hiker). In my humble opinion, Caltopo needs to be re-written from scratch to be able to catch up with Gaiga by UX quality and performance.

[@cherylann2717]

I didnt catch if you told us what model smart phone are you are using? Ive had tracking issues with what Gaia support claims relate to my android phone's internal gps. Thanks for a great video!

[@SummitForWellness]

I'm using a Galaxy S23 Ultra. I haven't had GPS issues with it on Gaia

[@jeremyabramson4343]

How did you get Gaia GPS maps to work on your Galaxy watch?

[@SummitForWellness]

I don't have a galaxy watch, I have the Garmin Epix Pro 2, so the maps are different but Gaia and Garmin had the same trails on each of their maps where as OnX didn't have those trails on their maps

[@SummitForWellness]

But now I'm curious with the new galaxy watch if you can have Gaia on it or not

[@TwylaWorld]

I've been using Gaia for years and have been investigating Onx backcountry. Think I'll stick with Gaia for now. I just payed for another year of Pro. Maybe by next year, something better will come along.

[@SummitForWellness]

It seems like there's a perfect opportunity for someone to build an app that has a nice UI and has accurate maps, hopefully someone comes along and does it!

[@DrJRxALMIGHTY]

I hate on x. Its pathetic how poor the user interface and planning tools are. Why t f in 2025 are we dragging a mouse over thousands of miles of zoomed in satalite images. Literally ever inch you have to drag it out. Its insane how stupid. Nothing is labeled. And every youtuber is sponsored by them so they tout it like its amazing. They all should be ashamed because onxbackcountry is completely horrible.