Best OS Route Planner

Best OS Route Planners Compared: Free and Premium

Plan it before you walk it: the best Ordnance Survey and route planners compared

Free or paid, desktop or phone, OS mapping or not. Here is what each route planner does well, where it falls short, and which one suits you.


A good walk or run starts at a screen, not at the car park. Planning your route first means you know the distance, the climb, the likely timings and where the tricky bits are before you leave home. It also means you can load the route onto your GPS watch or handheld and follow it with confidence.

The question is which planner to use. There are plenty, and they are not all equal, especially if you want proper Ordnance Survey mapping. Here is a straight comparison.

Full disclosure Outdoor GPS Shop is part of the same group as GPS Training, who provide two of the planners below. We have tried to be fair and say where they fall short too.

Why Plan Your Route in Advance?

  • Know the numbers. Distance, total ascent and estimated time, before you commit.
  • Spot problems early. Steep sections, river crossings, long road stretches or no obvious footpath.
  • Navigate with less stress. A route loaded onto your GPS watch or handheld shows you the line to follow, and tells you if you stray.
  • Share it. Send a GPX file to friends or leave a copy with someone at home.

What to Look For in a Route Planner

Before the comparison, here is what matters most for walkers and runners:

  • Mapping. Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 shows footpaths, field boundaries and rights of way in detail. Many other maps are less precise off the beaten track.
  • GPX export. Can you get the route onto your GPS device?
  • Cost. Free, one-off or subscription.
  • Ease of use. Does it suit a quick plan, or a long one?

The Planners Compared

OS Maps

Ordnance Survey Free tier plus a Premium subscription. Around £34.99 a year.

The good The not-so-good
  • The official Ordnance Survey service, with 1:25,000 and 1:50,000 mapping.
  • Offline downloads of 1:25,000 mapping across the UK on Premium.
  • Route planning on desktop and the app, with GPX import and export.
  • Excellent footpath and rights of way detail.
  • Free version is limited, so the best features need a subscription.
  • Saving many offline maps in the app can cause problems, according to one review.
  • Routes are kept in a single list rather than in folders.

Best for: walkers who want one subscription for planning and on-the-hill navigation on their phone. Try the planner at explore.osmaps.com.

GPS Training Free OS Planner

Free No subscription and no account needed.

The good The not-so-good
  • Free OS mapping at three scales: 1:250,000, 1:50,000 (Landranger) and 1:25,000 (Explorer).
  • Click to place waypoints, then edit the route.
  • Shows distance, ascent and estimated time using Naismith's rule, plus a height profile.
  • GPX and KML export for most GPS watches and handhelds.
  • Routes are for personal, non-commercial use on a single device.
  • A simpler tool than a full subscription service, with no phone app of its own.

Best for: anyone who wants to plan on proper OS maps without paying. Try it at GPS Training.

GPS Training Premium OS Planner

Included with a purchase Free for 12 months with GPS devices or support packages bought from GPS Training.

The good The not-so-good
  • Full-screen OS mapping, with detailed 1:25,000 Explorer maps on a large display.
  • Search by postcode, grid reference, place name or landmark.
  • Elevation profile, route reversal and GPX export.
  • Comes with GPS Training's online resource, with video tutorials showing how to transfer routes to Garmin, Suunto and TwoNav devices.
  • You need to buy from GPS Training to get it for free (for 12 months).
  • It is £50.00/ year

Best for: GPS device buyers who want a bigger, easier planning screen with training to match. Details on the GPS Training news page.

Komoot

Discovery Free for one region, with paid options for more, currently £29.99/ year.

The good The not-so-good
  • Easy to use, with community highlights and photos.
  • Plans routes by activity type and fitness level.
  • Turn-by-turn voice navigation on the paid version.
  • The free version is limited to one region.
  • Not built around Ordnance Survey mapping, so it is less useful for fine footpath detail.

Best for: finding ideas and quick routes, particularly mixed walking and cycling.

AllTrails

Route library Free, with AllTrails+ at around £35.99/ year

The good The not-so-good
  • A huge library of user-recorded routes, searchable by length and difficulty.
  • Strong community reviews.
  • Offline maps and wrong-turn alerts on the paid plan.
  • One roundup describes it as less precise than OS or Outdooractive for off-grid navigation.
  • User-recorded routes vary in quality, so always check them against a proper map.

Best for: finding a route to try, then checking it on OS mapping.

Outdooractive

Europe-wide Free tier, with Premium for advanced features you will currently pay £27.00/ year

The good The not-so-good
  • Verified routes and a strong European presence.
  • Can sync desktop plans to your phone.
  • Premium includes OS and other map layers.
  • The best mapping sits behind the paid tier.
  • More to learn than a simple planner.

Best for: people who walk in the UK and abroad.

Side-by-Side

Planner OS mapping Cost GPX export
OS Maps Yes, 1:25k and 1:50k Free tier; Premium subscription Yes
GPS Training Free Yes, 1:25k, 1:50k and 1:250k Free Yes (GPX and KML)
GPS Training Premium Yes, full-screen 1:25k and 1:50k Free for 12 months with a GPS Training purchase or £50.00/ year Yes
Komoot No Free for one region; paid for more Yes
AllTrails No Free; paid AllTrails+ Paid plan
Outdooractive On Premium Free tier; Premium Yes

Which Should You Choose?

  • Want OS maps for free? The GPS Training Free OS Planner.
  • Buying a GPS device? The Premium OS Planner comes with a GPS Training purchase, along with training.
  • Want planning and navigation in one phone app? OS Maps Premium.
  • Just looking for ideas? Komoot or AllTrails, then check the route on OS mapping.
Top tip Whatever you use, always check a planned route against a proper OS map, and carry a paper map and compass as back-up. Batteries die and signal drops.

Getting Your Route onto Your Device

Once you have planned a route, export it as a GPX file and send it to your GPS watch or handheld. Most Garmin, Suunto and COROS watches can follow a route, and GPS Training's tutorial videos show the steps. If you are still choosing a device, see our multisport GPS watches.

FAQ

Which is the best free OS route planner?
The GPS Training Free OS Planner gives free access to OS maps at three scales with GPX export, and needs no account.

Do I need a subscription to use OS Maps?
There is a free version, but the best features, such as offline 1:25,000 maps, need Premium.

Can I put a planned route on my GPS watch?
Yes. Export the route as a GPX file and transfer it to your watch. Many watches also support this through their companion apps.

Is a planned route enough to navigate with?
It is a great start, but always carry a map and compass and know how to use them.

Need a GPS watch to follow your planned routes?

Shop GPS Watches
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