GOHUNT vs ONX: Which one is right for you?
🛰️ Overview & Focus
GoHunt is built around hunting research tools—draw odds, unit profiles, harvest stats, and long-term planning.
OnX focuses on mapping and navigation: property boundaries, offline topo/satellite maps, and field reliability
📍 GoHunt Mapping: Strengths, Weaknesses & Recent Improvements
✅ Strengths
1. 3D Terrain Maps
GoHunt’s 3D mapping engine on desktop is one of its standout features.
It offers smooth zoom, rotation, and pitch control — ideal for e-scouting ridgelines, canyons, bedding areas, and glassing points.
You can stack terrain layers, burn history, historical imagery, and unit boundaries for an incredibly deep scouting session.
2. Western Hunter Focus
GoHunt’s maps are built with the western big game hunter in mind.
You get overlays for:
Game Management Units (GMUs)
Species distribution layers (mule deer, elk, etc.)
Land ownership (public/private/BLM/State)
Roadless areas and trails
Wilderness boundaries and walk-in areas
These overlays are designed to help identify pressure zones and navigate draw/tag strategies.
3. Integrated Research Tools
GoHunt is unique in how it integrates research and mapping.
While OnX allows you to pin and track, GoHunt ties your scouting directly to units, draw odds, and historical harvest data.
You can see a unit’s terrain and instantly pull up draw odds and season dates from the same interface.
4. Gear Drop Integration
Your GoHunt account gives you points to use in their gear shop, and the maps allow you to store and share hunt plans, waypoints, and trails across devices.
❌ Weaknesses
1. Mobile App Performance
GoHunt’s mobile app has lag and offline reliability issues, especially in remote areas:
Users report maps occasionally failing to load or switching from offline to online unexpectedly.
Some mobile layers take longer to render compared to OnX, especially satellite imagery or when layering multiple datasets.
App updates have improved this recently, but it still lags behind OnX’s polished mobile experience.
2. Offline Maps
Offline downloading is not as intuitive or flexible as OnX.
Map tiles sometimes don’t cache as cleanly.
There's limited control over resolution and file size.
Some hunters report needing to re-download sections they thought were saved.
🔁 Recent Updates & Promising Improvements
GoHunt has been actively updating its mobile app in 2024 and 2025:
New user interface with clearer map tools and syncing.
Improved map speed and stability on iOS and Android.
“Smart Layers” now allow you to toggle from terrain to land ownership to migration overlays with ease.
They also added real-time weather, wind direction tools, and sun angle info — features that were previously missing.
⚖️ Summary: GoHunt Mapping vs OnX
Feature GoHunt OnX
3D Terrain Excellent on desktop Limited
Mobile Stability Improving,still behind Highly stable and fast
Offline Maps Works, but can be finicky Best-in-class
E-scouting Layers Extensive for western units Very good, especially with Elite
Planning + Mapping Integration Seamless and unique Requires Elite + TopRut/3rd-party
Desktop Scouting Excellent Good, but 2D-heavy
GoHunt
Maps rendered well for desktop, but on mobile:
Offline glitches: slower map loading, occasional lag, disappearing layers reddit.com+1rokslide.com+1rokslide.com+1arizonahuntingforums.com+1.
Some users report field instability: “can never decide whether to be online or offline” rokslide.com+1libertysafe.com+1.
Research & Planning Tools
GoHunt shines with its hunter-centric features:
Statewide draw odds, harvest history, unit-specific profiles, and insider membership with filtered search tools hunting-washington.com+10sjconnection.com+10rokslide.com+10.
Provides a one-stop platform for applications, terrain, regulations, weather, and historical imagery .
Price-wise very attractive: e.g., $120/year covers maps and data for all states, compare to OnX’s per-state fees youtube.com+11rokslide.com+11hunttalk.com+11.
OnX has stepped up with features like Terrain‑X and Top Rut (draw odds), but those are still elite-tier and evolving sjconnection.com+2rokslide.com+2hunttalk.com+2.
Cost & Value
PlanGoHuntOnXBase MappingExplorer: ~$50/yr (all US)Premium single state ~$35; nationwide $100/yr rokslide.comlibertysafe.comFull ToolsetInsider: ~$120/yr + gear creditsElite (adds Terrain‑X/Top Rut): ~$100/yr
If you hunt cross-state or want draw-odds integrated, GoHunt offers more value.
For single-state hunters, OnX’s pricing is competitive—and app performance is a plus.
User Experience & Community Feedback
GoHunt
Desktop planners appreciate terrain overlays and historical imagery.
In the field, performance and offline issues remain a concern.
Desktop scouting praised, mobile sometimes laggy reddit.com+10hunttalk.com+10youtube.com+10.
OnX
Frequently mentioned for ease-of-use, stability, and reliability.
New features are well-received: “viewshed” and slope tools score high rokslide.com.
Social sharing and group waypoint sync noted as convenient sjconnection.com+4libertysafe.com+4rokslide.com+4.
When to Use Each
Serious multi-state planner & tag applicant?
GoHunt’s odds, stats, and all-in-one platform make it ideal.
Field navigation is top priority?
OnX’s mapping, offline performance, and user-friendly design give it the edge.
Hybrid approach?
Use GoHunt for desktop and research; switch to OnX on mobile in the field.
Pro Tips from Hunters
A Missouri user noted:
“OnX is more user friendly in a lot of cases and has better imagery… GoHunt is better research material.” hunttalk.com+1rokslide.com+1
A Colorado hunter shared:
“I use GoHunt at home for escouting, but only use ONX in the field.” youtube.com+6arizonahuntingforums.com+6longrangehunting.com+6libertysafe.com+10rokslide.com+10hunttalk.com+10
A Redditor summed it:
“OnX. Works reliably. Never had an issue.” rokslide.com+8reddit.com+8hunttalk.com+8
Final Recommendation
🧠 Choose GoHunt if you need data-driven planning, tags, odds, and are hunting across multiple states.
🎒 Choose OnX if you care most about accurate maps, navigation, offline usability, and field stability.
🛠️ Use both: Combine GoHunt for comprehensive scouting and OnX for dependable field performance—this is a common strategy among veteran hunters.
Bottom Line
GoHunt = powerful planning toolkit with great value; still ironing out mobile kinks. CHECK THEM OUT HERE
OnX = best-in-class mapping experience for field navigation; newer planning tools gaining ground.
