Head North vs Stark Trails

What is Stark Trails?

Stark Trails is the navigation and trail feature built into the official Stark VARG EX app. It’s powered by Mapbox and lets you view maps and upload GPX files directly within the Stark interface.

The catch: it’s part of Stark’s Pro subscription, which costs €12.90 per month. You get a 3-month free trial when your bike arrives, and then you start paying.

The Pro subscription bundles three things together:

• Maps & Trails — Navigation powered by Mapbox, GPX upload capability.
• Advanced Power Mode — Custom power curves that let you shape how much power you get at different RPMs across your ride modes.
• Racing Mode — Performance-focused features for track use.

You can’t buy just the navigation part. It’s all or nothing.

What is Head North?

Head North is a standalone Android app that does one thing: keeps a GPS map visible on your Stark VARG dashboard while you ride.

It uses a floating window (Picture-in-Picture) that sits on top of whatever else is on screen. Load a GPX trail, and you see your position, which direction you’re heading, and the route you planned — all without the Stark app losing its spot.

It’s a one-time purchase. No subscription, no account, no cloud.

Where Stark Trails wins

Let’s be fair about what Stark’s built-in option does well:

• It’s fully integrated. No extra app to install, no setup. If you’re already paying for Pro, navigation is just there.
• Ride recording. Stark Trails records your rides automatically and syncs them to your Stark account. Head North doesn’t record rides.
• Part of a bigger bundle. If you want Advanced Power Mode for custom power curves, you’re already paying for Pro — and the map comes included. For riders who use power tuning, the navigation is effectively “free.”
• Official support. It’s made by Stark. If something doesn’t work, you can contact them directly.

Where Head North wins

• The map stays visible while you ride. This is the big one. Head North uses a floating window that sits on top of the Stark dashboard. You see your map AND your gauges at the same time. With Stark Trails, you’re on the map screen or the gauge screen — not both.
• One-time purchase vs. monthly subscription. Head North is a one-time purchase (see Play Store for your region). Stark Pro is €12.90 per month, which adds up to about €155 per year or €465 over three years of ownership.
• No account required. Install it, load your GPX file, ride. No Stark login, no cloud sync, no data uploaded anywhere.
• Works with any GPX file. Plan your route in onX, GAIA, Komoot, Wikiloc — whatever you use. Export the GPX, load it in Head North. You’re not locked into one ecosystem.
• Works on MX and EX. Stark Trails is an EX app feature. Head North works on any Stark VARG with an Android phone setup.

Where both are limited

Neither Head North nor Stark Trails is a full navigation app:

• No turn-by-turn directions. Neither one will tell you “turn left in 200 meters.” You follow the trail visually on the map. For off-road riding, this is actually what you want — voice prompts don’t make sense on single track.
• No trail database. Neither one has a built-in library of trails with difficulty ratings, reviews, or community routes. For that, you need a planning app like onX or GAIA.
• No route planning. Both expect you to bring your own GPX file. You plan the ride elsewhere, then load it.

Cost over time

This is worth spelling out because the monthly fee adds up fast:

• After the free trial: Stark Pro costs €12.90 per month. Head North is a one-time purchase.
• After 1 year: Stark Pro = ~€155. Head North = one-time purchase.
• After 3 years: Stark Pro = ~€465. Head North = one-time purchase.

If you only want navigation and don’t care about custom power curves or ride recording, that’s a significant difference.

So which should you pick?

Choose Stark Trails if:

• You already pay for Pro because you use Advanced Power Mode. Navigation comes included — might as well use it.
• You want ride recording and sync built into one system.
• You prefer everything from one source and don’t mind the monthly cost.

Choose Head North if:

• You want a visible map while riding without paying a monthly fee.
• You want to see your map AND the Stark gauges at the same time.
• You already plan routes in onX, GAIA, or another app and just need a way to follow the GPX while riding.
• You ride an MX and don’t have access to EX-specific features.

Use both if:

• You pay for Pro for the power curves but prefer Head North’s always-visible overlay for actual navigation while riding.