TrailTrackr: a European, privacy-friendly GPS hiking app
TrailTrackr records walks and hikes with GPS, needs no account, shows no ads and has no social network. Your tracks stay on your own device and move in and out as GPX files. This page explains what “European” does and does not mean here.
Why choose European software?
More people look for apps that do not depend on the biggest US tech companies, for reasons of privacy and digital independence. For a hiking app the question is practical: who holds your tracks, and what happens to them?
- Digital independence: your tracks are plain GPX files you can take to any other app.
- Less dependence on big US tech platforms: you do not need an account on a tracking platform to record a walk.
- A conscious choice for privacy-friendly alternatives: an app that collects little, because there is no account system to feed.
European development, European data storage and European ownership are three different things
These are separate claims. This is what is true for TrailTrackr, and nothing more:
- Development: TrailTrackr is built and maintained by Qdraw, an independent developer in the Netherlands.
- Data storage: your recordings are stored on your own device, not on a TrailTrackr server, so there is no server location to name for them. If you use iCloud backup on iOS, Apple stores that backup. Anonymous crash reports and basic usage statistics go to the developer’s own server, which is hosted in the Netherlands.
- Ownership: TrailTrackr is run by an individual developer, not by a large platform. It does run on Apple and Google operating systems and is distributed through their app stores, so it is not independent of US companies.
What makes TrailTrackr different?
- No account: open the app and record. (Only the Android beta waitlist is a form, for the beta itself.)
- No ads: your data is never used for advertising or sold.
- No social network: no feed, followers, segments or leaderboards.
- Recording without an internet connection: GPS needs no internet. Map backgrounds are downloaded while you look at them, so the map can be empty offline while your track is still recorded.
- Import and export GPX: import GPX, KML, KMZ and GeoJSON, export GPX, and make a full JSON backup.
What does leave your phone?
- Map tiles: Apple Maps by default on iPhone. OpenStreetMap maps from OpenFreeMap are the default on Android and optional on iPhone. That reveals your IP address and the area you view, never your tracks.
- Anonymous crash reports and basic usage statistics go to the developer’s own server. There is no third-party analytics service in the app, and never recordings, locations, track names or e-mail addresses.
- A version check when the iPhone app starts sends only the platform and app version.
- Android uses Google Play services to get your location.
- This website uses Google Analytics for aggregated statistics.
Details are in the privacy policy. This page describes how the app works; it is not a legal certification of GDPR compliance.
Is TrailTrackr a European alternative to Strava?
For recording your own walks and hikes, yes. They are different kinds of product:
- Functionality: TrailTrackr records tracks and shows distance, time, altitude and maps, and exports GPX. It has no segments, leaderboards or social feed.
- Positioning: made for walking and hiking, including long-distance walks, with background tracking for hours. It also records runs, rides and skiing.
- No competition or social platform: your recordings are for you.
To switch, download your data from Strava and open the GPX files in TrailTrackr. See the Strava comparison.
Frequently asked questions
Is TrailTrackr a European app?
TrailTrackr is built and maintained by Qdraw, an independent developer in the Netherlands. Your recordings are stored on your own device. The app runs on iOS and Android and is distributed through Apple’s App Store and, soon, Google Play, so it is European in development but not independent of US platforms.
Is TrailTrackr privacy-friendly?
Yes. It needs no account, shows no ads, has no social network and uses no third-party analytics service in the app. Recordings stay on your device unless you export them. Map tiles, anonymous crash reports and a version check are the only network traffic, and none of them contain your tracks.
Does TrailTrackr work without internet?
Recording works without internet, because GPS needs none. Map backgrounds are downloaded while you look at them, so the map can be empty without a connection, while the track is still recorded and saved.
Do I need an account?
No. You open the app and start recording. There is no sign-up, login or profile.
Is my GPS data shared?
No. TrailTrackr never uploads your recordings automatically. They leave the app only when you export or share them yourself. Crash reports and usage statistics never contain recordings, locations or track names.
Is TrailTrackr an alternative to American hiking apps?
For recording and reviewing your own walks and hikes, yes. It is not a community platform: no segments, leaderboards, feed or route discovery.
Can I manage my hiking data myself?
Yes. Import GPX, KML, KMZ and GeoJSON files, export tracks as GPX, make a full JSON backup in Settings, delete single tracks, or remove everything by uninstalling the app.
Download TrailTrackr
TrailTrackr is in the App Store for iPhone, with a Mac app and an Apple Watch app. The Android beta has started.