onX Maps
{{Short description|Outdoor recreation mapping company}}
{{Lowercase title}}{{Infobox company
| logo = OnX Company logo.svg
| founded = 2009
| hq_location = Missoula, Montana
| num_employees = 400
| website = {{URL|onxmaps.com}}
}}
onX is a private American technology company that develops digital mapping applications for outdoor recreation. It was founded in Missoula, Montana in 2009 as a hardware company, developing chips that extended Garmin GPS devices with land ownership data for the purpose of hunting.{{Cite web |last=Peterson |first=Christine |date=2024-02-09 |title=The onX Effect: Digital Mapping Apps Have Changed the Way We Hunt. Now What Will They Do With All Our Data? |url=https://www.outdoorlife.com/conservation/the-onx-effect/ |access-date=2025-06-01 |website=Outdoor Life |language=en-US}} In 2013 it pivoted to the development of mobile applications,{{Citation needed|date=June 2025}} and in 2024 announced a $87 million dollar series-b from Summit Partners.
Products
onX develops four products: onX Hunt, onX Offroad, onX Backcountry, and onX Fish.
= onX Hunt =
onX Hunt was onX's first application. While it has received praise for expanding access to outdoor recreation and raising awareness of landlocked public lands,{{Cite news |last=Howe |first=Ben Ryder |date=2022-11-26 |title=It’s Public Land. But the Public Can’t Reach It. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/26/business/hunting-wyoming-elk-mountain-access.html |access-date=2025-06-02 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} it has also received numerous criticisms regarding user privacy and the erasure of 'secret spots.'
In 2023, the owners of Elk Mountain Ranch filed a lawsuit against four Wyoming corner crossers, alleging that their activities devalued the ranch by $7.75 million dollars.{{Cite web |last=Wyofile |date=2023-04-20 |title=Elk Mountain Ranch owner: ‘We should have control’ of corner-crossing |url=http://oilcity.news/community/wyoming-community-2/2023/04/20/elk-mountain-ranch-owner-we-should-have-control-of-corner-crossing/ |access-date=2025-06-01 |website=Oil City News |language=en-US}} As part of the lawsuit, the owners subpoenaed onX and discovered a point named 'Waypoint 6' on the property, and attempted to use the point as evidence of tresspassing. A spokesperson for onX stated that “One could drop a waypoint for any reason at all and one has not necessarily been to the places where he or she has dropped a waypoint.”{{Cite web |last=Jr |first=Angus M. Thuermer |date=2023-05-04 |title=Corner crossers reject GPS ‘Waypoint 6’ as trespass proof |url=http://wyofile.com/corner-crossers-reject-gps-waypoint-6-as-trespass-proof/ |access-date=2025-06-01 |website=WyoFile |language=en-US}}
When asked if it would consider selling the data users provide to the service, onX explained that it believes the users creating the points retain ownership of them.
= onX Backcountry =
onX Backcountry is a mapping application for backcountry ski touring, hiking, climbing, and mountain biking.{{Cite web |last=Ritter |first=Lily |date=2021-03-29 |title=How an App Built for Hunting Became a Backcountry Skiing Navigation App |url=https://www.skimag.com/gadgets-and-tech/onx-backcountry-app-review/ |access-date=2025-06-01 |website=SKI |language=en-US}}
In 2021, onX acquired the rock climbing database Mountain Project for its expansion into climbing. onX promised to continue operating the site without a paywall,{{Cite news |title=Mountain Project Acquired by onX - Rock and Ice |url=https://rockandice.com/climbing-news/mountain-project-acquired-by-onx/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210108223627/https://rockandice.com/climbing-news/mountain-project-acquired-by-onx/ |archive-date=2021-01-08 |access-date=2025-06-01 |work=Rock and Ice |language=en-US}} however later shut down its API and filed a DMCA takedown against competitor Open Beta, despite claiming in its terms that users own the data.{{Cite web |last=gripped |date=2021-03-31 |title=Mountain Project Replies to Open Beta Copyright Issues |url=https://gripped.com/news/mountain-project-replies-to-open-beta-copyright-issues/ |access-date=2025-06-01 |website=Gripped Magazine |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Stoltz |first=Mitch |date=2021-03-25 |title=Free as in Climbing: Rock Climber’s Open Data Project Threatened by Bogus Copyright Claims |url=https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2021/03/free-climbing-rock-climbers-open-data-project-threatened-bogus-copyright-claims |access-date=2025-06-01 |website=Electronic Frontier Foundation |language=en}}
= onX Fish =
To develop onX Fish, onX purchased TroutRoutes.{{Cite web |last=Kennedy |first=Tony |date=2024-08-23 |title=A pioneer in outdoor navigation turns to Minnesota for fishing smarts |url=https://www.startribune.com/a-pioneer-in-outdoor-navigation-turns-to-minnesota-for-fishing-smarts/601128121 |access-date=2025-06-02 |website=www.startribune.com |language=en}}
Access Initiatives
onX has funded a number of environmental stewardship projects.
- $5,000 microgrants for trail maintenance in collaboration with Toyota{{Cite web |title=onX Off-Road Partners With Toyota to Conserve Public Land Trails |url=https://www.rideapart.com/news/758101/onx-off-road-toyota-public-lands/ |access-date=2025-06-02 |website=RideApart.com |language=en}}
- "secure[ing] or improve[ing] public access to 154,000 acres, and support[ing] the maintenance and building of 255 miles of trails"{{Cite web |title=onX's 'Adventure Forever Grants' Aim to Keep Public Lands Public |url=https://www.rideapart.com/news/719645/onx-adventure-forever-land-grants-submissions/ |access-date=2025-06-02 |website=RideApart.com |language=en}}
- A program to enroll 10,000 acres of South Dakota land for walk-in access for $25 per acre.{{Cite web |last=elessard |date=2023-10-29 |title=Protecting Pheasant Habitat in South Dakota Is a Team Effort |url=https://www.outsideonline.com/adventure-travel/destinations/north-america/protecting-pheasant-habitat-in-south-dakota-is-a-team-effort/ |access-date=2025-06-02 |website=Outside Online |language=en-US}}