AdventureLive vs Strava Beacon: which should you use?

What is the difference between AdventureLive and Strava Beacon?

Strava Beacon shares your live position from the Strava phone app. AdventureLive shows a trip from a satellite tracker or a Garmin that you already carry. They solve different problems, and AdventureLive cannot stand in for Beacon: it does not run on a phone, and it needs an inReach, a SPOT or a Garmin with LiveTrack behind it.

We make AdventureLive, so weigh our view with that in mind. Everything about Beacon below comes from Strava's own support page and two news and guide pieces, linked under Sources. This page is part of our guide to the best live tracking for adventures.

At a glance

What does Strava Beacon do well?

Beacon is quick. Strava's page says you open Record, choose Share Live Location, switch Beacon on, send a text and start recording. Your contacts get a link that opens in a mobile browser. They see your current and past location, where you started recording, whether you are recording and when it last updated. Expanded, the view shows the start time, time active and your remaining battery percentage.

It updates about every 15 seconds, depending on cell service, which is far more often than a satellite tracker reports. You need nothing beyond the phone you already have. For a run, a ride or a hike near a town, that is hard to beat. When you save the activity, your contacts can see the finished activity.

Its limits are stated plainly. Beacon needs cellular service to update and does not work in airplane mode. Contacts see you only while you are recording with Beacon on. On cost, Strava's support page does not say; BikeRadar's report on the relaunch and a WhistleOut guide describe the phone feature as free, with connected devices needing a subscription. Check Strava before you rely on it.

What does AdventureLive do well?

AdventureLive is for trips where there is no signal to lean on. Followers open a link on any phone with no app and no account. They see a 3D satellite map, your planned route, the line you have actually travelled and your dot, with "Seen 22 min ago, via inReach". They see the weather where you are now and for the next 48 hours, with safety alerts for strong wind, gales, severe cold, heat, heavy rain and thunderstorms, where you are and on the route ahead.

You name up to five home contacts. If your inReach or SPOT sends a HELP message during a trip, each gets an email with the time, the place on a map and the trip page. A cancel email follows if you cancel it. Followers never see that.

Planning is on the web. Sign in with your email and password, confirmed by a 6-digit email code, or with Google. A leg can have a GPX route or no route, which suits an ocean row or a long sail. You can fly the route in 3D before you go. Start with plan a trip.

It has limits you should know. AdventureLive is not a phone tracking app, and it does not read Strava. It needs an inReach, a SPOT or a Garmin watch or bike computer with LiveTrack, plus that device's own plan. There is no phone app. Your dot is only as fresh as the tracker's own interval, and AdventureLive reads an inReach at most every 4 minutes and a SPOT every 2½ minutes, only while a trip is live.

When should you choose Strava Beacon?

Choose Beacon when:

• you have mobile signal for the whole outing;
• you only want one to three people to watch a run, ride or short hike;
• you want updates every few seconds, not every few minutes;
• you do not own a satellite tracker and do not plan to.

When should you choose AdventureLive?

Choose AdventureLive when:

• you already carry, or will rent, an inReach or SPOT, or you wear a Garmin with LiveTrack;
• your route goes beyond cell coverage, on a mountain, at sea or in a desert;
• your family wants the weather where you are, next to your dot;
• you want named people to get an email on HELP.

To start, Plan your trip and then link a tracker. Choose who can see you in who can see you and set up home contacts.

Which is better for a hike on Table Mountain or a trek in the Alps?

It depends on the route. If your whole route has mobile coverage, as a short walk near a city may, Beacon can be enough for a day walk: it is quick and updates often. Check your coverage on the route first, because Strava says Beacon needs cellular service. On a multi-day trek, a summit attempt or anywhere the signal drops, a satellite tracker is the safer way to be followable, and AdventureLive shows that tracker to your family with the weather where you are. Many people use Beacon on the way to the trailhead and the tracker once coverage ends. For a longer example, read Kilimanjaro live tracking and our guide to how to let family track you live on an adventure.

Can you use both?

Yes, but they do not feed each other. Beacon sends a text from Strava. AdventureLive reads your tracker. On a trek that starts in a town, you could run Beacon for the first stretch with signal, and rely on the tracker and the AdventureLive page once you leave coverage. Tell your family which link is which.

What about an emergency?

Neither is a rescue service. An SOS from your inReach or SPOT goes to Garmin Response or SPOT's emergency centre, which runs the rescue and tells the emergency contacts you set up with Garmin or SPOT. Set those up. AdventureLive emails home contacts on HELP only. The forecast on the page is a guide, so check local forecasts and warnings before you go.