Being a decade or so behind the times I’ve just got my first android phone.
Looking for a gps app to use for biking that can follow existing gpx tracks and has downloadable offline mapping. Tried viewranger but seems you have to pay to download detailed maps.
Don’t mind paying a bit for something that works well but is there a better or free option?

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.osmand&hl=en_GB

There may be cheaper apps with what you’re after, but ViewRanger is, in my experience, by far the best. Plus any maps you buy are transferable between other phones should you upgrade in future to a non android device. Also their customer service is second to none.

Backcountry Navigator

You can use free mapping on viewranger….

back country navigator does all you want, download gpx routes off the internet and overlay them, record your own route as you ride and you can now draw/plot a route using the app (I used to use bikehike website for drawing/plotting routes, but bcn’s option is dead easy to use).
It uses OS Multimap/Bing Maps down to 1:25k (there’s been a few issues recently with all apps that ride on the back of multimap/bing OS maps, but bcn seem to have sorted their problem out).
There is a free trial of the app which lasts about 30 days, so give it a go, but the full version is only about £11 one off charge, which is fantastic value IMO. I trialled viewranger as well and altho I thought it was a bit slicker than BCN, BCN won by a mile on cost.

Should also add that you can use BCN on multiple devices and you can download map areas into your phone memory to use off line. Don’t let people fool you into accepting that OSM is ‘perfectly usable’, no mapping is a patch on Ordnance Survey for the UK, don’t accept anything less.

I tried Oruxmaps – very unintuitive and difficult to use.
Tried Viewranger and it was much better – just seemed to work. There is a free OpenCycleMap you can use with it.

Thanks all will give BCN a shot.

If you need any help, just ask 🙂

Viewranger allows you to download Open Street Map tiles, as well as map tiles from OS and a whole bunch of other countries.
Yes, of course you have to pay to download 1:50/1:25k OS map tiles, but the advantage is you set up an account, then buy credits and download tiles only for areas that you actually need.
Around nine/ten years ago I had a Nokia N95, and bought the Viewranger disc, which cost me £150. I’m still using it, I side-loaded the entire UK 1:50k maps onto my phone and pad, then added 1:25k tiles for places I regularly visit.
I think I paid around £20-30 several years ago, and I’ve not used all my credit.
The huge advantage is I can look at maps for anywhere in the UK, with or without a network, and use those maps if I visit somewhere, without ever worrying about downloading before I go there.

I tried Oruxmaps – very unintuitive and difficult to use.

I found it pretty tricky also, as it does have a lot of features I do not use.

However after working my way thru the manual during a particularly rainy day I find I can get it to do what I want.

CountZero – Member

Yes, of course you have to pay to download 1:50/1:25k OS map tiles, but the advantage is you set up an account, then buy credits and download tiles only for areas that you actually need.
Around nine/ten years ago I had a Nokia N95, and bought the Viewranger disc, which cost me £150. I’m still using it, I side-loaded the entire UK 1:50k maps onto my phone and pad, then added 1:25k tiles for places I regularly visit.
I think I paid around £20-30 several years ago, and I’ve not used all my credit.

I found Viewranger to be pretty good to use, however I simply wasn’t prepared to spend all the money required to buy 1:25k tiles for North Wales, Peak, NYMoors, Dales, Lakes, my local area, parts of Scotland etc etc. At that time, I couldn’t even buy all the tiles required to cover Ilkley Moor @1:25k for the same price as BCN cost (£6.99 about 3 years ago and I think OS tiles were more expensive back then). You can have it all for £11.99 with BCN (I think that’s what it currently costs)

Viewranger allows you to download Open Street Map tiles, as well as map tiles from OS and a whole bunch of other countries.

BCN also covers OSM/OCM format (altho I don’t know why you’d want to use them over OS) and a whole bunch of other countries, I’m climbing the Bernia Ridge in June, BCN has the whole of spain carta IGN to 1:25K. all for the princely sum of £11.99

The huge advantage is I can look at maps for anywhere in the UK, with or without a network, and use those maps if I visit somewhere, without ever worrying about downloading before I go there.

Same with BCN at a fraction of the cost. You could even have the whole UK in OS 1:25k permanently stored onto your phone, if you have enough phone memory (I just have the main areas I go to permanently stored). All for the princely sum of £11.99.

For people like you, who already own these OS tiles from a previous life, then fair enough, I can understand and Viewranger was/is quite slick in presentation and use. For everyone else who’s chosen Viewranger over BCN, you’re either daft or money is no object.