Frederic Posted September 1, 2019 Report Share Posted September 1, 2019 in our search to have a decent GPS app to guide us in the desert, today i wanted to review and compare MotionX and Gaia GPS, which are both apps specifically tailored to Off-Road driving or hiking. As i had an old Samsung Note 5 laying around which had a very big screen, i decided to use that phone and mount it in my car to use it as a dedicated GPS. Unfortunately when i found out that MotionX is only for IOS platforms, i was forced to look for something else and stumbled upon Gaia GPS. In the Youtube tutorial below, this gentleman makes a great comparison and it's worth having a look at: As a summary, i come to the following: MotionX: + Completely Free with full functionality + Easy to use, set up - No Android support - No possibility to create multi-bend tracks Gaia GPS: + Easy to use and set up + Customizable Bar Tiles on the home screen + Overlay Maps + Possibility to create multi-bend tracks. - FREE version only has only 1 basic Topographic map, but the paid version costs 10USD per year that gives full functionality and satellite map. Full Premium Membership costs 30USD for year in case you want to add more maps and resources, but is more tailored to hiking. https://help.gaiagps.com/hc/en-us/articles/115003524547-Free-vs-Membership-vs-Premium-Membership Surely there will be more specific PROS and CONS once having used these programs. Please add them in your replies so we can share our hints and tricks to use these great apps. Both apps support map download, so you can download the area in case you have no data coverage in that area, or if your phone simply has no SIM card in it So there you have it, two apps which are perfectly capable of doing the things we want them to do for our Off-road adventures in the UAE deserts. Do share your questions, suggestions, experiences ! 5 1 "Go as far as you can see; once you get there, you'll be able to see further." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaurav Posted September 1, 2019 Report Share Posted September 1, 2019 Very nice review and very useful for tons of offroader including myself who has been looking, trying and hoping to find one good offroad gps to beat motion x. I love motion x but im still using old iphone 6 and wanted to try android gps on my note due to bigger screen. I will try this and share my review, soon. Btw, Motionx is not free either, Its 7.29 AED to install and 17 AED for custom maps. I believe this 17 is for lifetime as I vaguely remember paying them once and after that I haven't paid them again. Anyone having iPhone, must use Motion X it's worth its price in GOLD. 5 1 1 Let's root for each other & watch each other grow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadow79 Posted September 1, 2019 Report Share Posted September 1, 2019 (edited) I am using wikiloc for recording tracks and you can put additional way points with pictures so you can remember what's where seems decent up till now...and while recording the screen turns off to save battery... haven't had the chance to to replay any particular track until now but will soon see that side of it too... It's also having paid version but I am using the free one Edited September 1, 2019 by shadow79 More info 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Javier M Posted September 1, 2019 Report Share Posted September 1, 2019 I use ViewRanger it is easy to use and works with Android I have it in my Jeep's Android player console and it works perfectly I can follow and record all tracks and it gives me the direction I'm going. It's really good. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frederic Posted September 8, 2019 Author Report Share Posted September 8, 2019 Small thing to add: Gaia has a desktop version, which is very useful to store, edit, or make new tracks from the comfort of your desktop PC. www.gaiagps.com 3 1 1 1 "Go as far as you can see; once you get there, you'll be able to see further." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKR Posted September 8, 2019 Report Share Posted September 8, 2019 I used GAIA and found the UI fairly simply no so much with motion X ..not sure if this is only me ... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frederic Posted September 28, 2019 Author Report Share Posted September 28, 2019 UPDATE: for the GaiaGps app users, the Google Maps like Satellite, Terrain, or Hybrid, which is my favorite, are not standard built in, but can easily be added by using the GaiaGps website. This is the procedure: While logged into Gaiagps.com, add a custom map source via TMS here:https://www.gaiagps.com/mapsource/add/ And use this TMS URL to get Google Terrain:https://mt0.google.com/vt/lyrs=p&hl=en&x={x}&y={y}&z={z}&s=Ga Then hit "add this map source" and the saved map should show up in your Gaia app the next time you sync. Some other map links: Google Maps: https://mt1.google.com/vt/lyrs=r&x={x}&y={y}&z={z} Google Satellite:https://www.google.cn/maps/vt?lyrs=s@189&gl=cn&x={x}&y={y}&z={z} Google Satellite Hybrid:https://mt1.google.com/vt/lyrs=y&x={x}&y={y}&z={z} Google Terrain:https://mt1.google.com/vt/lyrs=t&x={x}&y={y}&z={z} Google Roads:https://mt1.google.com/vt/lyrs=h&x={x}&y={y}&z={z} ESRI Sattelite Imagery:https://server.arcgisonline.com/ArcGIS/rest/services/World_Imagery/MapServer/tile/{z}/{y}/{x} 2 1 2 "Go as far as you can see; once you get there, you'll be able to see further." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jefy Posted March 30, 2020 Report Share Posted March 30, 2020 I am using MotionX, wanted to test a setup with sharing live location with other MotionX users. Trying to download the app on my wife's phone, seems that the app is not available anymore. Can please somebody try to search for it in the store? And if possible, which country settings do you have in your account? 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jefy Posted March 30, 2020 Report Share Posted March 30, 2020 5 minutes ago, Xaf said: I am using MotionX, wanted to test a setup with sharing live location with other MotionX users. Trying to download the app on my wife's phone, seems that the app is not available anymore. Can please somebody try to search for it in the store? And if possible, which country settings do you have in your account? I think MotionX stopped supporting the GPS version. They are now focussing on other fields, like sleep pattern tracking. Please correct me if I am wrong. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frederic Posted March 30, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 30, 2020 18 minutes ago, Xaf said: I think MotionX stopped supporting the GPS version. They are now focussing on other fields, like sleep pattern tracking. Please correct me if I am wrong. Oops just saw that now also that it is not available in the store anymore. Do you happen to have an icloud account from the Netherlands that you can try with ? I tried with both my UAE and Belgian account but it does not seem to be available anymore. I am a GAIA GPS user because of the availability to use your desktop pc also to make / prepare routes and tracks. Also because i am using a dedicated Samsung Note 5 in my car for this specific purpose ony, so i downloaded the offline maps on it. 2 1 "Go as far as you can see; once you get there, you'll be able to see further." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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