How do I compare two GPX files?

Load the original track, then load the file you want to check against it. The tool aligns the two lines and reports every stretch where they part company: where it starts, how long it runs, and how far apart the two get. A third track can be added to compare two conversions of the same original.

Which file formats can I compare?

GPX and FIT. A GPX file may hold a track or a route, and both are read. A FIT file carries the recorder's own elevation, timestamps and sensor data, so it is the better original where you have one.

Do my files get uploaded anywhere?

Not unless you ask. Loading, comparing and reporting all happen in your browser: the only thing requested from PitStopper's servers is the OpenStreetMap roads around each track, which is what lets the tool say which road a line is on. Pressing Share is the exception, and it does upload: the tracks are encrypted in your browser first and the key travels only in the link's fragment, which browsers never send to a server, so PitStopper holds bytes it cannot read. A shared comparison is deleted after 30 days, and you can withdraw it sooner from the list in the Share dialog. Ticking “Tell the PitStopper team” additionally sends us that link, key included, so that we can open it.

What counts as a deviation between two tracks?

By default, a stretch where the two lines part company for at least 100 m. A stretch taking a different path must also reach 40 m from the original, or it is a line beside it rather than another road; a section one track has and the other does not counts by its length alone. The thresholds can be tightened or loosened under Lines and settings.

Compare tracks Work in progress

Load an original track, run it through PitStopper's engine or upload a conversion of it, and see where each conversion leaves the original: how far, for how long, what OpenStreetMap has under each line, and whether the turn instructions agree. Every conversion is measured against the original the same way. GPX and FIT both work, and nothing leaves your browser unless you share it; only the roads around a track are requested from PitStopper's map servers.

The comparer is a work in progress, built to make PitStopper better at turning recorded tracks into routes. If it gets something wrong, unclear or missing, share the comparison with us from the button under the results or get in touch: feedback on the tool is as welcome as feedback on the conversions.

Original

PitStopper conversion

Derive turn cues from the shape where a track has none

Nothing to compare yet.

Load the original track - the one every other line is measured against.
Run it through PitStopper's engine, or upload a conversion you already have.
Optionally add a third track: another tool's conversion, an older export, a hand-corrected version.

Lines 95%

Lines and settings

What counts as a deviation

About this tool

How do I compare two GPX files?: Load the original track, then load the file you want to check against it. The tool aligns the two lines and reports every stretch where they part company: where it starts, how long it runs, and how far apart the two get. A third track can be added to compare two conversions of the same original.
Which file formats can I compare?: GPX and FIT. A GPX file may hold a track or a route, and both are read. A FIT file carries the recorder's own elevation, timestamps and sensor data, so it is the better original where you have one.
Do my files get uploaded anywhere?: Not unless you ask. Loading, comparing and reporting all happen in your browser: the only thing requested from PitStopper's servers is the OpenStreetMap roads around each track, which is what lets the tool say which road a line is on. Pressing Share is the exception, and it does upload: the tracks are encrypted in your browser first and the key travels only in the link's fragment, which browsers never send to a server, so PitStopper holds bytes it cannot read. A shared comparison is deleted after 30 days, and you can withdraw it sooner from the list in the Share dialog. Ticking Tell the PitStopper team additionally sends us that link, key included, so that we can open it.
What counts as a deviation between two tracks?: By default, a stretch where the two lines part company for at least 100 m. A stretch taking a different path must also reach 40 m from the original, or it is a line beside it rather than another road; a section one track has and the other does not counts by its length alone. The thresholds can be tightened or loosened under Lines and settings.
What else can PitStopper do?: It is a route planner that finds what is along the way - water, cafes, fuel, shelter, campsites and climbs. See the features, the guide, or read about matching a recorded ride to the roads, which is the engine this page compares against.

Compare tracks Work in progress

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About this tool