Strava Routes Review: Can the King of Tracking Guide Your Rides?

Strava is practically a household name among cyclists and runners – synonymous with GPS ride tracking, performance analysis, and social networking via “segments.” But beyond kudos and KOMs, Strava also offers features for route planning and navigation. In this review, we focus on Strava’s routing and navigation capabilities for cycling: how it works, its strengths, limitations, and whether it can compete with dedicated navigation apps.

Overview of Strava’s Navigation Features

Strava was founded in 2009 in San Francisco as a platform for athletes to record and share their activities. Its core identity is a training tool and social network – you record your rides, it logs your speed/heart rate/power, and you compare on leaderboards for specific “segments” of road or trail. Navigation was not Strava’s original focus. However, Strava has developed a Route Builder tool and integrated it into their ecosystem, leveraging the immense amount of ride data uploaded by users.

Key points about Strava’s route planning/navigation:

• The Strava Route Builder is available on the Strava website and in the mobile app (with some differences). Importantly, it requires a Strava Subscription (formerly called Summit or Premium) – free users cannot use the full route planning feature.

• Strava’s routing algorithm uses the global dataset of Strava activities to determine popular routes. Essentially, it looks at where cyclists actually ride (heatmaps) and tries to send you along those paths. This community-data approach is similar to Komoot’s, and it generally yields very cyclist-friendly routes on well-traveled roads.

• Strava does not offer turn-by-turn voice navigation in its mobile app (as of 2025). You can load a route on the Strava app and follow the line on the map, but it won’t verbally prompt you for turns. It’s more basic than a dedicated satnav in that regard. (It will give you audio announcements for split times, etc., but not “Turn left on Elm Street” cues).

• There is no offline map support in Strava. The app needs a data connection to load maps and your route. If you venture into an area without cell service, Strava’s map tiles won’t load, and rerouting is impossible since everything is server-based. This is a significant limitation for using Strava as a primary navigation tool.

In summary, Strava’s navigation feature (Strava Routes) is a nice add-on for subscribers, but not a full-fledged navigation app. Now, let’s dive deeper into using it.

Planning a Route with Strava

To create a cycling route on Strava, you typically go to “Explore” -> “Create a Route” on the website (or “Maps” section in the mobile app). The interface lets you drop a start and end point (and waypoints if desired). Strava then calculates a route following what it calls the “most popular” roads or trails based on billions of GPS points from users.

The route builder offers some specific settings:

• You can toggle “Follow most popular route” on or off. With it on (default), it sticks to common cyclist paths. With it off, it might choose a more direct route (which could be along busier roads). Most find the popularity routing very effective.

• Strava also displays a global Heatmap overlay (for subscribers) – a transparent layer highlighting roads by popularity (bright lines where lots of rides go). This can guide you if you want to manually tweak the route by adding waypoints.

• Elevation profile is shown for your route, and you can even set a preference like “Minimize Elevation” if you want a less hilly route. There’s also a slider for desired max grade and other filters if you’re on the web version, making it pretty powerful for specific training routes (e.g., avoid super steep climbs if you’re base training).

• One cool feature: you can choose “Surface type: Paved or Dirt” if you’re on the web. So if you absolutely want a gravel ride, Strava can incorporate dirt roads in the route (this uses map data since Strava knows which routes are tagged as unpaved).

In practice, Strava’s route suggestions are very good for road cycling, especially in well-cycled areas. In comparative tests, Strava’s automatically generated routes were on par with Komoot’s – often finding the quiet backroads and bike paths that cyclists prefer, and avoiding main highways except where unavoidable. Strava will rarely send you somewhere that cyclists haven’t been logging rides, which means it inherently follows safer or more interesting roads most of the time.

However, Strava lacks some of the POI (point of interest) richness of other apps. You won’t see community highlights for “nice cafe” or “scenic vista.” Instead, one unique Strava trait is showing segments on the route builder map – those are the user-created competitive sections. While not exactly a touring feature, seeing segments can clue you into popular climbs or stretches on your route (if a road has many segments, it’s probably a well-traveled cycling road).

Discovering routes on Strava beyond building your own is a bit limited. Unlike Komoot or Outdooractive which have public route libraries, Strava doesn’t offer a public database of user-uploaded routes for browsing. You can’t just search “nice 50km loop near me” in Strava. The exceptions: you can see routes that other users have created and made public (but you’d have to get the link or follow that user), or routes shared within Strava clubs. So, Strava is more private/closed in terms of route sharing. The mobile app does have a feature called “Suggested Routes” (still requiring subscription) which will generate three loop route options starting from your current location, based on where people ride. This is handy for getting a quick idea, say you want a ~20 mile ride – Strava might suggest a loop that many do locally. But again, these are auto-generated, not curated scenic tours.

Navigation with Strava on the Road

Once you have a route, you can send it to your phone (saved routes sync to the Strava app). On the Strava mobile app, you load the route and hit “Use Route”. The app will show your position on the route map and give a basic turn indication on screen. But keep in mind:

• No voice directions: Strava won’t talk to you. You need to glance at your phone to see the next turn. The screen does display the distance to next turn and an arrow (with street name, if available). If you have a handlebar mount and don’t mind occasionally looking, this can work. But it’s not as hands-free as other navigation apps.

• Audio cues for splits only: Strava has an “Audio Announcements” feature, but it’s for things like every mile or every 5 minutes it can say your time, speed, etc.. It’s not navigation instructions. So essentially, Strava treats navigation more passively.

• Re-routing: If you go off route, Strava’s app does not auto reroute. It will show you off the line and it’s up to you to get back on track. There is no dynamic rerouting like Google Maps driving has. Many users load Strava routes onto Garmin/Wahoo devices which do handle rerouting, but the phone app itself doesn’t.

• Online requirement: You must have an internet connection when you start the route to load the map tiles and route line. Strava doesn’t let you pre-download map areas, and there’s no true offline mode. If you enter a no-signal zone, the GPS will still track your location, but the base map might vanish and you’ll just see a dot on a blank grid. Also, if you stray off course in a no-signal area, Strava won’t help you find an alternate path until you’re back in coverage.

Given those points, using Strava for navigation is feasible in urban or well-connected areas for shorter rides, or if you don’t need voice prompts. But it’s not ideal for long, complex navigations or backcountry cycling.

One area Strava does well is integration with devices: if you have a cycling computer, you can often sync Strava routes to it (Garmin, Wahoo, Hammerhead etc. all support syncing routes from Strava for subscribers). In that scenario, you’d plan on Strava but navigate with your device, which might give you turn-by-turn cues on the device. That’s a common use among cyclists who train – they like Strava’s route planner and segment info, but rely on their Garmin for the ride itself.

Strengths of Strava’s Approach

• Outstanding Route Quality (for Subscribers): Strava’s biggest ace is the community heatmap data. With millions of rides uploaded every week, Strava knows the popularity of routes everywhere. When you use the route planner, it “follows the wisdom of crowds,” which tends to create enjoyable cycling routes. In tests for road cycling, routes generated by Strava needed minimal tweaking – major roads were avoided except where absolutely necessary. It’s like tapping into local cyclist knowledge without having to ask.

• Segment Integration: For those who care, planning a route on Strava allows you to include or at least see segments. If you want to hit specific climbs or famous segments, Strava makes it easy to incorporate them. This is great for training rides (“I want to go for the QOM on that hill, make a route there and back”) or for doing routes that pros do (segments often correspond to known climbs).

• Training & Analysis Ecosystem: Using Strava for navigation keeps everything in one app – your route, your ride recording, your heart rate and power analysis, all your past rides – it’s convenient. Post-ride, Strava gives you robust analysis (especially if you have a power meter or use features like Relative Effort, Fitness/Freshness charts as a subscriber). None of the dedicated nav apps have this depth of performance tracking.

• Active Community (Social Motivation): While not directly a navigation feature, being on Strava means you can see friends’ activities, share your route after, and get encouragement. There’s a bit of motivation knowing your ride will be public – might push you to explore a bit more or ride a bit harder. Some people create Strava routes just to try for segment trophies along the way – it adds a gamified aspect to navigation that other apps don’t have.

Weaknesses and Limitations

Despite its strengths, Strava’s navigation capabilities have significant limitations:

• No Offline, No Voice: Compared to purpose-built apps, Strava lacks offline navigation and voice guidance – two features that are basically expected in a navigation app. This really limits its use cases. If you plan a gravel ride into the wilderness, Strava alone won’t cut it; if you want to keep eyes on the road and get audio prompts, Strava can’t do that either.

• Subscription Required for Routing: Unlike other apps that offer basic routing for free, Strava locks the route planner behind a paywall. The subscription is about $75/year (or $10/month) – relatively high if you only want it for routing. If you’re already paying for Strava for the tracking/social benefits, then routes come as a bonus. But if you’re not interested in the social/training side, it’s hard to justify the cost just for navigation, especially given the noted feature gaps.

• Limited Maps & Data for Navigation: Strava uses a single map style (an OpenStreetMap-based map). It’s decent but some have found it “a bit bland” and not as informative at a glance. For example, smaller roads aren’t very distinctly marked from larger ones (the color contrast is low), and there’s no satellite or terrain mode available on the planner or app. Also, Strava doesn’t show things like bike-specific information on the map (no highlighting of bike lanes, etc., unlike Google’s bike layer or Komoot’s outdoor maps).

• No POI or Tour Database: Strava won’t help you find, say, “scenic gravel routes in the Alps” or “family-friendly bike paths.” It has no concept of POIs (points of interest) like campsites or water sources on the map. Competing apps often include these, which are useful for tour planning. Strava remains very performance-oriented and less “touristic”, as one review put it.

• Expensive for Navigation Alone: At $75/year, Strava is one of the pricier options and yet it gives the least in terms of pure navigation features (since it assumes you’re there for the whole athlete platform). By contrast, Komoot’s full world package one-time is ~$30, or Ride with GPS offers offline navigation at $60/year with far more nav features. This makes Strava a tough sell if navigation is your primary goal.

Strava Pros and Cons for Cycling Navigation

Pros:

• Effective Route Planning Algorithm: Strava leverages its massive community data to create cycling routes that are often excellent, following popular and bike-friendly roads. It’s great at finding where cyclists actually ride, giving you confidence in the route choice.

• Large, Active Community: With tens of millions of users (including many pro cyclists), Strava’s community is unparalleled. For the user, this means plenty of segments for fun, motivation to ride, and a social network to share rides with. The community data also means any new path people start using will eventually influence Strava’s routing – it’s “living” data.

• Integrated Training and Stats: Strava doubles as your ride journal and training log. You don’t need separate apps for navigation and tracking; Strava will record your ride and provide analysis, which is convenient for those focused on fitness.

• Good Web Planner Interface: The web-based route builder is feature-rich (popularity toggle, surface selection, manual mode, etc.). It’s relatively easy to use and runs smoothly, making detailed route crafting possible. You can fine-tune your route with precision if needed.

• Device Sync and Third-Party Support: Strava being so popular means most cycling devices and apps integrate with it. Exporting a route to a Garmin or Wahoo is straightforward. Plus, you can import GPX files into Strava routes if you got them elsewhere. This interoperability is handy.

Cons:

• No Voice Navigation or Turn Alerts in App: The mobile app does not provide turn-by-turn voice prompts or even pop-up turn notifications. You have to navigate by looking at the map, which is less safe and less convenient.

• No Offline Navigation Capability: Strava cannot be relied on without an internet connection – maps and routing won’t work offline. This is a major drawback for anyone cycling in areas with spotty network (e.g., mountains, rural areas, or on an international trip without data).

• Subscription is Mandatory for Routes: Free Strava users have no access to creating or saving routes. The cost of entry (Strava Premium) is relatively high, especially considering other apps offer robust free navigation.

• Limited Cycling-Specific Content: No built-in library of routes to explore (aside from seeing friend’s routes), no points of interest like repair stations or viewpoints. It’s all oriented around the athletic aspect rather than exploring or touring.

• Map Detail and Customization Lacking: Only one map style can be used, which is not particularly optimized for differentiating road types at a glance. You can’t download maps or switch to a satellite/hybrid view within Strava.

Conclusion: Should You Use Strava for Navigation?

If you are already an avid Strava user for tracking and you have a subscription, Strava’s route planning is a valuable bonus. It’s especially useful for discovering popular local loops or creating training routes that incorporate well-ridden roads and famous climbs. For example, if you move to a new city, Strava can quickly show you the common rides cyclists do there (via its heatmap and segment presence), and you can piece together a great route. In that sense, Strava can guide you to ride like a local anywhere the app has many users.

However, as a standalone navigation tool, Strava falls short of the dedicated apps. It lacks the on-the-bike guidance features (offline, voice, reroute) that one expects for serious navigation. So, who is Strava’s navigation for? Likely:

• Riders who primarily care about recording their ride and analyzing it, and only need basic navigation because they mostly know their way or ride in areas with network.

• Those doing social or competitive rides, where the route is simple or familiarity isn’t an issue, but segments and performance on the route are the focus.

• Cyclists who own a separate GPS device – they might use Strava to plan a route (because of the popularity data) and then export it to their device for the actual navigation.

For a cyclist seeking a feature-rich navigation app with turn-by-turn directions and offline reliability, Strava alone would not be our top recommendation. But in the ecosystem of cycling apps, Strava can complement others: for instance, one might plan and navigate a beautiful route on Komoot or Ride with GPS, then upload the finished ride to Strava for the social and analytical benefits.

In summary, Strava’s route planning is powerful but its navigation is rudimentary. Use it if you’re already in the Strava universe and value the routes it produces, but be aware of its limits. For anything beyond basic guidance on well-known roads, you’ll likely want to pair Strava with another navigation solution. Strava remains, at heart, “a website for sport-minded cyclists to compete and track fitness” and not a full navigation service.