Top 30 Mobile Apps for RVing & Road-Tripping [iOS & Android]
Part of the RV lifestyle is learning how to navigate life on the road. Thankfully, there are plenty of RV apps created to do just that.
Since we know RVers are always thinking about their next road trip, we gathered a list of the 30 best RV apps to help owners and renters find campgrounds, dump stations, reliable internet, monitor the weather, plan trips, and of course, navigate your RV.
RV Rentals
1. RV Travel Central
Price: Free.
Overview: RV Travel Central is the most trusted peer-to-peer RV rental marketplace enabling outdoor enthusiasts to rent verified RVs from real owners. Just like Airbnb, the RV Travel Central app helps owners list their RVs and manage bookings while helping renters find the perfect RV for their trip.
Why it’s great: RV Travel Central is the only peer-to-peer RV rental company with a single app for both owners and renters. On top of being very fast and user-friendly, the app is constantly being updated based on feedback from RV Travel Central’s community of owners and renters. The app also gives you a direct connection to their top-rated support team.
Connectivity
2. Speedcheck
Price: Free with in-app purchase.
Overview: Most RVers require a stable internet connection during their road trip. That’s where the Speedcheck app comes in handy. The app tests internet upload and download speeds, so you know your network’s performance.
Why it’s great: Campground WiFi is notoriously unreliable, and RVers need options to find a stable internet connection when the campground WiFi just won’t do. Speedcheck shows users a map of the closest open WiFi connections. The WiFi Finder is an excellent addition because if the WiFi isn’t strong in one location, it’s easy to find another hotspot close by.
3. Opensignal
Price: Free.
Overview: Don’t worry about finding a reliable internet connection on the road. Opensignal is similar to the Speedcheck app, except Opensignal allows users to test their upload and download speeds on WiFi, a mobile hotspot, and a cellular network.
Why it’s great: RVers who enjoy boondocking will love the Opensignal app. Use the app to make sure your RV is facing the optimal direction to use your mobile hotspot. The directional feature helps you find the closest tower or strongest signal so you can set up camp where the signal is the strongest.
GPS and Navigation
4. Google Maps
Price: Free.
Overview: Google Maps is a real-time navigation app with built-in layers displaying traffic delays, accidents, and up-to-the-minute detour options. Google Maps will get you where you want to go, but if you drive an oversized vehicle, be mindful of the route options. Not all routes are RV or big-rig friendly.
Why it’s great: Google Maps is the top-rated navigation app worldwide. Google Maps is continuously improving, making it almost seamless to get from one point to the next. With Google Maps, you can find gas stations, restaurants, and other points of interest along your route. Users can download maps for offline use and connect their devices to some dashboard entertainment systems. Many of the Google Maps interfaces are hands-free, so all you need to do is ask Siri or Google for some help, and you are good to go!
5. CoPilot GPS
Price: Free with in-app purchases. RV navigation is $29.99 for 12 months.
Overview: CoPilot is a navigation app with built-in RV features like high-profile routing and hands-free guidance.
Why it’s great: The CoPilot GPS app has many features of most navigation apps, except this app caters to the RV crowd. The app helps drivers avoid low-clearance areas and rough roads by giving users the option to change their vehicle’s profile. Most of the time, people want to get to their destination via the fastest route, however, when it comes to RVers, they’re looking for the safest route for their vehicle, even if it means arriving a few minutes later at their destination.
6. Waze
Price: Free.
Overview: Waze is the second-most loved navigation app behind Google Maps. The two apps differ primarily by the visual components. Waze gives drivers directions, traffic updates, and detours based on real-time traffic, and users can alert other drivers of road conditions, hazards, and speed traps.
Why it’s great: Waze lets drivers integrate their music or book apps, so there is no need to leave the app to change your playlist or pause your book. If you want to see where you are going before hitting the road, use the online version of Waze and send your phone directions. Using the online version will allow you to search for low bridge crossings or other routes that might not be RV friendly.
Trip Planning
7. Roadtrippers
Price: Free. Upgrade to Roadtrippers Plus for $29.99 a year.
Overview: The Roadtrippers app helps RVers plan epic road trips with specialized and unique stops along the way. Plan your route differently with Roadtrippers by selecting roadside attractions or points of interest to help build your itinerary.
Why it’s great: For some people, the journey is just as important as the destination, and Roadtrippers helps RVers build epic journeys. Users can build their trip from scratch or start with a trip guide to get them started. Upgrade to Roadtrippers Plus to have access to downloadable maps, live traffic conditions, and the collaborate with friends feature.
8. RV Life
Price: Free. Upgrade to RV Life Pro for $49 a year.
Overview: The RV Life app brings together some of the best tools for RVers in one app. RV Life is continuously adding new content to keep up with the needs of the RV community. Research campgrounds on Campground Reviews, read RV articles and destination guides, and discover what’s RV friendly near you. It’s all in one app!
Why it’s great: The RV Life app is even better when you upgrade to RV Life Pro. The pro version includes a customized RV-safe GPS and access to RV Trip Wizard, an all-in-one RV trip planner, and Maintain my RV. For RVers who want to connect with other owners and renters, join one of the RV community forums for specialized content and conversation.
Campgrounds
9. Allstays
Price: One-time cost of $9.99 with additional options for in-app purchases.
Overview: Allstays is one of the most extensive campground locators and RV databases around. The Allstays app is part of the bigger Allstays family, including an online pro version and several add-on apps. Currently, the app is only available on Apple devices, but users can access all of the information via PC or Mac online.
Why it’s great: Allstays is one of the top-rated campground locator apps. Like most apps, Allstays has a user-rating feature where campground guests can leave reviews. Allstays is a more comprehensive campground app because it’s continuously adding features like road grades, low clearances, truck stops, dump stations, and more. The Allstays app has sister apps that work with the platform like Military FamCamp Campgrounds and Rest Stops Plus. Some of the sister apps are included as part of the Allstays bundle, while others have in-app purchase options.
Download links: iOS
10. Campendium
Price: Free for most features. Supporters pay $20 for a year or $5 a month.
Overview: Campendium is an RV campground locator with built-in user reviews. Campendium has almost every kind of campground in its database so that you can find information on anything from a private to a national forest campground.
Why it’s great: Gone are the days where you reserve a luxury RV resort, but when you get to your location, you realize you’ve booked a run-down campground with broken amenities. Campendium takes the guesswork out of finding a campground. Supporters get additional features like layered maps and user-reported cell phone signals. Apple owners can download the app, but Android users will have to create a website shortcut on their home screens.
Download links: iOS
11. RV Parky
Price: Free.
Overview: RV Parky is a comprehensive RV park directory that helps campers find a campground in the United States and Canada.
Why it’s great: RV Parky is different because the website and app creator is a full-time RVer. Who knows the RV lifestyle better than a full-time RVer? Users upload photos and rate the campgrounds, so the information is reliable and recent. RV Park even helps you keep track of your favorite campgrounds and use the trip builder to see your campground itinerary from beginning to end.
12. KOA
Price: Free.
Overview: The KOA app is the perfect companion to the KOA website. The app helps RVers search for a KOA campground while they are not at a computer.
Why it’s great: KOA fans will love how easy it is to search for a campground, find available sites, and reserve a spot all in one place. Almost all of the campgrounds on the app have online booking, so you won’t have to worry about missing out on a spot if you can’t speak directly to someone at the campground. Go ahead and make your reservations at midnight. This app is open 24 hours a day.
Boondocking
13. iOverlander
Price: Free with the option to contribute to the web-based non-profit organization.
Overview: The iOverlander app is primarily a boondocking search tool. RVers can filter their search by location, type of accommodation, and amenities.
Why it’s great: Users contribute real-time site details such as overall safety, road conditions, available amenities, cell service, and much more. This community-based app helps campers find free camping locations and gives them pointers to whether or not the site is campable. Some overnight camping locations are not indefinitely free. Thankfully, users can give other RVers a heads up to whether the site still permits overnight camping or is accessible to RVs.
14. Freeroam
Price: Free.
Overview: Freeroam is a crowdsourced platform run by a non-profit organization. The app helps RVers search for campgrounds and filters by location and amenities. The app includes paid and free overnight camping locations.
Why it’s great: The Freeroam app is continuously improving as more users contribute to the campgrounds. The cell signal, road difficulty, fullness, and safety features on the app are helpful since these are the reasons why people may avoid boondocking. Another fun feature of the app is the human-made road noise meter. More often than not, campgrounds are close to train or road noise. This app helps you avoid noises so that you might get a better night’s sleep.
Campground Alternatives
15. Harvest Hosts
Price: Free. A yearly subscription is required to use the service.
Overview: Harvest Hosts is a subscription-based membership service that links RVers with breweries, wineries, golf clubs, distilleries, farms, and more. Harvest Host members who have self-contained rigs may boondock for one night at any of the Harvest Host locations. Although the overnight stay is included in your membership, all campers are asked to give back to the venue by making a purchase while onsite.
Why it’s great: Off-the-grid RV camping has never been more tasty or fun! Harvest Hosts allows campers the opportunity to sleep in unique locations surrounded by vineyards or working dairy farms. The service supports the hosts by bringing in patrons to support and bring visibility to their businesses while giving RVers a safe place to stay overnight.
16. HipCamp
Price: Free.
Overview: The Hipcamp app allows RVers the opportunity to use Hipcamp from their phones. Hipcamp is a reservation service that links adventures with unique places to stay. Tent campers, glampers, RVers, and cabin-seekers can find overnight accommodations from private land to traditional campsites, all with a quick location search.
Why it’s great: RVers can stay off-the-beaten-path with Hipcamp. Instead of searching for a campground near your favorite destination, search for a Hipcamp location. Many of the Hipcamp members host campers on private land. Since the locations vary, every campground has something different to offer its patrons.
Government
17. National Park Service
Price: Free.
Overview: The National Park Service app is the official app for all 420+ national park designated locations. The app has everything from park amenities to park news, and it helps national park lovers navigate the ins and outs of every park, monument, preserve, and historic site.
Why it’s great: The National Park Service app is a one-stop-shop for everything related to national parks. You can get any park’s information with the touch of a button. RVers know that it’s not always easy to have reliable cell phone service inside national parks. This app has a feature that allows users to download park-specific maps, tour information, and much more for offline use.
18. Recreation.gov
Price: Free.
Overview: With the increased interest in camping, more government-owned camping facilities have moved to a campground reservation system. The Recreation.gov app gives users the features of the website at the tip of their fingers.
Why it’s great: The app makes it easy to find a park or campground close to you and reserve a site on the spot. RVers might not always know where they want to stay until they get to a location, and this app filters campgrounds and parks according to dates and user preference. The best part about this app is that it helps users buy timed-entry tickets, tours, and federal recreation passes from their phones.
Weather
19. Accuweather
Price: Free. Upgrade to premium for $8.99 a year.
Overview: The Accuweather app gives users an up-to-the-minute weather forecast with personalized weather settings. The app includes weather news stories, a layered radar map, and lets people see current and upcoming weather in more than one location.
Why it’s great: RVers will love the Accuweather app because it’s easy to see weather conditions in multiple places. Users can adjust the settings to have the app update in the background and send real-time weather notifications while driving. The severe weather alerts can keep you ahead of the storm and help you avoid potentially dangerous weather. Remember, driving in inclement weather can be dangerous.
20. Highway Weather
Price: Free. A subscription with real-time driving mode and ad removal is $1.99 a month. No subscription with ad removal is a one-time fee of $1.99.
Overview: The Highway Weather app was created with the traveler in mind. It gives drivers the best time to leave based on current weather conditions and shows the forecasted weather along your route. The drive now and plan ahead features can help RVers avoid potentially hazardous weather on their road trip.
Why it’s great: The app is simple to use and shows drivers an hour-by-hour wind, precipitation, and temperature forecast for the entire route. You can adjust your transit method and projected speed so that the hourly forecast shows what the weather should be like throughout your journey. It’s especially helpful for RVers because it shows drivers where the weather could be problematic, and makes it easy to visualize conditions whether you leave as planned or change your departure time.
21. Dark Sky
Price: A one-time payment of $3.99.
Overview: Dark Sky by Apple is a weather app that lets users explore the weather now or in the future. The detailed forecast, notifications, and alerts help travelers know what the weather conditions will be like anywhere in the world.
Why it’s great: Visual people will love the detailed and colorful Dark Sky Maps. Although all of the map layers are informational, RVers will find the wind maps most useful. The wind maps show both current and future wind speeds, wind directions, and wind gusts. Wind can make driving a high profile vehicle, like a motorhome, dangerous. Monitoring the headwind, tailwind, and crosswind patterns can help RVers make safe driving decisions.
Download links: iOS
Gas and Dump Stations
22. Pilot Flying J
Price: Free.
Overview: The Pilot Flying J app isn’t just for truck drivers. This app helps locate the closest Pilot Flying J making it easy to fuel up at the closest RV-friendly fuel station.
Why it’s great: Not all gas stations are created equal. RVers need confidence knowing that their next fuel stop is big-rig friendly, even when they drive smaller RVs. Why? This app also helps RVers find the Pilot Flying J stations with RV propane and a dump station.
23. Love’s Connect
Price: Free.
Overview: Like the Pilot Flying J app, the Love’s Connect app puts RVers in control of their next fuel stops. Love’s Travel Stops are both RV and pet-friendly.
Why it’s great: Love’s Connect gives RVers a tool to locate the closest RV-friendly fueling station. Most Love’s Travel Stops also have RV parking, a dog run, a dump station, and a propane fueling station. Love’s Travel Stops also permit RVers to use the private showers, so if you are a boondocker trying to conserve water, you can find an easy way to get cleaned up on the road.
24. Gas Buddy
Price: Free for most features. GasBuddy Premium is $9.99 a month and includes roadside assistance.
Overview: The GasBuddy app helps drivers locate fuel stations with the best prices. Other drivers help verify current fuel prices and share real-time price updates. Gas Buddy can also help you save money with the GasBuddy fuel card.
Why it’s great: Who doesn’t like saving money? If you know there is a gas station a mile away with cheaper gas, why wouldn’t you go there instead? The GasBuddy app also has a fuel log so you can see the cost of gas plus your average miles per gallon. Premium users get access to 24-hour roadside assistance, provided by Allstate, for up to 3 events per year.
25. RV Dump Stations
Price: A one-time payment of $.99
Overview: The RV Dump Stations app is an Apple-only app created to help RVers and truck drivers locate dump stations throughout the United States and Canada. The user-friendly map helps people visualize the dump station, so it’s easy to determine if it’s the best place for your size rig.
Why it’s great: Most of the stations have additional information such as GPS coordinates, address, phone number, and the cost to dump. Since some dump stations are cash-only, it helps eliminate the frantic search for spare change before you get to the station and clean your black tanks.
Download link: iOS
26. Sanidumps
Price: The Android app is free with ads. The online platform is free, with a choice to donate to the website’s operating costs.
Overview: Sanidumps is an online platform and Android app created to help RVers locate dump stations throughout the United States and Canada.
Why it’s great: Sanidumps is a comprehensive collection of RV dump stations found at RV parks, private campgrounds, public campgrounds, and municipal parks. Sanidumps also shows truck stops, rest stops, and commercial dump stations and, when available, indicates the cost to dump. The online platform is easy to navigate, but non-Android RVers will have to find the closest dump station using their mobile phone’s browser.
Download link: Android
Outdoor
27. AllTrails
Price: Free with in-app purchases.
Overview: AllTrails is a hiking, running, and biking trail app that helps users find trails near them. The user-rated trails make it easy to find beginner, intermediate, and advanced trails in your area.
Why it’s great: RVers will like the AllTrails app because it takes the guesswork out of finding trails in unfamiliar areas. The downloadable offline maps add a layer of safety in the case your cellular service becomes unavailable. Since the app runs on real-time user reviews, you won’t have to wonder about trail conditions. Traveling families will also love the app because they can find kid and dog-friendly trails.
28. GoSkyWatch
Price: Free.
Overview: GoSkyWatch is an Apple app that helps stargazers find constellations, planets, and comets. The app updates its location, so it’s never been simpler to find out what you can expect to see above the horizon. The app runs on GPS positioning, so it’s not necessary to have cellular service for it to work.
Why it’s great: Seeing the stars away from light pollution is a camping perk. The GoSkyWatch app helps stargazers find information on current moon phases, real-time planetary alignment, and rising planetary information. The app is user-friendly and takes the guesswork out of finding a constellation or comet. GoSkyWatch has a feature that allows users to see what the sky will look like in the future as well, so you can crawl into your camper and get some sleep until it’s time to see the stars.
Download links: iOS
29. SkyView® Explore the Universe
Price: A one-time payment of $1.99. Free version is called SkyView® Lite.
Overview: The SkyView® app, created for Android, is a stargazing app that uses your camera to locate elements of the night sky. Find constellations, galaxies, and planets by holding your phone to the sky. The app runs on GPS positioning, so it’s not necessary to have cellular service to work.
Why it’s great: The SkyView® app is intuitive, so it provides real-time planetary information, whether it’s day or night. Constellations come to life with life-like overlays, and the descriptions for each feature are informative and exciting. Dark sky enthusiasts don’t have to sit outside in the cold, hoping to catch a glimpse of a meteor shower. Now, you can sleep in the comfort of your warm RV and come outside to stargaze when you are ready.
Download links: Android
30. iNaturalist
Price: Free.
Overview: iNaturalist connects users to nature with just a few taps. The app works worldwide, so you have access to over 300,000 plant and animal species wherever you are.
Why it’s great: RVers will love the iNaturalist app because it’s perfect for nature lovers, bird watchers, and hikers. Nothing goes better with RVing than the great outdoors. iNaturalist can help you identify and record thousands of plant and animal species, and the data you collect supports a community of users and scientists all over the world. Now, you won’t have to wonder if the plant you see along the trail is poison ivy or poison oak. Just point your phone and identify the plant!
Download and Categorize
RV apps make almost every aspect of the RV lifestyle a little easier. Choose the apps that you think will help you plan and execute your trip from start to finish. Then, when you are ready, start diversifying your RV apps collection.
Don’t let too many apps get the best of you. The easiest way to keep yourself organized is to create categorized folders on your phone or tablet or reserve a home screen just for your RV apps. The next time you need one of your RV apps, you won’t have to search because all of your tools will be in one place.
