Hikers now have more app options to pick from as they navigate trails. Photo: Evan Quarnstrom
After asserting itself as the premier social app for runners and cyclists, Strava is coming for hikers, too. The fitness app just announced a slew of updates that put it in direct competition with hiking app market leaders AllTrails and Apple Maps.
Later this summer, those who subscribe to Strava for $12 per month will have new hiking features at their fingertips. The updates include searching for trails based on user activity, planning custom hikes, saving routes, navigation on Apple Watch, and downloading offline trails. Non-paying users will also benefit from clearer trail data with more points of interest such as trailheads and camp sites, 3D activity maps, and live elevation readings.
The San Francisco-based technology company is placing its bets on the continued growth of the hiking market that boomed during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a Strava company report, hiking clubs grew 5.8 times in 2025. Strava claims a customer base of 195-million users across 185 countries.
The move comes two years after Apple entered the hiking app market to compete with category leader AllTrails. In 2024, Apple started rolling out free hiking features on its Maps app, adding trails within national parks, the ability to create new trails, downloadable maps with topographic layers, and a filter to sort through hikes. The new features were limited to the U.S. and Japan markets.
AllTrails announced new updates of its own last year. The brand launched a new premium-pricing level that gives users the ability to create custom routes, access more robust trail data such as weather, terrain, air quality, and mosquito activity, view heatmaps showing trail crowding, and use tools that identify flora with the phone’s camera.
AllTrails premium “Peak” pricing, which costs $79.99 per year, is set at the same price point as Strava’s yearly membership. Both apps will need to maintain high-quality product offerings, given that Apple’s product, while still basic, is included in the Maps app on all iPhones.
According to TIME, AllTrails has 95-million users. It looks like Strava is trying to convince a few of them to switch their loyalty.
