The complete tour

Every NomadTracks feature, explained

A precise GPS recorder, a personal map library and a privacy-first sync system — for iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch.

Recording

High-precision GPS recording

Start a recording and put the phone away — NomadTracks keeps a precise log of where you went and how high you climbed.

GPS tracks with accurate elevation data
Live stats on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island
Live map with scale bar, compass and coordinates
Distance measurement directly on the map
Built for 25+ activities — hiking, biking, paddling, skiing and more
Metric, imperial and nautical units

NomadTracks live recording screen with altitude, speed, track time and distance readouts above a city map

Points of interest

Pin what matters out there

Campsites, water sources, trailheads, viewpoints — POIs in NomadTracks are little field records, not just dots.

Categories, colors, photos, addresses and notes
Add POIs manually with lon/lat or UTM coordinates
Create a POI straight from a photo's geotag
Organize POIs in folders, search and filter them

POI detail view of Ugab Rhino Camp in Namibia with satellite map, address and exact coordinates

Custom maps

Your paper maps, alive on screen

The feature that sets NomadTracks apart: turn any map you own into a live, position-aware overlay.

Import georeferenced PDFs and TIFFs (e.g. Avenza-style maps)
Photograph a paper or topographic map and georeference it in-app
Set control points and see the alignment accuracy (RMS)
Use the overlay fully offline with your live GPS position on it
Custom MapLibre basemaps for self-hosters

Step-by-step: georeference a paper map →

Georeferencing a designated campsites PDF map in NomadTracks with four control points and 2 meter RMS accuracy

Route planning — Pro

Plan it indoors, follow it outdoors

Tap waypoints and NomadTracks snaps the route to real roads and trails, with the numbers you need to judge the day.

Routing along real roads and hiking trails
Distance, duration and elevation for every route
Save a planned route as a track and follow it later
Plan on Apple Maps, Google Maps, OpenStreetMap or satellite

Step-by-step: plan a route →

Planned 13.35 kilometer route on a satellite basemap near Mount St. Helens in NomadTracks

Library

Years of adventures, instantly findable

Tracks, POIs and custom maps live in a real library with folders, search, sorting and filters.

Elevation, speed and pace charts for every track
Edit, recolor, trim and crop tracks
Attach photos that appear right on the map
Recently Deleted with 30-day recovery

Track detail with photo waypoints on the map and an elevation chart with crop range controls

Import & export

Open formats, zero lock-in

Your tracks belong to you. NomadTracks speaks the formats every other GPS tool understands.

Import tracks and POIs from GPX, GeoJSON or bundles
Export as GPX, GeoJSON or bundles with photos and metadata
Open any location in Apple Maps or Google Maps
Share via AirDrop, Mail, Messages and iCloud Drive

Step-by-step: import GPX files →

Route with labeled waypoints and distances on a coastal satellite map in NomadTracks

Apple Watch

Leave the phone at camp

The NomadTracks watch app records on its own — no iPhone required on the trail.

Standalone GPS, heart rate and elevation recording
Customizable data fields on the watch face
Workouts saved to Apple Health
Tracks sync back to your iPhone library

Step-by-step: track with your Watch →

NomadTracks Apple Watch recording screen showing time, speed, distance, elevation gain and loss and heart rate

Sync & backup

Synced everywhere. Stored nowhere else.

NomadTracks runs no servers. Your library syncs through clouds you already control.

iCloud sync across iPhone, iPad and Mac — free
Synology NAS sync for home-server setups — free
Dropbox sync (Pro)
Automatic and manual backups of your whole library
iPhone shares its GPS position with Wi-Fi-only iPads

Step-by-step: set up sync & backups →

Recorded hiking track displayed on the live map with track, POI and map counts