Compare Zwift
DirtWatts vs Zwift for mountain bikers
Zwift is the place for group rides and racing, and its crowd is the big draw. Its off-road riding is a few dirt sections and a short steering course in designed worlds. DirtWatts is real mountain bike trails rebuilt from lidar. Most riders who want both keep Zwift for road days and add DirtWatts for dirt.
Prices and features checked October 2026. US list prices.
Choose Zwift if…
- You want group rides and races at any hour
- You train with structured workouts and plans
- You ride road or gravel most of the year
Choose DirtWatts if…
- You want real singletrack, not a dirt texture on a road
- You want the grade under your wheel to match the real trail
- You want it for $4.17 a month, not $16.67
Or ride both
$249.98a year for Zwift and DirtWatts
Keep Zwift for road days. DirtWatts adds the trails for $4.17 a month, billed yearly, or start on the free tier.
Head to head
DirtWatts and Zwift, side by side
- Yes
- Partly
- Coming soon
- No
- Not advertised
| Feature | DirtWatts | Zwift |
|---|---|---|
| Price (US) | $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year | $19.99 a month or $199.99 a year |
| Free option | Free tier: two featured trails, rotated monthly | 14-day trial on the monthly plan |
| What you ride | Real US mountain bike trails, rebuilt one by one | Designed 3D worlds: Watopia every day, plus rotating guest worlds |
| MTB singletrack | Every trail is singletrack or dirt, from Park City to Moab, Sedona, Bend and Durango | Dirt and gravel sections, and a short steering-only MTB course |
| Elevation source | USGS 1 m bare-earth lidar | Designed by Zwift |
| Surface changes resistance | Yes: each trail section carries its surface, so hardpack rolls faster than loose dirt | Yes: dirt sections roll slower, and the bike you choose matters |
| Ride your own routes | Coming soon: one US trail request a month, baked from lidar | No |
| Group rides and racing | Leaderboards and climb segments coming soon; group rides on the roadmap | Yes, around the clock: group rides, races, leagues |
| Structured workouts | No. You ride trails | Yes, with training plans |
| Runs on | Chrome or Edge on Windows, macOS and ChromeOS. Desktop app on the roadmap | Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Apple TV |
Strengths
What Zwift does better
- Huge, always-on community: group rides, races, leagues and clubs
- Structured workouts and training plans built in
- Apps for Windows, macOS, iOS, Android and Apple TV
- Steering and power-ups for a more game-like ride
What only DirtWatts does
- Real US singletrack, cut into the hillside the way the real trail is
- Grades from USGS 1 m bare-earth lidar, not a GPS track
- Trail surfaces that change resistance: hardpack rolls faster than loose dirt
- A rider model fitted to a real power-meter ride on dirt, with thinner air at altitude
- A free tier, and $49.99 a year for the full library
DirtWatts and Zwift: questions
Does Zwift have mountain bike trails?
Zwift has dirt and gravel sections in its designed worlds, a mountain bike you unlock, and a short off-road course that needs steering. Dirt rolls slower than pavement, but the trails are designed for the game rather than taken from real places. DirtWatts rebuilds real singletrack from lidar.
Can I use DirtWatts and Zwift with the same trainer?
Yes. Any Bluetooth FTMS trainer that works with Zwift, including the Zwift Hub, works with DirtWatts in Chrome or Edge. Use one app at a time, since a trainer takes one Bluetooth control connection.
Is DirtWatts cheaper than Zwift?
Yes. DirtWatts is $49.99 a year against $199.99 for Zwift, and it has a free tier with no time limit. Riders who keep Zwift for road days pay $249.98 a year for both.
More comparisons
See every app in one table on the comparison page, or compare DirtWatts with:
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- DirtWatts vs TrainingPeaks Virtual
- DirtWatts vs Kinomap
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Spot something out of date? Email hello@dirtwatts.com and we'll fix it. Product names are trademarks of their owners.
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