abseits vs AllTrails
Looking for a free AllTrails alternative without banner ads, upsells, or a subscription to unlock offline maps? Here's how abseits compares.
abseits is free with no ads, no trackers, and no subscription. It ships a custom offline cartography pipeline with dedicated winter, summer, and cycling styles built on OpenStreetMap. AllTrails wins on trail reviews, community photos, the sheer size of its trail database (especially in the US), and native mobile apps.
Feature comparison
| Feature | abseits | AllTrails (free) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free - no ads, no paywall | Free with ads; AllTrails+ subscription for full features |
| Offline maps | Yes - any region, no subscription | AllTrails+ only |
| Ads on free tier | None | Banner ads, interstitials, upsells |
| Custom cartography | Yes - four styles (standard, winter, cycling, satellite) | Single general-purpose style |
| Winter / ski-touring style | Yes - renders lifts, pistes, ski routes | No dedicated winter style |
| Trail reviews & ratings | No | Yes - very large database |
| Trail photos (community) | No | Yes |
| Curated trail database | Uses OpenStreetMap paths; no curated list | Yes - 450,000+ trails worldwide |
| Trip planner (routes + waypoints + notes) | Yes - dedicated trip model | List of saved trails; limited route drawing |
| Share trip with collaborators | Yes - short share codes | Share saved trails publicly |
| Activity recording (GPS track) | No - planning tool, not a tracker | Yes |
| Trackers & analytics | None | Multiple analytics + ad SDKs |
| Account required | Optional - app works fully anonymously | Required |
| Native mobile apps | Installable PWA (iOS, Android, desktop) | Yes - native iOS & Android |
| Coverage bias | Global OSM; strongest in Europe | Strongest in US / North America |
What actually differs in practice
Ads and upsells
AllTrails' free tier is aggressively monetised: banner ads on list and detail views, interstitial AllTrails+ prompts when you try to view offline maps, 3D terrain, or weather overlays. abseits has no ads, no upsells, no Pro tier to upgrade to.
Offline maps
AllTrails paywalls offline maps behind AllTrails+ (around 36 EUR/year). abseits caches vector tiles in OPFS/IndexedDB for any region you download, for free. First download fills the cache; after that, the map, routing, and trip editing all work with the device in airplane mode.
Cartography
AllTrails uses a single, general-purpose topo style across all use cases. abseits runs its own cartography pipeline: four hand-tuned styles (standard, winter, cycling, satellite). The winter style renders lifts, pistes, and ski routes prominently with palette-aware text halos - it is a genuinely different map, not a skinned variant.
Trail database vs. OSM
AllTrails' biggest strength is its curated database of 450k+ trails with user reviews, photos, and condition reports. That is a real advantage for trail discovery in the US and, increasingly, globally. abseits does not curate trails: it renders paths as they are tagged in OpenStreetMap and expects you to know where you want to go (or to bring a route). If trail discovery with social proof is why you use AllTrails, abseits will not replace that.
Privacy
AllTrails runs several analytics and ad SDKs on free tier: attribution, session replay, ad targeting. abseits runs no analytics, no third-party SDKs, and no fingerprinting. Map tiles are served from our own Cloudflare pipeline; the only other network call is optional sync to your account.
Where AllTrails still wins
Native iOS and Android apps, trail reviews and photos, a huge curated database (especially in the US), condition reports, and activity recording. If you want to find out which trail near you is good right now, AllTrails is better positioned. abseits is for planning when you already know roughly where you want to be.
When to choose which
- Pick abseits if you plan off-the-beaten-path trips (backcountry, ski tours, multi-day hikes), you value privacy, you don't want ads or a subscription for offline maps, or you operate mostly in Europe where OSM coverage is strongest.
- Stick with AllTrails if you want to discover well-reviewed trails near you, you rely on community reviews and photos, you hike primarily in the US, or you want activity recording built in.
Can I use both?
Yes. Many users discover a trail on AllTrails, then plan the wider trip (custom waypoints, alternative routes, winter variants, offline regions) in abseits. Export a trail as GPX from AllTrails and pick the important points back up on the abseits map.
FAQ
Is abseits really free?
Yes. No ads, no tracking, no AllTrails+ equivalent upsell. A paid tier for power features may appear later if infrastructure cost demands it; basic trip planning and offline maps stay free.
Can I see trail reviews in abseits?
No. abseits does not have a social / discovery layer. It renders paths as tagged in OpenStreetMap and expects you to bring your route or click it in. If discovery via reviews is how you pick trails, keep AllTrails alongside abseits.
Does abseits work offline like AllTrails+?
abseits caches vector tiles for any region you download, on every plan (there is only one plan: free). Functionally similar to AllTrails+ offline maps; the difference is pricing and the map style itself.
Does abseits record activities?
Not currently. abseits is a planning and reference tool, not an activity tracker. For recording, pair it with a GPS watch, Strava, or keep AllTrails installed for that one feature.
Is abseits better in Europe or the US?
abseits uses OpenStreetMap data, which is excellent in Europe and increasingly strong in North America. AllTrails' curated trail database is strongest in the US. In the Alps, Nordics, and most of Europe, abseits has a richer, more up-to-date map. In remote US wilderness, either works; for popular US day hikes, AllTrails has more social context.