RidePal vs Trailforks for Mountain Biking
RidePal and Trailforks are both serious mountain bike trail apps, and this is the comparison riders ask about most. Trailforks has historically had a very strong trail database. RidePal is the MTB-first app built around the full ride: trail discovery, US trail coverage that is now broadly on par with Trailforks and stronger in some riding areas, 3D maps, offline navigation, GPS ride tracking, photos, reviews, bike parks, and rider progression.
If you have used Trailforks for years and mostly rely on its local trail-report ecosystem, it remains a capable tool. If you want a cleaner app that covers before, during, and after the ride — with trail coverage that keeps improving through hundreds of weekly updates — RidePal is the better fit.
RidePal App
Free MTB maps, navigation, and ride tracking.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Main strengths | Tradeoffs |
|---|---|---|---|
| RidePal | Riders who want one MTB app for finding trails, navigating, tracking rides, and reviewing stats. | 600,000+ mapped MTB trails, US coverage that is now broadly on par with Trailforks and stronger in some riding areas, 3D maps, trail pages, offline navigation, bike parks, GPS ride tracking, route replay, photos, reviews, badges, and community features — free to download. | Newer than legacy platforms, so some regional report history is still building in international regions. |
| Trailforks | Riders invested in long-running trail reports and established local Trailforks communities. | Historically strong trail database, regional trail reports and status in active regions, established local community in some areas. | Busier interface, and unlocking the full experience typically involves a subscription. Ride tracking and post-ride tools feel secondary to the database. |
Quick verdict
Choose Trailforks if your local scene is deeply invested in its reports and you mainly want the legacy workflow you already know.
Choose RidePal if you want a mountain bike app that helps you:
- Find nearby MTB trails from a 600,000+ trail database.
- Compare trail difficulty, distance, elevation, photos, and reviews.
- Open a full 3D trail map.
- Use offline navigation.
- Track GPS rides.
- Review ride stats and route replay.
- Explore bike parks.
- Build an MTB-specific rider profile.
The biggest difference: Trailforks is organized around its database. RidePal is organized around your ride.
Trail maps and route discovery
Trailforks has a genuinely strong database history, built over many years. In regions with an active local community, its trail reports can be a real asset.
RidePal maps 600,000+ mountain bike trails worldwide and is designed for active discovery. In the US, RidePal's trail coverage is now broadly on par with Trailforks for many riders and stronger in some riding areas, with broad coverage across major riding states and fast-growing rider submissions. RidePal is also improving coverage across Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and other riding countries. Trail pages connect map context with the details riders check before choosing a route:
- Difficulty.
- Distance.
- Elevation.
- Estimated ride time.
- Surface and trail type where available.
- Photos and reviews.
- Nearby trails.
- Weather and local context.
RidePal's map also improves fast, because riders submit trails, photos, and edits directly — hundreds of trail updates each week and frequent map refreshes.
Learn more: mountain bike trail map app.
Offline maps and navigation
Both apps support offline use, but the workflows differ. Trailforks offline access is tied to its region and subscription model.
RidePal connects offline navigation to the rest of the MTB workflow: research the trail, check the route details, open the map, navigate offline, and track the ride afterward — in one flow, without juggling region downloads.
Learn more: offline MTB navigation app.
Ride tracking and post-ride stats
Trailforks includes ride logging, but the app is database-first, and tracking feels like a secondary feature.
RidePal treats the ride as the center of the app. GPS ride tracking and post-ride stats are core:
- Distance.
- Duration.
- Speed and pace.
- Elevation gain and loss.
- Route replay.
- Ride history.
- Trail-related progress.
If you want your trail app and ride tracker to be the same product, RidePal is the better fit.
Learn more: mountain bike ride tracker.
Photos, reviews, and community
Trailforks has an established contributor community in its strongest regions, with trail reports as its signature feature.
RidePal is built around a modern rider loop:
- See trail photos and reviews before riding.
- Save and track rides.
- Build a profile around mountain biking.
- Compare progress with friends.
- Submit missing trails and suggest edits.
RidePal riders have already contributed tens of thousands of submissions — trails, photos, reviews, and edits — which keeps trail pages current in places legacy databases have gone quiet.
Trail Contribution Portal
RidePal also has a web Trail Contribution Portal for deeper map work. Riders can submit missing trails, import GPX or GeoJSON geometry, suggest edits, merge duplicate segments, add bike parks or POIs, and send everything through review before it appears in the trail database.
Trailforks pioneered community trail mapping, and that legacy is real. RidePal's portal is the same idea with a cleaner modern workflow — and without the wait.
Bike parks and advanced MTB features
RidePal includes bike park discovery, jump tracking where supported, badges, rankings, and social ride history — features aimed at progression, not just navigation.
Trailforks covers bike parks within its database model, but RidePal is the better direction if you care about the riding itself: progression, stats, replay, and community.
Is RidePal a Trailforks alternative?
Yes. RidePal is the natural Trailforks alternative for riders who want a free-to-download, MTB-first app where the map, the navigation, and the ride tracker are one product.
Use Trailforks if your region's report culture is irreplaceable for you.
Use RidePal if you want:
- MTB trail discovery across 600,000+ trails.
- US trail coverage that is now broadly on par with Trailforks for many riders and stronger in some riding areas.
- 3D trail maps and stats.
- Offline navigation.
- GPS ride tracking.
- Photos and reviews.
- Bike parks.
- Rider community.
- Ride replay and history.
Frequently asked questions
Is RidePal better than Trailforks?
RidePal is better if you want trail discovery, offline navigation, GPS ride tracking, ride stats, bike parks, photos, reviews, and rider progression in one free-to-download app. Trailforks has historically had a very strong trail database, but RidePal is now broadly on par in the US, stronger in some riding areas, and keeps improving with hundreds of trail updates each week.
Is RidePal free while Trailforks requires a subscription?
RidePal is free to download and use on iOS and Android, with trail maps, discovery, and ride tracking included; some advanced features are part of RidePal Pro. Trailforks typically requires a subscription to unlock its full experience — check its current pricing for details.
Does RidePal have as many trails as Trailforks?
RidePal maps 600,000+ mountain bike trails worldwide, and US trail coverage is now broadly on par with Trailforks for many riders and stronger in some riding areas. Trailforks still has years of local report history in some regions, while RidePal keeps improving with hundreds of trail updates each week across Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and other riding countries.
Can I switch from Trailforks to RidePal?
Yes. Download RidePal free, search your local trails, and if anything is missing you can submit it directly in the app or through the Trail Contribution Portal.
Bottom line
Trailforks earned its reputation through years of trail mapping and reports. RidePal is the app built around the full ride — find the trail, understand the route, navigate offline, track the ride, review the stats, and help improve the map for the next rider.
Download RidePal free for iOS or Android.