TerraTrace

What TerraTrace does

TerraTrace Corporation is a privately held US software company, founded in 2014 and headquartered in Austin, Texas, that operates a single consumer-facing iOS mobile application called LiveTopo. LiveTopo provides topographic mapping for the United States, with features including hike tracking and saving, custom map markers (notably rock sites and historical mine locations to serve rock hounds and prospectors), and downloadable maps for offline use in areas lacking cellular coverage. The product is positioned for outdoor recreationists — hikers, backpackers, and geological hobbyists — who need reliable terrain data outside of cell service.

The business model is freemium: the app is freely downloadable from the Apple App Store with basic topographic map access, and a small recurring subscription unlocks offline map downloads and advanced customization. TerraTrace does not operate its own backend data infrastructure for user content; the company leverages Apple's servers and Sign-in-with-Apple authentication, explicitly stating it does not store user data on its own systems and does not sell data to advertisers. Distribution is entirely through the Apple App Store, and the company maintains a minimal WordPress website as its only owned marketing surface. There are no disclosed partnerships, integrations, APIs, or institutional customers.

Operationally, TerraTrace is a micro-company with 1–10 employees and no disclosed external funding, investors, or acquisitions. The only named individual is Robert Rice, listed as Copyright Agent in the Terms of Service. The company is pursuing GDPR compliance and has filed no patents or trademarks in the source data. The product surface has remained unchanged since the January 2021 LiveTopo launch, with no subsequent product releases, geographic expansion, or material strategic moves documented.

Name

TerraTrace

Legal name

TerraTrace Corporation

Website

https://terratrace.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

TerraTrace Corporation is a privately held US software company that operates LiveTopo, a freemium iOS app providing US topographic maps with offline downloads, hike tracking, and custom markers for rock sites and mine locations, targeting individual outdoor recreationists.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Austin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. LiveTopo App Sales: The company generates revenue through app distribution via the Apple App Store, where users can download and try LiveTopo for free with a subscription required for premium offline map features
2. Offline Subscription: A small subscription fee is charged for offline map download functionality, providing recurring subscription revenue from active outdoor enthusiasts

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

TerraTrace develops and distributes LiveTopo, a free iOS mobile application that provides US topographic maps for outdoor recreation. Users can download LiveTopo at no cost and access free US topographic maps, with a small subscription required to unlock offline map downloads; the app also lets users track and save hikes or favorite places and customize topo maps with rock sites and old mine locations. The product is sold directly to consumers through the Apple App Store under a freemium model.

Product overview

TerraTrace offers a single mobile application product called LiveTopo. This is a consumer-facing iOS app focused on outdoor recreation, providing topographic mapping services with offline capability and location tracking features. Users can download maps for offline use through a subscription model and customize their maps with points of interest such as rock climbing sites and historical mine locations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• LiveTopo: Free topographic maps application for the US with offline download capability, hike tracking, and the ability to save favorite places. Users can customize maps with rock sites or old mine locations.

Products and services

• LiveTopo LiveTopo is a consumer-facing iOS mobile application that provides free topographic maps for the United States, allows users to download maps for offline use with a small subscription, tracks and saves hikes or favorite places, and lets users customize topo maps with rock sites or old mine locations. It is targeted at individual outdoor enthusiasts such as hikers, backpackers, rock hounds and prospectors who need reliable topographic mapping in remote areas with limited cellular coverage.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Strava: Strava is a fitness activity tracker that also includes route planning and heatmap-based trail discovery. While broader than LiveTopo, it competes for the same active outdoor persona with significantly larger scale and social features.

Direct peers

• Avenza Maps: Avenza Maps is a mobile app that uses offline topographic and custom-imported maps, very similar to LiveTopo's offline subscription model. It competes on the same use case of offline map navigation for outdoor use.
• onX Backcountry: onX Backcountry (sister brand to onX Hunt) provides topographic and trail maps for outdoor recreation with offline functionality. It serves the same hiker/backpacker customer base with significantly more capital and content.
• Gaia GPS: Gaia GPS offers premium topographic and offline maps for hiking, backpacking, and outdoor recreation. It is a direct competitor with a much deeper content library, multi-platform support, and established subscription pricing.
• Komoot: Komoot is a route planning and navigation app for hiking and cycling with strong European market presence. It overlaps with LiveTopo on outdoor trail discovery, route planning, and offline navigation.
• AllTrails: AllTrails is the dominant consumer hiking and trail navigation app with tens of millions of users and a subscription tier for offline maps. It directly competes with LiveTopo for the same outdoor enthusiast persona with overlapping offline topographic functionality.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights4 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/terratrace-corporation

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about TerraTrace