"Free" means different things across mileage trackers. Some apps are genuinely free with no premium tier. Some have a free trip cap. Some have a free trial. Here is what each one actually offers.
Stride: free, manual only
Stride has no premium tier. The catch: no auto-detection. You start and stop tracking by hand for every trip. For light-use drivers willing to manually log, Stride is genuinely free. For high-volume drivers, manual tracking misses too many trips. Stride vs TruMile.
TruMile: free for 40 auto trips per month
Auto-detection runs continuously. The first 40 detected trips per month are free, every month. Most light-use drivers never hit the cap. Heavy gig drivers exceed it but the Pro tier is $7.99/month or $59.99/year.
MileIQ: 40 free drives per month
The same 40-trip monthly allowance as TruMile. Once you hit 40 in a month, MileIQ stops auto-detecting until the next month, where TruMile still accepts unlimited manual entries. MileIQ's individual plan is $13.99/month or $139.99/year.
Everlance: 30 free trips per month
Slightly tighter free cap than TruMile or MileIQ. Free tier excludes some features (CSV export limits, no expense tracking).
Driversnote: 20 free trips per month
The tightest free cap of the major auto-detection apps. Better international tax-jurisdiction support if you are in UK, AU, or CA.
TripLog: free with feature gating
TripLog moved to a free tier in 2024 with paid upgrades. Some features (Bluetooth-trigger detection, fleet support) are paid-only. The free tier is workable for light-use drivers.
What free actually buys you
For drivers under the platform-specific trip cap, free auto-detection trackers produce the same audit-defensible mileage log as paid tiers. The real cost difference is at high mileage volumes where the free cap forces you to either miss trips or upgrade.
How to pick
- Light use, willing to log manually: Stride.
- Light-to-medium use, want auto-detect: TruMile or MileIQ.
- Heavy use, can absorb subscription: any auto-detect app at the paid tier; pricing varies.
- International (UK, AU, CA): Driversnote for jurisdiction-specific features.
Free for 40 auto trips a month, every month. Start free with TruMile →
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