BuckUp is a dedicated barometric altimeter for off-road drivers that measures vertical gain in 1,000-foot Bucks. onX Offroad, Gaia GPS, and Trailforks are trail-mapping and navigation apps. They solve different problems — most overlanders run one of those for routing and BuckUp for the gauge.
If you need turn-by-turn off-road navigation, downloadable trail maps, or waypoint planning, use onX Offroad or Gaia GPS. If you want to measure how high you climbed, log every session, earn patches, and share a summit card with a per-session photo, use BuckUp. The two stack together — BuckUp is one-time, the others are annual subscriptions.
Below is the full feature comparison across the four apps overlanders most commonly mention together. Pricing figures are current as of May 2026. BuckUp is the only app of the four with native barometric altimeter input and Live Activity / Dynamic Island surfaces.
| Capability | BUCKUP | onX OFFROAD | GAIA GPS | TRAILFORKS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary job | Barometric altimeter + ride log | Off-road trail maps + nav | Topo maps + waypoints + nav | MTB / moto trail database |
| Vertical in 1,000-ft Bucks | Yes (native unit) | — | — | — |
| Barometric altimeter (CMAltimeter) | Yes | No (GPS only) | No (GPS only) | No (GPS only) |
| Offline-first | Gauge + log + 25 bundled cards | Region downloads | Region downloads | Region downloads |
| Curated destination database | 2,400 US off-road | ~650K mi trails | Global topo / OSM | 480K+ trails (MTB) |
| Sub Buck (below sea level) | 25, cool-blue render | — | — | — |
| Live Activity (Lock Screen) | Yes ($12.99 unlock) | — | — | — |
| Dynamic Island | Yes (same bundle) | — | — | — |
| Home Screen widget | Yes ($12.99) S/M/L | Read-only complications | Limited | — |
| Apple Watch complication | Roadmap v1.2 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| CarPlay | Widget tray (iOS 18+) | Full app | Limited | — |
| Per-session photos | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Achievement patches | 20, 4 rarities, no IAP | — | — | Limited (Pinkbike profile) |
| Account required | No (optional) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Privacy | Local-first · opt-in sync | Cloud-synced | Cloud-synced | Cloud-synced |
| Pricing model | One-time IAP | Annual subscription | Annual subscription | Annual subscription |
| Free tier | Fully free core | 7-day trial | Basic maps | No offline |
| Paid tier | $12.99 / $12.99 / $19.99 | $29.99/yr · $99.99/yr | $39.99/yr | $36/yr |
| Android | — | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| US App Store only at launch | Yes | Global | Global | Global |
Each app is best at a specific moment in a trip. Below is the breakdown so you know what to open when. Most overlanders end up with two on the dock — a map app and BuckUp.
Map it, mark waypoints, download offline tiles.
Live Activity, widget, glance. Altitude on Lock Screen.
One tap, your photo, stamped.
Unlimited, local-first, free.
No grind, no IAP, no random drops.
Built for the MTB / moto crowd. Worth pairing.
No account, no subscription, no trial timer. The gauge is yours forever.
Download on the App Store