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Grimpa vs ROUVY
ROUVY puts you on filmed video of real roads, thousands of them, with other riders added in augmented reality. Grimpa builds the real road as a pixel-art world instead: Mont Ventoux, the Stelvio, the Flemish Ardennes and your own roads from a GPX, drawn whole, in your browser, with no race to keep up with.
Free · Chrome or Edge, on a computer or Android
Side by side
| Grimpa | ROUVY | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | GrimpaYes: Free; map packs €4.99 each, kept for good | ROUVYPartly: €19.99 a month or €179.99 a year; Duo (2 riders) and Group (up to 5) plans; a 7-day free trial, then 20 km a month for free |
| Where you ride | GrimpaYes: 12 real roads in Provence, Flanders, the Alps and Mallorca: Mont Ventoux, Alpe d'Huez, the Stelvio, Sa Calobra, the Arenberg and more, every one open every day | ROUVYYes: Thousands of real roads, filmed in more than 150 countries |
| What you see | GrimpaA pixel-art world built from the real road: official elevation for every gradient, aerial photos and open map data for the forests, fields and villages | ROUVYVideo of the real road, with other riders added in augmented reality |
| Your own route from a GPX | GrimpaYes: Upload a GPX and Grimpa builds the whole road as a world in about a minute: up to 150 km, in 28 countries | ROUVYPartly: Subscribers can import a GPX, ridden on a map rather than on video; or film your own road for Route Creator |
| Other riders and drafting | GrimpaYes: Riders on the same route at the same moment pass you on the road, and you can sit on their wheel | ROUVYYes: Other riders shown on the video; group rides, clubs and in-ride chat |
| Races and leaderboards | GrimpaNo: None, by design: no races, no rankings, nobody to keep up with | ROUVYYes: Races, challenges and a career mode |
| Structured workouts | GrimpaYes: 112 sessions in ERG, ridden on any road, your own included | ROUVYYes: Workouts and training plans, among them pro teams' plans |
| Where your rides go | GrimpaYes: Strava, by itself, as a virtual ride; a .fit file to download for anything else | ROUVYYes: Strava, Garmin Connect, TrainingPeaks and a dozen more |
| Where it runs | GrimpaPartly: Chrome or Edge on Windows, Mac, Linux, Chromebook and Android, with nothing to install. Not on iPhone, iPad or Apple TV yet | ROUVYYes: Apps for Windows, Mac, iPhone, iPad, Android and Apple TV |
| Trainers | GrimpaPartly: Bluetooth smart trainers (FTMS: Wahoo, Elite, Tacx, Zwift Hub and more) or a Bluetooth power meter. No ANT+ | ROUVYYes: Smart trainers over Bluetooth, ANT+ or Wi-Fi, and classic trainers |
ROUVY's details checked on 21 October 2026 on its own website: its pricing, help and news pages. Apps change: see rouvy.com for the latest. Grimpa's column says what it does today.
Which one fits you
Grimpa is the better pick if
- you want your own road built whole, its villages and hills drawn around you, not just a line on a map
- you like a calm, drawn world you can ride at any pace, in pixel art
- you'd rather not race or be ranked, but like meeting someone on the road
- you'd rather not pay another subscription, or install anything
ROUVY is the better pick if
- you want to see the real road as it looks, on video
- you want the widest choice: thousands of roads in more than 150 countries
- you train as a household: the Duo and Group plans cover 2 or up to 5 riders
- you ride on an iPhone, an iPad or an Apple TV, or you want races and a career mode
Video or a drawn world
ROUVY's roads are filmed: you ride a video of the real road, in more than 150 countries, with other riders added on top in augmented reality. Nothing shows a place more exactly than its own footage.
Grimpa draws the road instead. Each route is built from official elevation surveys, aerial photos and open map data, then drawn in pixel art: the real bends, gradients, forests and villages, as a world you ride through. It moves smoothly at any speed, and a new road costs no filming, which is how Grimpa can build yours.
Your own roads
ROUVY subscribers can import a GPX file and ride it on a map, without video. To get a road on video you film it yourself, with a GPS camera, for ROUVY's Route Creator.
Grimpa builds your GPX into the same kind of world as its own routes, in about a minute: the road, the houses, the woods and the hills, with every gradient on your trainer. Your first route is free, then €1.99 a route, €7.99 for five or €19.99 for twenty, up to 150 km, in most of western and northern Europe, the United States, Canada and Australia.
Company without racing
ROUVY has races, challenges, group rides, clubs and a career mode. Grimpa has no races and no leaderboards, on purpose: riders on the same route at the same moment pass you on the road and you can draft them, and the only rivals are your own ghosts and a pacer bot at the W/kg you choose.
Training
Both have structured workouts. ROUVY includes workouts and training plans, among them plans from pro teams. Grimpa has a library of classic sessions in ERG, ridden on any road, and works with Watt4, the coach that makes it: every Watt4 cycling session opens in Grimpa with one click. You don't need Watt4 to ride Grimpa.
Devices and price
ROUVY has apps for Windows, Mac, iPhone, iPad, Android and Apple TV, and works with smart trainers over Bluetooth, ANT+ or Wi-Fi. It costs €19.99 a month or €179.99 a year for one rider, with Duo and Group plans, a 7-day free trial and 20 km a month free after it. Since April 2026 ROUVY belongs to Zwift; both say they keep running on their own.
Grimpa runs in Chrome or Edge on a computer or an Android phone or tablet, with nothing to install, and drives Bluetooth smart trainers that speak FTMS. It doesn't run on iPhone, iPad or Apple TV yet. Riding is free.
Questions
What's the difference between Grimpa and ROUVY?
ROUVY shows you filmed video of real roads. Grimpa builds the real road from elevation data, aerial photos and map data, and draws it as a pixel-art world. That's how it can turn any GPX into a full ride in about a minute, where an imported GPX in ROUVY is ridden on a map.
Can I ride my own route in ROUVY or Grimpa?
In both. ROUVY subscribers can import a GPX and ride it on a map, or film their own road for Route Creator. Grimpa builds your GPX into a world with its roads, villages and hills; the first route is free, then €1.99, €7.99 for five or €19.99 for twenty.
Is Grimpa cheaper than ROUVY?
Riding Grimpa is free. ROUVY costs €19.99 a month or €179.99 a year for one rider, with a 7-day trial and 20 km a month free after it.
Is ROUVY part of Zwift?
Yes: Zwift completed its acquisition of ROUVY in April 2026. Both say they keep running independently, with their own apps and subscriptions.
Can I race in Grimpa?
No, on purpose. Other riders on the same route pass you on the road and you can draft them, but there are no races or leaderboards. You race your own ghosts, or a pacer bot.
Which devices does Grimpa run on?
Chrome or Edge on Windows, Mac, Linux, a Chromebook or Android, with a Bluetooth smart trainer or power meter. Not on iPhone or iPad yet: their browsers have no Bluetooth.
Try Grimpa next to what you ride now
Free. Sign in, pair your trainer over Bluetooth and ride Mont Ventoux tonight, in Chrome or Edge.
ROUVY is a trademark of its owner. Grimpa is not affiliated with or endorsed by ROUVY.