Komoot is dead, long live Komoot

[Dave Barter]

Currently trying out the HiiKER app, seems ok at the moment (ditched the OS app now)

I got a years OS sub for £12 in a recent offer and I'm not convinced that was good vfm if I'm honest.

The OS app is a disgrace. It takes over a minute to load a map on my phone even when the map has been downloaded.

[thenorthwind]

I've always had niggling doubts about Komoot - the post above about marketing vs. development rings true. I seemed to always be being offered a free trial or a free region and sponsoring this or that and that always sets alarm bells ringing.

I've written at length about this on here - there's a long thread if you're bothered, but TL;DR: the answer (for me) is Memory Map.

[Dave Barter]

And to be fair to Memory Map they are a small company who have never veered from what they do.

[Valerio]

I talked to guy a few years ago who seemed to know the people behind Komoot and RWGPS. He said that Komoot put all their efforts into marketing and the development of the app was secondary and that the team at RWGPS couldn't give a f##k about marketing and the functionality of their product was paramount. Its certainly been bourn out by my experience.

Couldn't agree more.

I do have to say the komoot (phone) app is better to use than RWGPS, while creating routes on the RWGPS app isn't as easy.

Komoot has a big user-generated library of knowledge about trails which can be very useful. RWGPS has the same functionality but because it hasn't been adopted by as many "influencers" as komoot, the information isn't quite there.

And that's pretty much it. RWGPS is 10x better than Komoot at anything else.
Most importantly, it won't try to change your route without you knowing. It's great for actually planning a ride and communicate with a gps device (add custom cues, custom POIs, etc).
Since using RWGPS I could effectively stop making cue sheets before a ride. All the information is on my garmin/phone.

Komoot premium features are either something I don't need/use (weather forecast) or very poorly executed. The multi day planning feature is only good if you're happy to blindly trust Komoot. Unless it's been improved in the last year or so, it used to amend a route without warning which is pretty fucking dangerous when trying to follow an established route or riding an event!

[Hyppy]

… it hasn't been adopted by as many "influencers" as komoot, the information isn't quite there. …

They don't choose to adopt it: They are/were paid to. I know that a few ambassadors, as they call them, were let go a while back as part of cost-cutting and have literally just heard of another who is still with them preparing for the seemingly inevitable lay-off.

I never tuned into its vibe, but it's been ridiculously popular in some quarters. You pays your money …

[Valerio]

I can imagine many had been paid to promote it, but you'd find many people using it and sharing their rides (and crucially, comments and photos on sections and trails) who are just regular users.

That unfortunately doesn't seem to happen with rwgps.

[jameso]

.. you'd find many people using it and sharing their rides (and crucially, comments and photos on sections and trails) who are just regular users.

That unfortunately doesn't seem to happen with rwgps.

Komoot understood the community aspect and why people share stuff, mostly - to get some level of recognition and in turn to see what other people are doing. Same with Strava. RWGPS is technically better for route creation but it's not really a social media app, komoot was a social media app as much as a route-finding and mapping tool, I'd say.

[JackT]

.. you'd find many people using it and sharing their rides (and crucially, comments and photos on sections and trails) who are just regular users.

That unfortunately doesn't seem to happen with rwgps.

Komoot understood the community aspect and why people share stuff, mostly - to get some level of recognition and in turn to see what other people are doing. Same with Strava. RWGPS is technically better for route creation but it's not really a social media app, komoot was a social media app as much as a route-finding and mapping tool, I'd say.

Does Komoot have the user rides heat map feature? That's pretty useful user generated content, especially for making off road route choices. I think Strava originated it, but RwGPS have implemented a version and it's pretty good. I found the user generated content on Komoot was like Tripadvisor for cycling. I wasn't sure how reliable or objective it was, and was difficult to actually use. A heat map of where people actually ride is seems like a more objective 'wisdom of crowds' approach. It's possible that Komoot has this running in the background of their routing algorithm. Cycle.travel meanwhile takes another approach, its algorithm for road riding is informed by data on motor traffic levels. On the basis that a pleasant road to cycle isn't necessarily one that loads of cyclists use, but one that few motorists use.

[Lazarus]

A heat map of where people actually ride is seems like a more objective 'wisdom of crowds' approach

Its downside( strava) is you dont know if they ride up or down it and once did a new hill, miles away, the wrong way round.

[jameso]

Does Komoot have the user rides heat map feature? That's pretty useful user generated content, especially for making off road route choices. I think Strava originated it, but RwGPS have implemented a version and it's pretty good.

It doesn't. It's a useful tool on RWGPS, I don't use strava so it's my main checker for those bridleways that may only exist on a map. Komoot doesn't have as many map type options for that level of on-screen exploration.