The best cycling apps cover everything that you need to know about cycling in the palm of your hand. They are available at little to no cost, and they help you ride safer, go faster, and explore the world by bike.
You can plan your rides, get route ideas from other riders, and navigate using the best cycling apps. While you're riding, you can track where you've been and how fast you've gone, and you can even measure the effort that you've put in. Some apps help you keep a long-term record of your data and trends on top of tracking real-time ride data. The best apps allow others to keep track of where you are, increasing safety and providing more peace of mind.
Best mapping and route-planning apps
RideWithGPS is simply one of the best route-planning apps for cyclists. It's tough to beat thanks to offline mode, turn-by-turn navigation, elevation profiles, and cue sheets. What it lacks in social features (i.e. Strava), RidewithGPS makes up for in high-quality planning tools.
Road, gravel, touring cyclists and more are the perfect fit for RidewithGPS. The app syncs well with GPS head units, as it is not only tied to a specific brand, such as Wahoo. Offline functionality and map overlays, in particular, have improved recently, including better visibility of bike paths and terrain types. While Komoot offers more exploratory route-planning, RidewithGPS offers detailed and meticulous planning with quality that it tough to beat.
View on the iOS App Store or on Google Play.
Alltrails claims to have a user base of over 80 million and has over 500,000 trails worldwide mapped out, with directions, maps, photos and more. Most trails have extensive user feedback, so you know what you're getting yourself into. However, the user feedback isn't always 100% accurate, so it's best to do your own research as well.
Although you'll need to sign up for the premium version to get offline maps and other features, on-trail navigation is free, and you can now send routes to Garmin Connect. The app often requires a phone connection in order to work, which is not an easy task when you're in the middle of the woods.
The routes are geared towards off-road use, and many are hiking trails rather than for cycling, but they're a good resource if you're planning a ride in a new location, nevertheless.
View on the iOS App Store or on Google Play.
Komoot is a route-planning app that shines thanks to its exploratory features, such as highlighting points of interest in a given area – cafés, beaches, mountainous views, and historical sites, just to name a few. Users can also optimise their route to fit a certain terrain, choosing between bike paths, road riding, mountain biking, gravel, and more. Improved device integrations and better syncing across GPS head units are standout improvements, as well as the all-important ongoing route-planning features.
In addition to the basic features of route planning, Komoot goes above and beyond by providing community-driven attractions and detailed surface breakdowns that few – if any – other platforms can offer. Premium users gain access to voice navigation, offline maps, on-tour weather, and multi-day planning.
View on the iOS App Store or on Google Play.
MapMyRide allows users to create, find, and track rides and routes for more than 600 different types of activities. However, it lacks the depth of other apps like Strava, but it's still plenty for the casual user. MapMyRide is part of the Under Armour fitness ecosystem, which has seen a number of improvements in recent years.
The free app is nearly on par with Strava, but with one key feature lacking: segment leaderboards. But what MapMyRide Premium users gain is several features not offered on Strava: personalised training plans, audible feedback, and mid-ride performance updates. MapMyRide offers a crisp set of features across the board, with a free version that challenges the premium models of its competitors.
View on the iOS App Store or on Google Play.
Trailforks is one of the go-to apps for mountain bikers as it offers one of the most comprehensive trail databases of any app. The community-driven data, while not always 100% accurate, includes trail conditions and detailed mapping. It's not as easy to find detailed MTB trails as it is to plan paved routes on Strava, and this is part of what makes Trailforks stand out.
There is a new Apple Watch Trailforks app, as well as improved mapping and a Service Tracker that logs the wear on your components based on ride data. App integrations are plentiful, even with the free version. Features like offline mapping are limited to the premium version, which may be a sticking point for some users. But for overall route mapping and ride planning, Trailforks is one of the best apps out there.
View on the iOS App Store or on Google Play.
Developed by Ordnance Survey, OS Maps is one of the most detailed mapping apps that you will find. Particular to the UK, the app includes topographic maps that are invaluable for gravel riders, tourists, bike-packers, and off-road explorers. Terrain features and access points are better mapped than almost any other app, helping bring piece of mind to off-road route planning.
Offline access has improved, which is a huge plus for those exploring remote areas. The biggest difference between OS Maps and others like Komoot or RidewithGPS is that OS Maps is not as cycling specific. There is also limited coverage and mapping outside of the UK, so it's best to keep this one in house. But for those exploring Britain's backroads and trails, there is hardly a better app than OS Maps.
View on the iOS App Store or on Google Play.
Best fitness-tracking apps
Strava is one of the most popular cycling apps in the world, and for good reason. The standout feature is segments (where you can earn KOMs/QOMs), but Strava also hosts a number of features including route planning, heat maps, and one-touch recording. You need a paid subscription to access some functionality, including route planning and full segment leaderboards. This costs £55 ($80) per year. Free users can still upload rides to Strava, create segments, follow any one of its 190 million users and see their top ten times on any segment.
Heat maps – colour-coded maps that show you which roads are most popular among Strava activities from the past two years – are unique to Strava and contain a wealth of knowledge that no other platform can match. This feature, coupled with route planning, can help users map a safe and scenic route somewhere they’ve never ridden before. It's a lot to offer from a single app, which makes the price of a premium subscription easier to justify.
View on the iOS App Store or on Google Play.
TrainingPeaks is ingrained in cycling-speak with millions of users across the world, including many of the best professional cyclists in the world. There is hardly a limit to what TrainingPeaks can do when it comes to tracking and analysing your fitness. Carefully calculated algorithms predict fitness, fatigue, and form using an equally complicated set of acronyms, including CTL (Chronic Training Load), TSB (Training Stress Balance), and everyone’s favourite: TSS (Training Stress Score). Competitors have struggled to match both the in-depth analysis that TrainingPeaks offers, as well as its massive following among coaches and athletes alike.
The free version of the app includes a wealth of features such as the ability to view and upload workouts, see your overall fitness summary, and connect with training plans or coaches. Premium users gain access to in-depth workout and peak performance analysis, unlimited workout libraries, the ability to build an entire prospective training plan, and much more. In recent years, the premium subscription added access to TrainingPeaks Virtual (TPV), a virtual training platform with everything you need to ride indoors. TPV includes hundreds of workouts, routes, races and training plans, as well as real-life physics such as wind, braking, and cornering. Overall, TrainingPeaks is the ideal platform for any serious endurance athlete looking to keep track of their training and fitness.
View on the iOS App Store or on Google Play.
If you're a Garmin user, Garmin Connect lets you keep tabs on all your cycling data. It works even better if you have a Garmin smartwatch, keeping track of off-bike action, sleep and even your menstrual cycle. While it's a fantastic app, it is quite narrow in ideal compatibility. You can upload non-Garmin activities, but the app works best with Garmin kit.
There's a load of other functionality built in that's great for cyclists: everything from route planning, which uses Garmin heatmaps to keep you to cycle-friendly routes to training schedules if you're aiming to peak for a specific event. Garmin Connect is a central hub for Garmin users, and you'll get access to several performance analytics that you won't find in other apps. One of the best (and often controversial) features of the app is its ability to predict your recovery and VO2 Max. AI-driven insights have been added to Garmin Connect+, a new premium tier that also includes deeper data analysis.
View on the iOS App Store or on Google Play.
What sets the Wahoo Fitness app apart from its competitors is its functional diversity at zero cost. The app allows users to sync workouts from a variety of activities, including those with paired devices such as heart rate monitors, cadence sensors, power meters and smart turbo trainers. Users have access to their heart rate and power training zones, as well as adjustable audio alerts. It can then be connected with other accounts, enabling users to upload activities to a community feed such as in Strava.
Having a Wahoo Elemnt head unit and its companion Wahoo Elemnt app increases the app's versatility, adding features such as route planning, workouts, and shareable live tracking. Wahoo has overhauled its subscription options multiple times in recent memory, with the latest version being the optional upgrade to Wahoo SYSTM. With the premium tier, you will get access to hundreds of workouts, both in cycling and outside of it. The guided strength training and yoga sessions are a standout feature, and many users swear by the depth in offering and quality that Wahoo provides.
View on the iOS App Store or on Google Play.
If you struggle to keep motivated, how about earning free stuff for every workout that you do, both on the bike and off? Muuvr tracks your activities and rewards you with points, called Muuvs. These accrue in the background and can be swapped for a whole range of physical products from cycling gloves to wetsuits to event entries.
Your points accumulate in the background of the app, so you don't need to use yet another app to log your rides. The biggest downside is that it doesn't directly link to Strava, which tends to be most people's default repository. However, you can hook up to Garmin Connect, Wahoo, Apple Fitness and more.
You'll need to keep at it to earn enough points to swap for anything much, which might be a good or a bad thing, depending on your viewpoint, but since it's free stuff, who's to complain?
View on the Google Play.
Best weather apps
This app operates exactly as advertised – Rain Alarm alerts you when rain is approaching. The free version of the app will mark your location and display an easy-to-read radar that shows you precisely where it’s raining. Simply put, it's one of the best apps to use if you want to stay dry.
If the weather is spotty and you’re still unsure, you can use the premium version to turn on alarms, which will alert you when heavy rain is approaching – these alarms also sync with Android watches for added convenience. The simplicity of Rain Alarm puts it above its weather-focused competitors, with quick updates every 5-10 minutes, and improved accuracy and responsiveness.
View on the iOS App Store or on Google Play.
Mywindsock is the perfect app for performance-focused cyclists, especially racers and time trialists. It uses weather and wind analysis to explain how performance could be affected along a given route. Users can upload their exact ride file, and Mywindsock can even simulate efforts based on changing conditions and predictive models.
Not all the race-planning features are included with the free version, but you will get integration with apps like Strava and TrainingPeaks. For cyclists aiming to maximise their performance in every way possible, Mywindsock is an incredibly valuable app that offers insights few others can match.
Add Mywindsock to iOS device or Android.
Best apps for gear testing
Tyre Pressure app is exactly as advertised. If you want a quick guide to your tyre pressure, this app is easy to use and requires just a few inputs for you and your bike. If you've got more than one bike at home, the app will allow you to set each up individually, so you don't need to mess around when you change bikes. Recent updates have expanded the tyre database, as well as improving the overall calculations.
The pressure recommendations are not exactly in line with comparable apps, such as Zipp's online calculator. The app does suggest that its recommendations are just a starting point though, so you may want to try them to see, then test on your own and go from there.
View on the iOS App Store or on Google Play.
The CeramicSpeed app pulls your ride data from your Strava account to keep a tally of how far you've ridden and how long it's since your last service and alerts you when you need to arrange a check of your chain for wear and a service of your bottom bracket bearings.
You can accept the app's default values or set your own, and the app distinguishes between road, gravel and other bikes, with different service intervals for each.
There's also a handlebar alignment checker, which uses your phone's camera to assess whether your bars are pointing straight ahead. CeramicSpeed has updated its drivetrain calculators, as well as its aero and efficiency tools. For the performance-focused cyclist, this app is a must-have.
View on the iOS App Store or on Google Play.
After plugging in your current set-up of gears, power, cadence, and crank length into the BicyCalc app, you can compare and contrast different gearing set-ups for your bike. Users can improve their cycling performance by playing around with the different calculations compared to their current setup.
The app covers gear ratio, gear velocity, real-time GPS-based gear suggestions, power, and ideal frame size, making it useful for both beginners and experienced cyclists. It also helps cyclists understand proper gear shifting and how to avoid cross-chaining, with the goal of improving efficiency and reducing fatigue.
View on Google Play.
Best apps for news and safety
The Cyclingnews app brings our race coverage, tech features, and analysis straight to your mobile device. It is a content hub for everything you need to know about cycling, including breaking news, live race reports, and long-form features exclusive to Cyclingnews.
Personalisation is one of the app's standout features as you can tailor your feed to specific teams, riders, or disciplines. Never miss out on breaking news, where you can turn on push notifications for real-time updates of major races. For cyclists who want to stay informed with all the latest updates from the cycling world, there is no better choice than the Cyclingnews app.
View on the iOS App Store or on Google Play.
Crashes happen, and it’s important to know what to do when a rider goes down. And if you don’t know what to do, it is pretty amazing that you can have an app in your pocket that will walk you through first aid procedures for almost any situation. This free app includes first-aid guidance for bleeding, broken bones, head injuries, heatstroke, panic attacks, and more. There’s even advice for dealing with disasters such as wildfires, tornadoes, heat waves, and power outages. Downloading this app is a no-brainer: it’s free, and it could help save a life.
View on the iOS App Store or on Google Play.
How to personalise your catalogue of cycling apps
What are your goals as a cyclist?
Are you riding or training? This simple question will help you determine if you should download a fitness tracking app like Wahoo or TrainingPeaks. Bike riders don’t necessarily need to track their fitness – they just want a safe and beautiful road to ride. Bike racers, on the other hand, want to know how hard their ride was, how their fitness is improving, and how to peak for their goal event. Fitness tracking apps take much of the guesswork out of training by providing structured workouts and long-term plans to help us reach our fitness goals.
What types of roads do you have nearby?
If you live in the city, route planning is going to be more intentional than exploratory. Features like Strava’s heat map and user-uploaded routes on MapMyRide can help you find the most popular bike routes and cycleways, which typically avoid traffic-laden roads. But if you live out in the country – with trails, paths, mountains, and single track to choose from – an exploratory app like Komoot could be the perfect tool to help fuel your adventure.
Are you more of a social cyclist, or a solo rider?
One of the key features of many of these apps is that they allow us to connect with thousands – and sometimes millions – of other cyclists around the world. How else could you directly compete against a Tour de France winner other than challenging his KOM on a Strava segment?
We can even keep tabs on other riders’ training – from the WorldTour pros to your friend that lives down the street. Apps such as Strava and MapMyRide allow millions of cyclists to interact from around the world, including sharing routes and comparing times on both segments and entire courses.
Solo riders can find everything they need in route planning apps such as Komoot and Strava, from designing epic adventures to optimising their morning commute.
Do you want maintenance and mechanical help?
If you plan to do your own maintenance or you just want to keep tabs on what needs doing when, or if you want to fine-tune your bike and ride position, then an app which covers these as well as your actual riding can help keep everything working at its best.
