Introduction:
onX is a powerful mapping platform with a strong following — particularly among hunters and off-road users whilst granite is designed for hikers, trail runners, backcountry skiers and alpine climbers.
This comparison breaks down where each app excels, and which is the better fit depending on how you spend time outside.
Features
Feature | Granite | onX |
Primary Focus | All backcountry activities | Hunting, off-road |
Offline Maps | Full-featured, core to experience | Paid |
3D Maps | High-resolution terrain | Paid |
Map Layers | Backcountry navigation & planning focused | Great collection of private / public property layers |
Trail Discovery | Guide Curated + community routes | Relies on MountainProject information |
Best For | General outdoor use | Hunting / off-road navigation |
Where onX Excels
onX is a highly capable platform, especially within its core use cases.
Specialized tools for hunting and land access
onX is best known for its detailed land ownership data, including private property boundaries and landowner information — a critical feature for hunters.
Extensive map layers
The platform includes a wide range of map layers, from terrain and satellite imagery to hunting units, wildfire data, and trail networks — however, many key layers are locked behind a paywall.
Strong offline and navigation tools
onX supports offline maps, GPS tracking, and waypoint marking, making it reliable in remote environments — but once again, this is a paid feature.
Where onX Falls Short
While powerful, onX has some limitations for general outdoor users:
Fragmented experience across apps
Instead of one unified platform, onX splits features across multiple apps — meaning different subscriptions and workflows depending on your activity. Many features are also locked behind a paywall.
Designed for specific use cases
Most features are optimized for hunting or motorized recreation, which may not translate as well to hiking, climbing, or general exploration.
Complexity from too many layers
The large number of map layers can make the experience feel cluttered or harder to navigate for users who just want clear, actionable terrain insight.
Why Granite is Different
Granite is designed as a single, all-in-one platform for outdoor users across activities and seasons.
Built by outdoor users, for outdoor users
Granite is developed by a Canadian team of outdoor enthusiasts, with a focus on practical usability rather than feature overload or niche specialization.
We've also made all the basics that you need to get outside available free. Paid features such as curated routes are available under our Granite Pro subscription, which helps us provide funding back to the contributors who write this content.
Who Should Use Each?
Choose onX if:
You are primarily hunting or off-roading
You need detailed land ownership and boundary data
Choose Granite if:
You participate primarily in human-powered backcountry activities
You want access to routes written by professionals
You want a single app for year-round use
You prefer a simpler, more intuitive mapping experience
Conclusion
onX is a powerful and highly specialized tool — especially for hunting and land access. But for human-powered backcountry enthusiasts looking for a more streamlined and all-season navigation and planning experience, Granite offers a simpler and more versatile alternative.
Start exploring with Granite and try the full experience with a 1-month free trial.