Alternatives to CalTopo
Backcountry mapping and trip planning tool with collaborative map editing, terrain layers and offline mobile use. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.
The original
CalTopo
Backcountry mapping and trip planning tool with collaborative map editing, terrain layers and offline mobile use.
Replacements
Listings that take over the same core job as CalTopo.
Gaia GPS
Outdoor mapping app with topographic and satellite layers and offline maps for hiking and off-road trips.
Gaia GPS offers many topographic and satellite layers with offline downloads for hiking, ski touring and off-road trips, on Android and iOS only, with advanced features in Premium.
onX Backcountry
GPS trail map app for hiking, backpacking and ski touring with 3D terrain and offline maps.
onX Backcountry provides offline 3D terrain, LiDAR topo and slope angle shading on Android and iOS, and requires a paid subscription after the trial.
AllTrails
A trail guide and mapping service for finding, planning and recording hikes, rides and runs.
AllTrails centres on a large trail database with reviews and photos plus a route builder and live tracking, and shows sponsored trail collections.
Avenza Maps
A mobile map app that shows your position on georeferenced PDF and GeoTIFF maps without internet.
Avenza Maps shows your position offline on georeferenced PDF and GeoTIFF maps and supports field data collection, but runs only on Android and iOS.
Locus Map
An outdoor navigation app for hiking, cycling and geocaching with offline maps and route planning.
Locus Map is a configurable Android and iOS outdoor navigator with offline routing, surface details and geocaching, though iOS gets a Lite version.
Komoot
Route planner and outdoor navigation app for hiking, cycling and mountain biking with community routes.
Komoot generates sport-specific hiking and cycling routes with turn-by-turn navigation and community routes, requiring an account, rather than detailed backcountry terrain layers.
Also worth comparing
These listings name CalTopo as their own alternative, so the relationship runs both ways.
FarOut
A navigation app with offline trail guides for long-distance hiking, biking and paddling routes.
CalTopo suits detailed backcountry planning with collaborative map editing, slope and snow layers and offline mobile maps, though many layers focus on the United States.
onX Hunt
Hunting GPS app with public and private land boundaries, 3D maps and offline navigation.
CalTopo includes public land layers with slope and weather data and collaborative planning, but lacks hunting layers such as GMUs and private ownership boundaries.
Similar software
Related functionality, not a direct replacement.
QGIS
A free and open-source desktop GIS for making maps, editing spatial data and running analysis.
Felt
A collaborative web mapping and GIS tool for making maps, apps and dashboards from uploaded data.
gpx.studio
A free online editor for viewing, creating and editing GPX files with route planning tools.
onX Offroad
Off-road trail map and GPS app for 4x4, ATV, UTV, dirt bike and overlanding trips.
