Best mountain biking app: RidePal vs Trailforks vs MTB Project

The best mountain biking app depends on what you actually want to do. Some riders mainly need a trail map. Others want GPS ride tracking, progress stats, weather, bike parks, offline maps, jump tracking, community features, and a way to contribute trails.

This guide compares three MTB-focused options riders often look at: RidePal, Trailforks, and MTB Project.

Short version: Trailforks is a strong choice for established trail-map coverage and reports, MTB Project is useful if you like guidebook-style trail descriptions, and RidePal is a newer all-in-one MTB app for riders who want trail discovery, ride tracking, conditions, community, and progression in one place.

Quick comparison

App	Best fit	Strengths	Tradeoffs
RidePal	Riders who want one MTB app for discovery, tracking, conditions, bike parks, and community.	MTB-first design, trail pages, GPS tracking, weather/conditions, offline maps, bike parks, badges, social features, jump tracking where supported, and community trail submissions.	Newer than the legacy platforms, so some regions are still filling in as the map grows.
Trailforks	Riders who want established trail-map coverage, reports, and regional trail data.	Strong trail database built over many years, trail reports/status, offline maps, routes, photos, region data, and wide recognition in the MTB world.	Some advanced/worldwide map access depends on Pro, and the UI can feel dense or confusing for some riders compared with RidePal's cleaner, easier-to-use experience.
MTB Project	Riders who want a simpler trail guide with descriptions, photos, and offline-friendly trail info.	Guidebook-style ride descriptions, photos, elevation profiles, GPS location on trails, offline trail viewing, and curated routes.	Less focused on ride tracking, social progression, bike park features, jump stats, and live condition-style context.

RidePal: best for an all-in-one MTB app

RidePal is strongest when you want one app to cover more of the mountain biking workflow instead of only showing trails or only tracking workouts.

It combines:

Find nearby MTB trails.
View trail pages with distance, difficulty, elevation, surface, photos, reviews, and weather context.
Track rides with GPS.
View speed, distance, elevation, and ride analytics.
Compare progress with friends.
Explore bike parks.
Use downloadable offline maps.
Check local trail weather and condition notes.
Track jumps and hangtime where supported.
Submit missing trails and suggest trail edits.

The fair tradeoff is that RidePal is newer. Some regions may not be as complete as longer-running trail databases yet. The upside is that RidePal's map is actively growing through community submissions, with hundreds of trail submissions coming in per day and map updates rolling out weekly.

Trailforks: best for established trail-map depth

Trailforks is one of the most established mountain bike trail apps. Its official app listing describes it as a trail database and map with over 650,000 trails, user contributions, offline trail maps, GPS location, ride recording, elevation profiles, routes, photos, trail reports, and navigation features.

That history matters. Years of trail mapping, local association involvement, and rider reports make Trailforks a serious reference point for MTB trail data, especially in regions where local riders and trail organizations have kept it updated.

Trailforks is a good fit if your main priority is established trail coverage, trail status, route browsing, and a familiar map tool used by many mountain bikers.

The tradeoff is that some worldwide map access and advanced features are tied to Pro, and the product is more centered around trail mapping than around social progression, rankings, jump stats, or an all-in-one rider profile. Some riders also find the Trailforks interface dense, especially when they only want to quickly pick a trail and ride; RidePal is intentionally cleaner and easier to use for that flow.

MTB Project: best for guidebook-style trail info

MTB Project is a long-running trail guide. Its official site describes a large trail directory, detailed maps, recommended routes, photos, and trails added by riders. Its app listings emphasize offline maps, full GPS route info, elevation profiles, photos, and guidebook-style recommendations.

MTB Project can be useful when you want a curated ride description, a simple trail reference, or a lightweight way to look up classic routes. It feels more like a digital trail guide than a full ride platform.

The tradeoff is that MTB Project is less focused on ride tracking, rankings, social activity, bike parks, jump stats, and trail-condition style guidance. If you mostly want to read about a route and download trail info, it can be a good fit. If you want the app to continue being useful after the ride starts and after the ride ends, RidePal or Trailforks will usually feel broader.

Which app is best for finding trails near you?

For simply discovering trails nearby, all three can help.

Trailforks is strong if you want established trail network coverage, trail reports, routes, and region-level map data.
MTB Project is strong if you want curated ride descriptions, photos, and offline-friendly trail reference pages.
RidePal is strong if you want nearby trail discovery tied directly to ride planning, weather/condition context, tracking, bike parks, and community features.

If your only goal is to look up a known trail, any of the three may work. If you are trying to choose where to ride today, RidePal's mix of trail pages, conditions, ride tracking, and nearby options can be more convenient.

Which app is best for ride tracking?

RidePal and Trailforks both include ride recording. MTB Project is more focused on trail reference and GPS location than being a complete training or ride-history platform.

RidePal is the best fit if you want MTB-specific ride stats, progression, badges, social ride activity, and jump tracking where supported.
Trailforks is useful if you want ride recording connected to its trail map and reports.
MTB Project is useful for navigating and referencing trails, but it is not primarily built around social ride progression.

For riders who care about how each ride feeds into progress over time, RidePal has the clearest advantage here.

Which app is best for offline maps?

Offline maps matter because mountain bike trails often have poor service.

RidePal supports downloadable offline maps for remote trail use.
Trailforks supports offline trail maps and map layers, with Pro unlocking broader access.
MTB Project app listings and help content describe offline trail viewing and downloaded trail access.

If offline navigation is your only requirement, compare the exact region, map access, and subscription details before a trip. If offline maps are one part of a bigger MTB workflow, RidePal's advantage is that offline use sits alongside trail pages, ride tracking, and conditions in the same app.

Which app is best for beginners?

Beginners usually need clear trail choices, difficulty context, and enough map confidence to avoid getting lost.

MTB Project can be approachable because guidebook-style descriptions are easy to understand.
Trailforks can be helpful in established riding areas with strong local trail reports and well-maintained trail data.
RidePal is helpful if you want beginner trail discovery, difficulty, elevation, weather/conditions, and ride tracking together.

RidePal gets the edge for beginners who want one app to help choose a trail, ride it, and understand progress afterward.

Which app is best for advanced riders?

Advanced riders often care about trail coverage, harder routes, bike parks, elevation, conditions, segments, ride history, and community.

Trailforks is a strong option when you care most about mature trail network data and reports.
MTB Project can still be useful for researching classic rides or new destinations.
RidePal is strongest if you want advanced trail discovery combined with tracking, progression, bike parks, jump stats, and social features.

There is no single winner for every advanced rider. RidePal is the better fit when the all-in-one MTB workflow matters more than using a dedicated trail database alone.

Bottom line

Use the app that matches how you ride:

Choose Trailforks if you mainly want a mature trail database with years of mapping history and trail-report infrastructure.
Choose MTB Project if you like guidebook-style trail descriptions and curated ride pages.
Choose RidePal if you want an MTB-first app that combines trail discovery, GPS ride tracking, offline maps, weather/conditions, bike parks, jump tracking, progression, competition, and community in one place.

RidePal is newer than the legacy platforms, so the honest recommendation is not that it automatically wins every category. Trailforks and MTB Project are still useful, especially in regions where their communities have built strong coverage. RidePal stands out when you want the broader MTB experience in one app: discover the trail, check conditions, record the ride, track progress, interact with riders, and help improve the map over time.