The short version
onX Hunt is the polished incumbent, but it has no permanent free tier — the trial ends and the paywall arrives. Gaia GPS and CalTopo both keep genuinely useful free tiers, and Basemap offers a free tier with hunter-focused tools. HuntTrack is the only option on this list that is free forever with no trial expiry and no account required to drop pins. Each app wins somewhere different, so the honest answer depends on what you need the map to do.
Head-to-head
Pricing and tiers change, so treat this as a snapshot of late 2026 and check each app's current plans. The pattern that matters: trial-based apps go dark when the trial ends, while free-tier apps keep working with limits.
| HuntTrack | onX Hunt | Gaia GPS | CalTopo | Basemap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free tier | Free forever, no trial | Trial only, then paid | Free tier + paid | Generous free tier + paid | Free tier + paid |
| Account needed to save pins | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Roadkill / movement data | 200k pins, 9 states | No | No | No | No |
| GPS-collared animal tracks | 2,869 animals | No | No | No | No |
| Wildlife sighting points | 123k GBIF + eBird | No | No | No | No |
| 3D terrain | Yes | Yes (paid) | Yes (paid) | Yes | Yes |
| Landowner names | No — county data restrictions | Yes | Varies | No | Varies |
| Hunt units | 26 states | All 50 | Varies | Varies | All 50 |
| Offline maps | Tile cache (PWA) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Where onX still wins
Credit where it is due: onX has the most complete parcel layer with landowner names in all 50 states, the most polished mobile app, and the largest hunter user base, which means more shared waypoints and community knowledge. If knowing exactly who owns the private ground you are looking at is the job, onX is still the answer — and it costs money because that data costs money to license.
Where Gaia GPS and CalTopo win
Gaia GPS has the deepest map catalog and the best route-planning tools of any app here — it started as a backcountry navigation app and it shows. CalTopo grew out of search-and-rescue planning, and its free tier is the most generous of the paid apps: slope-angle shading, viewshed analysis and high-quality topo that rival desktop GIS. For pure trip planning, CalTopo's free tier is hard to beat.
Where HuntTrack wins
HuntTrack is the only map here built around animal movement data instead of land data. Two hundred thousand roadkill pins across nine states show where animals actually cross roads; 2,869 GPS-collared elk, mule deer, pronghorn and bighorn sheep show where they actually travel; 123,000 GBIF and eBird points show where they have been seen. None of the paid apps ship any of that. It is also the only one that never asks for money or an account — pins save to your device without signing in, and a free account just backs them up across devices.
Where HuntTrack loses (honestly)
No landowner names: county assessor data is fragmented and often licensed, so HuntTrack shows parcel boundaries where open data allows but not who owns them. It is a newer, smaller project than the incumbents, so the mobile apps are less polished and the offline story is a tile cache rather than true offline map packs. And its hunt-unit coverage is 26 states, not all 50 — expanding steadily, but not there yet.
How to pick
If you want one paid app and landowner names matter, get onX. If you plan backcountry routes for free, start with CalTopo. If you want to scout where animals move — not just who owns the dirt — and you want it free forever, use HuntTrack. Plenty of hunters run two: a paid app for ownership and HuntTrack for the movement data the paid apps do not have.