If you’re reading this, your camping app probably did something that annoyed you. Maybe it removed checklists. Maybe it removed weather. Maybe it started showing ads after you paid for it. Or maybe it shut down entirely in your country and took your saved sites with it.
You’re not alone. Thousands of caravan, campervan, and RV travellers are looking for a new camping app in 2026. Here’s what happened, what to look for in a replacement, and what we’d recommend.
What Happened to WikiCamps
WikiCamps was the default camping app in Australia for over a decade. At its peak it had 1.6 million downloads, a loyal community, and a comprehensive campsite database built largely by its users.
Then things changed. In late 2025 and early 2026, WikiCamps version 6 removed several features users relied on: checklists, weather, sorting pins, compass, and satellite finder. The app added advertising despite being a paid purchase. Load times increased. The interface became harder to navigate.
On March 30, 2026, WikiCamps shut down entirely in the UK, US, and Canada. Users who logged out after that date lost their data permanently. The app still works for existing Australian and New Zealand users with local data, but there are no new site additions, no review updates, no photo uploads, and no backups.
The result is a community of travellers who invested years of saved sites, trip notes, and campsite knowledge into an app that either degraded or disappeared.
What to Look For in a Replacement
Before picking a new app, consider what matters for the long term — not just whether it has a campsite database.
Data coverage and sources. How many sites does it cover, and where does the data come from? Government datasets and curated databases are more reliable than purely user-generated content. Transparency about data sources matters — you should be able to see where each listing originated.
Offline capability. If you’re touring remote areas, your app needs to work without a connection. Not just cached tiles, but full trip data, expense logging, and journal entries available offline with automatic sync when you’re back in range.
Financial planning. The most overlooked feature in camping apps. Knowing where to camp is one thing. Knowing whether you can afford the trip is another. Look for budget building, expense tracking, and real-time budget vs actual comparisons.
Feature stability. Has the developer removed features before? Are they adding ads to a paid app? Is the app actively developed or in maintenance mode? Check the update history in the app store — regular updates signal active development.
Ad-free experience. If you’ve paid for an app and it starts showing ads, that’s a signal about how the business views its users. Look for apps funded by subscriptions or one-time purchases, not advertising.
The Alternatives
Camps Australia Wide is the closest direct competitor in the Australian market. Strong database, caravan-specific filtering, established community. Primarily AU-focused with limited international coverage.
The Dyrt dominates the US market with a large campground database, user reviews, and a Pro tier with offline maps and discount camping. Strong in North America but limited coverage elsewhere.
iOverlander is a free, community-driven database popular with overlanders and international travellers. Global coverage but inconsistent data quality. No budget tools, no trip planning, no offline maps in the traditional sense.
Campendium offers US campground reviews with a focus on boondocking and free camping. Strong community contribution model. US-focused with no international coverage.
Ready2Roam takes a different approach — combining campsite discovery with financial planning, AI trip planning, and a travel journal. Coverage spans Australia, New Zealand, the US, Canada, and the UK with 2 million+ POIs. The AI Copilot builds itineraries from a sentence, matched to your rig dimensions and budget. Features WikiCamps removed — checklists, weather, trip sharing — are included from launch. No ads in any tier. Budget tracking answers “Can I afford this trip?” before you leave, then tracks every dollar on the road. The free tier includes the full map, budget builder, expense tracking, and community submissions.
What About Your Old Data?
This used to be the painful part of switching apps — most camping apps don’t offer data portability and your saved sites were locked in.
Ready2Roam now imports GPX, KML/KMZ, CSV, and GeoJSON files. If your current app lets you export in any of these formats, you can bring your saved places, favourite stops, and trip routes straight into Ready2Roam. CSV import also handles Google Takeout data and manual spreadsheet exports.
For Nomad Pro users, the AI Copilot assists with cleanup — if field names don’t match, data is incomplete, or formats are mixed, it maps and normalises imported data so your travel history doesn’t start from zero.
The better long-term approach is choosing an app that gives you this portability by default — standard export formats, full import support, and complete control over your account including deletion. If you can’t get your data out AND bring data in, you’re signing up for another lock-in.
Our Recommendation
We’re biased — we built Ready2Roam — so take this accordingly. But we built it specifically because we couldn’t find a camping app that answered the budget question, worked offline properly, and covered multiple countries. The features other apps are removing were on our V1.1 launch list because travellers told us they needed them.
Download it free. Try Nomad Pro for 14 days. If it doesn’t work for you, you’ve lost nothing. Your data exports in standard formats and your account deletes with one tap.
