Type cardo ride vs calimoto into Google and the results run out fast: two store listings, calimoto’s homepage, a Facebook thread, then pages about podcasts with “vs” in the title. Google has almost nothing to show because Cardo Ride has existed under that name since April 2026. Before that it was RISER, the Austrian app Cardo bought in 2023. The two pages from Cardo’s own blog that rank on this search were written in 2020 and 2021, recommend Calimoto, and never mention RISER or Cardo Ride at all.
I build a motorcycle app, so I read pricing pages more than any rider should. On 18 September 2026 I opened Cardo Ride’s website, store listings, terms and help centre, and put them next to the calimoto pages I had already read for what calimoto costs in 2026. Here is what the two companies publish, including the places where Cardo contradicts itself.
Two apps, one day
| Cardo Ride | Calimoto | |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier on the bike | Records rides and navigates turn-by-turn | Plans routes; no navigation, no recording |
| Paid tier | Pro | Premium |
| Monthly | $8.99 (€8.99 on Google Play) | None. Weekly €9.99, in the app only |
| Medium term | €34.99 for six months | Season Pass, €39.99 for three months |
| Yearly | $59.99 in the stores, $29.99 on cardoride.com | €59.99 |
| Free trial | 14 days, yearly plan only, once | 14 days, yearly plan only |
Currencies are the ones each page prints; treat the numbers as local and the structure as fixed.
The Pro price depends on which Cardo page you read
The plan page at cardoride.com lists Basic as “Free Forever”, PRO Monthly at $8.99 and PRO Yearly at $29.99 per year, then adds: “Pricing can vary between different countries. To see the respective pricing for your area please open the app or visit the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store.”
So I did. The App Store description, on the United States and Italian storefronts alike, says “$8.99/month or $59.99/year“. Google Play says “€8.99/month, €34.99/6 months, or €59.99/year”. And the App Store’s in-app purchase list, where Apple prints every price a developer has registered, holds two yearly items, “RISER PRO 1 Year” at $29.99 and at $59.99, next to six months at $32.99, one month at $8.99 and one week at $4.99.
I cannot tell you which yearly price the app will offer you; the website defers to the store and the store says 59.99. Both numbers are Cardo’s own. None of the sixteen pages I read from this search prints either, and the only one that prices the app at all gives RISER at €59.99 and says its “last update was in October 2022”. The App Store shows version 4.6.5, released on 17 September 2026.
The arithmetic: twelve months at $8.99 come to $107.88, so the store’s yearly price is 44% off and the website’s would be 72% off. Two six-month terms cost €69.98, ten euros more than the year. Cardo’s six months cost five euros less than calimoto’s three-month Season Pass. At the yearly price the stores print, the two apps cost the same to the cent; at the price on Cardo’s own website, Cardo Ride is half.
What each free tier does once you are on the bike
Cardo Ride’s plan table has eighteen rows, nine ticked for Basic and nine for Pro. Free: record your adventures, turn-by-turn navigation, web route planner, groups, getaways, challenges, season goal, achievements, sharing. Pro: Apple CarPlay, PackRide, offline maps, live tracking, curvy and super curvy roads, GPX export, satellite maps, reWind 3.0, Bonus Club. Cardo’s launch post says it in its FAQ: “Yes, with a genuinely functional free tier.”
Calimoto’s table has fourteen rows and ticks four for the free plan: worldwide planning with the twisty-roads algorithm, import of GPX, KML and ITN files, points of interest, closed roads. Navigation, recording, offline maps, export, CarPlay and Android Auto, speed cameras, statistics and group rides are all Premium. Recording moved behind the paywall in July 2023.
So the free Cardo Ride does on the bike the two things calimoto charges €59.99 a year for. One caveat: on cardoride.com the row “Curvy & Super Curvy Roads” sits in the Pro column, while the store listing names only “super curvy routing” as Pro. Free navigation, yes; whether the free router hunts for curves depends on which Cardo page you read. Calimoto’s free plan runs the curve algorithm but cannot navigate the result.
GPX runs the other way: calimoto imports for free and charges to export; Cardo Ride charges to export, and nothing I read says where import sits.
CarPlay: a headline on the homepage, a Pro feature in the help centre
“Cardo Ride Now on Apple CarPlay” is a banner on cardoride.com’s homepage and the first item on its features page, with no price attached. In the plan table the CarPlay row is crossed for Basic, and the help centre settles it: “CarPlay is a PRO feature that requires either an active Cardo Ride PRO subscription or an active trial.”
Android Auto is newer still. It is not in the store descriptions, on cardoride.com or in the launch post; it surfaces only in Google Play’s release notes for the update of 26 August 2026: “Android Auto: First version now live on your display!” That fits the reader comment under Motorcycle.com’s relaunch story, dated 27 April 2026, reporting that the app would not connect to Android Auto on a 2024 Gold Wing: it did not exist yet. Whether it sits in Pro like CarPlay, nothing I read says. Calimoto lists CarPlay and Android Auto together, both Premium.
PackRide: thirty minutes free, then the leader pays
Cardo’s launch post marks PackRide as Pro only. The store listings are more precise: “For unlimited Pack Ride access (beyond 30 minutes), the Pack Leader must be a Cardo Ride PRO member.” A group can ride on the free tier for half an hour, and after that only the person who started the pack needs the subscription. None of the sixteen pages I read mentions the thirty minutes.
The hardware tie-in is what you would expect from a headset company: the PACKTALK carries the voices, Cardo Ride draws the positions. Nothing in the listings requires a Cardo headset to run the app. Calimoto’s equivalent, “synchronized group rides”, is a Premium row.
Same trial, same contract, older name
The terms served at cardoride.com are still RISER’s and still call the app RISER. Buyers of the yearly plan may test Pro “14 days for free one time only”; cancelling within those days returns you to Basic at no cost; after that, “already paid out payment will not be refunded”. Calimoto’s contract has the same shape: 14 days, yearly plan only, no refund of the first payment after the trial, and deleting the account does not cancel the subscription.
The old name lives on in the plumbing: the Android package is com.riserapp, the seller is RISER GmbH, and the upgrade button on the website points to riserapp.com. A company that changed the sign before the wiring, not a problem. Google Play reports more than 500,000 downloads and 4.4 stars from 5,380 reviews.
Which one, then
- You want navigation and a ride log without paying → Cardo Ride. Its free tier does both; calimoto’s does neither.
- You want the sharpest curvy routing on the bars and will pay for it → calimoto Premium, or Cardo Ride Pro if you ride in a group: PackRide and live tracking have no equivalent in calimoto’s Premium.
- You already wear a PACKTALK → Cardo Ride, and the free tier is enough to find out whether you like it.
- Whichever you pick, read the yearly price inside the app before you trust a web page, this one included. Cardo prints $29.99 and $59.99 for the same plan.
What I built, and what it will not do
I make RideLog, and it exists because both of these apps treat the ride as the product and the bike as scenery:
- It detects rides on its own from motion sensors and GPS, with no record button and no account.
- It logs fuel and works out real cost per kilometre, and reminds you about servicing, tyres, insurance and road tax.
- It has a route community: share your roads with photos, find rides near you.
- Statistics by day, week, month and year, with PDF and CSV export.
- Nothing leaves the phone. No cloud, no server, works offline. Cardo Ride keeps your roadbook in an account that, per its help centre, erases everything when deleted; RideLog keeps it on your phone.
The limit matters more than the list: RideLog is not a turn-by-turn navigator and never will be. It runs next to Cardo Ride or calimoto: the navigator gets you there, RideLog remembers what the bike did.
Download RideLog free — iPhone and Android, motorcycles and scooters, as many bikes as you own.
If you are still choosing between navigators, I compared Kurviger, Calimoto and Scenic on price and free tiers, read what a fourth one hides behind its paywall in Detecht vs REVER vs Calimoto, went through the routing engines in the calimoto alternatives guide, and covered the rest of the field in the best motorcycle apps roundup.
Frequently asked questions
Is Cardo Ride free?
Yes. The Basic tier is free and, per Cardo’s plan table, includes ride recording, turn-by-turn navigation, the web route planner, groups and sharing. Pro adds CarPlay, unlimited PackRide, offline maps, live tracking, super curvy routing, GPX export, satellite maps and reWind 3.0.
How much does Cardo Ride Pro cost?
It depends on where you read. Cardo’s website lists $8.99 a month or $29.99 a year; the App Store and Google Play descriptions list $8.99 a month, €34.99 for six months and $59.99 a year, and the App Store’s purchase list carries both yearly prices. Check inside the app before subscribing.
Is Cardo Ride the same as RISER?
Yes. Cardo bought RISER in 2023 and relaunched it as Cardo Ride in April 2026; profiles, ride history, routes and groups carried over automatically. The Android package and the in-app purchase items still say RISER.
Do I need a Cardo headset to use Cardo Ride?
No. The app is a free download on iPhone and Android and nothing in its listings or terms requires a Cardo unit. Owning a PACKTALK adds voice prompts through the helmet and the link with the Cardo Connect app.
Cardo Ride vs Calimoto: which free tier gives more?
On the bike, Cardo Ride: its free tier navigates and records, while calimoto’s free plan only plans and imports GPX files. For planning at home, calimoto’s free tier runs its twisty-roads algorithm worldwide; Cardo Ride’s plan table puts curvy routing in Pro.
Does Cardo Ride have a free trial?
Yes, 14 days on the yearly plan, once per account, per the terms on cardoride.com. Cancel within the 14 days and you drop back to Basic at no cost. Calimoto’s trial is also 14 days on the yearly plan; neither company refunds the first payment once the trial has run.
