Last updated September 2026. Subscription prices are what the apps listed at time of writing; they vary by region and change often — check the store before you commit.
If you run a CarPlay screen on your bike — or just a phone in a mount — the app matters more than the hardware. Google Maps will get you there. It won’t take you the fun way, it won’t warn you about a gravel section, and it’ll leave you stranded when the signal drops. The apps below are built for riders. Most have a free tier that’s worth installing and a paid tier that’s worth it for some people and not others; I’ve been specific about which.
Quick picks
- Best for twisty-road routing: Kurviger — the curviness slider is the best in the business, and the free tier is genuinely useful.
- Best for planning long tours: Scenic — superb GPX handling and a battery-saving mode that matters on nine-hour days.
- Best for off-road (Android): DMD2 — free worldwide topo maps, built for rally-style navigation.
- Best free offline maps: OsmAnd and Organic Maps — install one as a backup regardless of what else you use.
- Best for community and North America: REVER — Butler Maps roads and a big US user base.
- Best social twisty app: Calimoto — strongest in Europe, pricier, gamified.
- Still the default: Google Maps and Waze — for getting somewhere on time, nothing beats them.
Comparison
| App | Platforms | CarPlay / Android Auto | Offline maps | Free tier | Paid (approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kurviger | iOS, Android, web | Yes / Yes | Tourer+ only | Routes to 300 km, GPX export | Tourer+ ~$15–30/yr |
| Scenic | iOS, Android | Yes / Yes | Included free | Offline maps, planning, recording | From $4.99/mo billed yearly |
| DMD2 | Android | Via DMD hardware | Free worldwide topo | Full navigation | ~€25/yr for extras |
| OsmAnd | iOS, Android | Yes (Maps+) / Yes | Free, 7 regions | Full navigation | $14.99/yr or $69.99 lifetime |
| Organic Maps | iOS, Android | Yes / Yes | Free, unlimited | Everything | Free, open source |
| REVER | iOS, Android | Yes / Yes | Pro only | Tracking, route creation | Pro $39.99–80/yr |
| Calimoto | iOS, Android | Yes / Yes (Premium) | Premium only | Planning only | ~$50–60/yr |
| Google Maps | iOS, Android | Yes / Yes | Yes, basic | Everything | Free |
| Waze | iOS, Android | Yes / Yes | No | Everything | Free |
Kurviger — best twisty-road routing
Kurviger (German for “curvier”) routes on road geometry, not road classification — it looks for actual bends, not just “not a highway.” The curviness slider lets you dial from “fast” through “curvy” to “extra curvy,” and it’s uncannily good at finding roads you didn’t know existed. The web planner syncs with the app through one account, which makes desk-planning a tour painless.
Free gets you route planning up to 300 km, three map overlays and GPX export — enough to plan on Kurviger and navigate on something else. Tourer adds longer round trips and road-closure avoidance. Tourer+ is the tier for navigating in the app: voice guidance, offline maps and ride recording, for roughly $15–30 a year depending on region. Strongest in Europe; very good in North America.
Scenic — best for long tours
Scenic started iOS-only and still feels most at home there, but the Android version is real now. Two things set it apart. First, GPX handling: import a route from anywhere — Kurviger, Butler Maps, Google My Maps — and Scenic navigates it turn by turn without complaint. Second, a low-power mode that blanks the screen and keeps voice prompts and haptics going through your headset; riders report roughly a third of the battery drain of competitors on all-day rides. On a CarPlay screen the phone screen is off anyway, but the reduced GPS polling still helps.
Unusually generous free tier: offline maps, planning, a public route library, dirt-road visualisation and ride recording. Premium adds turn-by-turn voice navigation, satellite layers and advanced curvy routing from $4.99/month billed annually.
DMD2 — best for off-road (Android)
Drive Mode Dashboard 2 is the software behind Thork Racing’s rally tablets, and it’s free on any Android phone. The core app includes worldwide downloadable topographic maps — the thing everyone else charges for — plus a roadbook mode, GPX handling built for track-following rather than turn-by-turn, and a full-screen glove-friendly UI. The €25/year subscription adds satellite imagery, weather layers, speed cameras, Google Places search and group tracking. If you ride the TET, BDRs or anything with “trail” in the name and you’re on Android, this is the one. iPhone riders: it isn’t coming.
OsmAnd — best all-round offline
OpenStreetMap-based, on both platforms, and the most capable offline navigator here. Free includes full offline navigation and trip recording with a seven-region download limit — one region being a country or US state, so a single-country trip fits. Maps+ ($14.99/year, $5.99/month, or $69.99 once — the only lifetime deal on this list) removes the limit and adds topo, 3D relief and Android Auto. Pro ($39.99/year) adds hourly map updates, weather and cloud sync. The interface is dense and takes an evening to learn. Worth the evening.
Organic Maps — the free backup
Completely free, open source, no ads, no account, unlimited offline OpenStreetMap downloads, voice turn-by-turn, GPX import, CarPlay and Android Auto. It’s not motorcycle-specific and it won’t find you a twisty road. But it will get you out of a dead zone when the app you paid for won’t load. Install it and forget it until you need it.
REVER — best for North America and community
REVER’s free tier is ride tracking and route creation with a big US community sharing roads. Pro is where the navigation lives: offline maps, turn-by-turn voice, twisty routing, an ADV off-road planner, weather alerts, live location sharing, and — the real draw for American riders — Butler Maps’ curated road ratings overlaid on the map. Pro was $39.99/year on a 50%-off sale when I checked, implying a regular price near $80; the two-week trial is worth using to decide.
Calimoto — best social twisty app
Calimoto’s routing generates “Fast,” “Curvy” and “Extreme” options and its Extreme mode is entertainingly aggressive. The social side — badges, leaderboards, shared rides — is either a feature or an irritation depending on your temperament. The free tier plans and tracks but doesn’t navigate; offline maps, voice navigation, GPX export and CarPlay/Android Auto are all Premium, at roughly $50–60 a year. The US road database is thinner than the European one; several Pacific Northwest and Rocky Mountain roads I know are missing or unrated. In Europe it’s arguably the best. In the US, Kurviger or REVER first.
Google Maps and Waze — still the default
Neither knows what a motorcycle is or cares about corners. Both know where the traffic is, when the gas station closes, and that the bridge is out. Google’s offline maps are basic but exist; Waze’s don’t. For “get me to the hotel before dark” nothing beats them, and every CarPlay screen runs them natively. Use them for the destination; use the apps above for the ride.
How to combine them
Nobody needs all of these. The combinations that work:
- Day rides in signal: Kurviger free to plan, Google Maps to navigate. Cost: nothing.
- Multi-day tours: Kurviger to plan, Scenic Premium to navigate, Organic Maps as backup. Cost: ~$60/yr.
- Adventure/off-road, Android: DMD2 plus OsmAnd. Cost: nothing at the level that matters.
- Adventure/off-road, iPhone: OsmAnd Maps+ plus Scenic. Cost: ~$75/yr.
- North American community rider: REVER Pro plus Google. Cost: $40–80/yr.
And if you find yourself relying on offline maps constantly, that’s the signal you might be better served by a dedicated GPS rather than a phone.