GPX vs FIT for trail data: what is actually different?
GPX and FIT solve the same basic problem — recording a list of GPS points over time — in opposite ways. GPX writes each point as readable XML text, which makes it simple and almost universally supported. FIT packs the same kind of data into a compact binary structure built around Garmin's device ecosystem, which makes it smaller and faster to write but much harder to look at directly. For a single recorded hike, that difference tends to settle which one is actually useful to you.
What each format is built for
GPX is text, and that is the whole point
GPX is XML: nested tags and numbers, openable in any text editor, parseable by a script written in an afternoon. Every point is written out in full, tags and all, which makes the file larger than it strictly needs to be for what it contains. That verbosity is also why it has lasted — nothing about reading a GPX file depends on a specific company's software still existing.
FIT is binary, and built for a device ecosystem
FIT stands for Flexible and Interoperable Data Transfer. It was developed by Garmin and the ANT+ standards group for its own devices, and it is now also used more broadly across that device ecosystem, including by some third-party sports hardware and platforms. Instead of writing tags for every field, FIT defines the structure of a message once and then writes only the raw values that follow it, which is what makes the file so much smaller than the equivalent GPX for a long recording. The cost is that a FIT file is not readable as text. Opening one in a plain text editor shows binary noise, not coordinates — you need a parser or a converter to get anything meaningful out of it.
Side by side
- Format: GPX is plain-text XML. FIT is compact binary.
- Human-readable: GPX yes, in any text editor. FIT no, it needs a parser or a converter.
- File size for the same hike: FIT is noticeably smaller, because it does not repeat tag names for every point.
- Origin and ecosystem: GPX is an open, vendor-neutral format published in 2002. FIT was built by Garmin and the ANT+ group around Garmin's own devices and software.
- Compatibility outside that ecosystem: GPX opens in nearly every mapping, GIS and route-planning tool that exists. FIT is read natively where the Garmin ecosystem reaches, and accepted more narrowly elsewhere.
- Best fit: GPX for a route you want to keep, share or open anywhere, indefinitely. FIT for a device that is already writing it natively into that ecosystem.
Converting between them
Going from FIT to GPX is a common, well-supported conversion, because GPX only needs the coordinates, elevation and timestamps that a FIT file already contains among its data. Desktop tools such as GPSBabel handle it in one pass, as do a number of free browser-based converters — upload the FIT, download a GPX back.
Going the other way, GPX to FIT, is less commonly needed, since GPX already holds everything a mapping or route-planning tool cares about for a recorded hike. It is mostly useful if you specifically need a file for software built around the FIT structure.
What TrailCam exports
TrailCam exports a recorded route as GPX 1.1 or as a CSV summary; it does not produce FIT. For a hike you want to keep for the long term, or move between Strava, Garmin Connect, Komoot or a GIS tool without worrying whether the receiving software understands the file, GPX is the safer bet — it is the format the outdoors world has settled on as its common currency, in a way no single device ecosystem's binary format has replaced. Export is part of the optional TrailCam Pro upgrade; the app itself is free to download.
Questions
- Is FIT better than GPX for a hike?
- Not for keeping or sharing a recorded route. FIT is smaller and faster for a device to write, but it is binary and tied to a specific device ecosystem. GPX is plain text, larger, and opens in nearly every mapping and route-planning tool that exists, which matters more once a hike is finished.
- Can I open a FIT file in a text editor?
- Not usefully. FIT is a binary format, so a text editor shows unreadable bytes rather than coordinates. You need a parser, a converter, or software built to read FIT directly.
- Does TrailCam export FIT files?
- No. TrailCam exports GPX 1.1 or a CSV summary, both of which are plain text and open in essentially any mapping or spreadsheet tool without a special reader.
Recording your own routes
TrailCam is an iPhone app that records your route with GPS, keeps video clips, photos and voice notes pinned to the spot where you took them, and exports the result as GPX 1.1 or CSV. It is free to download.