I’ve seen several suggestions that I should be using RWGPS over Komoot, but can’t quite see y tho. For instance, [bikepacking.com](http://bikepacking.com) suggests submitting routes via RWGPS, and in fact all the routes published there are. So there must be something to it?
So I checked out RWGPS, and it looks like beyond the barely useable free plan, there’s a yearly subscription fee.
Otoh, Komoot’s free plan is highly usable. But I have to wonder, is this a case of ‘if you’re not paying for the product, you are the product’? And if so, how?
What’s y’all’s take on RWGPS vs. Komoot?
by Radioactdave
3 Comments
I think it depends where you are as to the amount of data and routes? Rwgps seems more US than Komoot which I use in Europe.
RWGPS isn’t US. I’m UK. It’s the standard app for most cyclists. It’s a better planning app IMHO. Kommot is good at displaying other people’s rides. I use both if I’m planning a long trip but RWGPS is just so useful. The google over lay map is great to locate resources and points of interest. And nearly all published routes online pages use RWGPS. Note though it doesn’t matter what app you use there are common file formats that will load in both. The most basic and works on all is GPX.
You can try both for free see which you get on with best.
Komoot if you want to use their bike type based algorithm to auto select routes based how OSM classifies roads. Komoot is a bit more social with users adding features and route highlights.
Ride if you want to do a bit more legwork and guessing for route planning. It won’t really program it for you. Ride has a lot of other features for tracking rides and becoming a repository. It’s better for collections and multi stage tours, in my opinion, but it is a much more user driven platform. Ride has really good customer service/support. I find it easier to make a route that isn’t based on known roads using all the map overlays to manually add tracks.
I prefer Ride. Komoot has its advantages in areas with lots of good OSM data (Europe for example) but is also infuriating at times because it is built on its algorithm. But it is easier to make and edit routes on the fly on their mobile app. The Ride app is a bit too complicated for complex route changes. It’s better on the desktop.
I often use both (and Strava) but I only pay for Ride now and not Komoot. You can do a lot for free on each so I’d experiment with that comparing how to make the same route on each platform, ride it and how it catalogs it later.
Exporting from each platform to a Garmin or Wahoo is basically the same concept.