AllTrails

For years, many people had a hard time confidently accessing the outdoors, as they were unable to find accurate, accessible, and real-time information on trails. The demand for accurate, personalized, and real-time guidance outdoors is contributing to the growth of digital adventure and navigation platforms, particularly with younger more active users. 

AllTrails, a venture led by CEO Ron Schneidermann, has emerged as the leader in outdoor exploration and has created an outdoor trail discovery and navigation platform that gives users the ability to safely engage with nature. The company has curated trail maps, user reviews, GPS tracking, and personalized recommendation tools enabled through strong mobile and web technology, making it easier and fun to access and explore outdoor spaces. AllTrails wants to break down barriers to safely access nature, whether they are an avid hiker, biked, or casual weekend walker. Its users span all ages, but has also seen good traction with millennials and Gen Z, who value both a digital tool and outdoor wellness. Once users have engaged with the platform, they can search for trails by length, difficulty, activity types, and elevation gain. Users can access trail maps on the mobile app and the website, along with weather information, direction, and subscribing to an offline feature.

The same platform has "Trail Collections" which are themed collections, such as a list of kid-approved walks, waterfall hikes, and more. It makes planning any outdoor occasion easy and lighthearted. AllTrails+ is a subscription-based premium service that provides offline maps, alerts for wrong turns, more depth in trails, and other facets - truly a good tool if you find yourself in remote neighborhoods without connectivity. Offline access is important when you are in regions without connectivity; thankfully AllTrails+ provides that without hidden costs and lengthy disclaimers. Comprehensive outdoor services, including curated trail guides for hiking, personal lists and favorites, trail maps with trail history, logs for distance and progress - from tree cover, steepness of the trail, and place to reference gratitude for the trail; and to have the platform provided to share with the world, and then some, is less like a tool and more of an engaged communal resource.

AllTrails creates a fun and customized experience for users by using personalized recommendations and highlights of trails as a function of a user's previous activities and interests, whether or not you are a weekend jogger, novice hiker, serious climber, or anything in between. The firm provides a wealth of information to assist users in exploring new adventures. AllTrails also supports and encourages making responsible use of our natural environment by advocating for personal safety and sustainability, and promoting Leave No Trace and trail etiquette practices. It has been able to establish utility, and experience, to become a strong digital outdoor industry leader.

The company operates on a freemium model, providing a basic version of the product for free, and generating the majority of its revenue from its premium subscription at $35.99 annually. Also, it makes revenue from various partnerships and in-app promotions. With over 60 million users worldwide, with respectable conversion rates to paid subscriptions, AllTrails has been able to earn income while maintaining access to the same services, with estimates of $75 million in annual revenue and increasing profitability

The company has accomplished quite a lot financially and from an investment perspective in the last two plus years. In November 2021 the company raised $150 million in a round led by private equity firm Permira, which was led as a Series D with previous investor Spectrum Equity still in the majority share position. This investment would require the company to advance product development and expansion internationally. AllTrails has raised $225 million by May 2025. The firm does not publicly share the revenues the company makes but the company is estimated to have a net revenue of approximately $9.1 million in 2024 (great profit margin) so, presuming a similar profit percentage, and reasonable costs associated with the investments since, the business appears to be providing a steady growth, sustainable revenue model, and substantial net profits. The company is privately held, but its valuation has grown since a $75 million valuation in 2018 based on the over $200 million in Series D funding raised since 2021.

It would also appear that AllTrails has expanded its human resources, reaching a total of 375 employees as of 2025. The company has significantly grown its operations, and to facilitate the overall experience of its users. The company also widened its global footprint when it came to trail information from the previous market and area focus to now over 190 countries and 30 territories across 6 continents, with a website and overall usable platform that is now truly international in its now common place with outdoor enthusiasts by collecting outdoor adventure information in a way that has been localized to include multiple languages including English, French, German, and Spanish, but that has been expanded to collect information from local country and official sources such as GPSies.com in Germany and iFootpath services in the UK.

AllTrails competes with outdoor navigation apps such as Komoot, Gaia GPS, Strava, and Hiking Project. All offer decent trail/activities tracking, yet their service has distinct features such as a lot of trails, a clean interface, and community features that really differentiates the app.  Gaia GPS is strong on topographic maps due to its backcountry hiking focus, Komoot is strong on bike and multi-sport routes (e.g. biking to hiking and back to biking), while Strava is heavily weighted on fitness and social features. However, AllTrails is the leading app for the whole experience of recreating outdoors, entertainment, community, and nature, appealing to both casual and committed outdoor enthusiasts. 

Looking to the future, the firm is examining options to expand trail coverage globally, with a focus on areas with limited access to great outdoor community access such as areas of South America, Asia, and Eastern Europe. They are also looking at how they could work with blur wearables and fitness apps to personalize the experience even more, including health tracking (e.g. syncing with Apple Health, Garmin and Fitbit) to record wellness metrics to their outdoor activity logs. According to CEO Ron Schneidermann, the future of the company seems big and community-centered: "We're building a world where everyone can feel confident outside." AllTrails' focus on accessibility, safety, and joyful exploration means the business is well situated to remain a leader as the outdoor recreation industry finds more digital connectivity. The firm is one of a few businesses that is positively changing how people interact/reconnect with nature and is already a utility for tens of millions users and counting. To improve customer experience, they continue to merge modern technology, outdoor advocacy, and user-centric design. Given the company's growth trajectory, AllTrails could genuinely change how the next generation finds, navigates, and engages in the way they connect with the outside world.

Click here to access AllTrails' website.