CalTopo alternatives
Alternatives to CalTopo for planning and navigating on your phone, what each one is best for, and how to move your CalTopo maps and tracks to Goat Maps.
Updated · Prices checked
At a glance
| Feature | CalTopo | Goat Maps | Gaia GPS | onX Backcountry |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | ||||
| Paid plan | $20/year Mobile, $50 Pro, $100 Desktop | $29.99/year | $59.90/year, or $89.99 with Outside+ | $29.99/year Premium, $99.99/year Elite |
| Free version | Yes Full web planner; no offline maps | Yes Topo, satellite, public land, slope shading, tracks, waypoints | Yes Gaia Topo, tracks, waypoints; no offline maps | Yes Tracking, limited waypoints, one offline map |
| Platforms | ||||
| Apps | iPhone, iPad, Android, web, Windows and Mac desktop | iPhone, iPad, web | iPhone, iPad, Android, web, Apple Watch, CarPlay, Android Auto | iPhone, iPad, Android, web |
| Android | Yes | No In development | Yes | Yes |
| Plan on the web | Yes The most capable web planner here | Yes Web map with route planning | Yes Saving routes on the web needs Premium | Yes |
| Maps | ||||
| Offline maps | Paid plan Mobile plan and up | Paid plan Downloads in the background | Paid plan Downloads lock if membership lapses | Paid plan One map free; unlimited with Premium |
| Slope angle shading | Yes With LiDAR where available | Yes Free, with custom angle ranges | Paid plan | Paid plan Premium |
| Public land (US) | Yes | Yes Free | Paid plan | Paid plan Premium |
| Private land ownership (US) | Paid plan Pro | Paid plan Owner names; online only | Paid plan | Paid plan Elite only |
| Recent satellite imagery | Paid plan Live imagery with Pro | Paid plan Updated about every 14 days | Paid plan Recent satellite layer | Paid plan Elite only |
| Weather forecasts | Yes NOAA point forecasts and forecast layers | No | Paid plan Weather overlays; smoke and air quality free | Yes Point forecasts, free |
| Planning & navigation | ||||
| Snap-to-trail routes | Yes Needs a connection on mobile | Paid plan Needs a connection for now | Yes Works offline since 2026 | Paid plan Premium; needs a connection |
| Off-trail and freehand routes | Yes | Paid plan Draw by hand, mix with snapped segments | Limited Straight-line segments | Paid plan Point Draw, Premium |
| Voice turn-by-turn | No Not documented | No | Yes “Guide Me”, also on CarPlay and Watch | No Not documented |
| GPX import and export | Yes GPX, KML, GeoJSON | Yes Free | Yes GPX, KML, GeoJSON and more | Yes GPX and KML |
| Discovery | ||||
| Trail guides and reviews | No Shared maps from other users | No OpenStreetMap trails on the map | Yes Hikes with reports; Trailforks with Outside+ | Yes Trails, climbs, ski lines, 1,500 guided Adventures |
| Made by | CalTopo LLC, independent | Independent | Outside Inc. | onXmaps, Inc. |
Yes Paid plan Limited No
Why people look for an alternative to CalTopo
CalTopo is the most powerful backcountry planning tool there is, and for search and rescue, guiding and big ski objectives it's hard to beat. People look for something else when:
- They plan on a phone. CalTopo began as a web tool and is at its best with a mouse. Its phone app is capable, but it's a lot of tool to carry.
- The learning curve is too steep. There are layers, objects, travel plans and print settings to learn before you get going.
- They want one app for planning and the trail. Many people plan in CalTopo and then copy the route into another app to follow it.
- Features moved up a tier. 3D maps became Pro-only in January 2025, and parcels and live satellite imagery are Pro too, at $50 a year.
If you plan at a desk, print maps or run team operations, CalTopo is probably still the right tool.
The alternatives
Goat Maps: best for planning and navigating on your phone
Goat Maps covers the parts of CalTopo most people use on a typical trip, built for a phone: a readable topo map, slope angle shading, land ownership, recent satellite imagery and a touch route planner.
- Price: $29.99 a year. Topo, satellite, public land and slope angle shading are free. Membership adds offline maps, the route planner, private land and recent imagery.
- Better than CalTopo: easier to learn, built for a touchscreen, background map downloads, and private land plus recent imagery for less than CalTopo Pro.
- Not as good as CalTopo: no printing, no desktop app, no avalanche forecasts or weather layers, no team tools, and no Android app yet.
Goat Maps vs CalTopo in detail.
Gaia GPS: best for breadth on mobile
Gaia GPS has a huge layer catalog, offline snap-to-trail routing and apps for Android, Apple Watch and CarPlay.
- Price: $59.90 a year, or $89.99 with Outside+.
- Better than CalTopo: a phone-first app with turn-by-turn guidance and offline route planning.
- Not as good as CalTopo: weaker desktop planning and printing, and no desktop app.
onX Backcountry: best for avalanche tools in an app
onX Backcountry puts avalanche forecasts, ATES ratings, slope angle and aspect into a polished phone app, alongside curated ski lines and Adventures.
- Price: Premium is $29.99 a year, Elite is $99.99.
- Better than CalTopo: easier on a phone, with curated ski and climbing content.
- Not as good as CalTopo: route building needs a connection, private land needs Elite, and planning depth is far less.
Which should you pick?
- You want CalTopo's essentials in an app that's quick on a phone: Goat Maps.
- You need Android, an Apple Watch, or offline route planning: Gaia GPS.
- You ski in avalanche terrain and want forecasts in the app: onX Backcountry.
- You print maps, run SAR operations or plan at a desk: stay with CalTopo, and pair it with a phone app if you like.
Moving from CalTopo to Goat Maps
CalTopo exports a whole map's lines, tracks and markers as one GPX file. Export each map you want to keep.
Export from CalTopo
- On the web: open the map > Export at the top of the list of map objects > choose GPX, then Track in the second menu (CalTopo recommends tracks, which keep more detail than routes) > tick the objects you want, or all of them > Export.
- In the app: open the map's objects menu > the export icon in the top right > GPX > tick the objects > export, then choose where to save the file. Pick a destination, or the export fails.
Two things to watch for:
- Tracks you recorded in the CalTopo app are saved to your account, not to a map, unless you added them to one. A map export won't include them. Export each one from its page on the website: Your Data > Tracks > the track.
- Elevation: CalTopo only includes elevation in GPX files for Pro accounts. If you're on a free or Mobile plan, the exported files may have no elevation data.
There's no way to export every map in your account at once.
Import into Goat Maps
- In Goat Maps, open the My Data tab and create a new project called something like "From CalTopo". Make it the active project, so everything you import lands there, together and easy to hide with one switch.
- Tap + in the top right and choose Import GPX File, then pick the file. You can also open a GPX file from Files, Mail or AirDrop and choose Goat Maps.
- If you exported a lot of separate files, put them in one zip file first (select them all in Finder on a Mac, or in the Files app on iPhone, and choose Compress) and import the zip. Goat Maps imports every GPX file inside it.
Importing is free, so you can bring everything across before deciding on a membership. The import guide has more detail.
What doesn't come across
Colors, line styles and folders don't survive GPX. CalTopo's GeoJSON export keeps them and is the best backup of your maps, but Goat Maps doesn't import GeoJSON.
Try Goat Maps free.
Topo and satellite maps, slope angle shading, public land, track recording, waypoints and GPX import are free. Membership adds offline maps and the route planner for $29.99 a year.
