Review Insights · App Store
RV LIFE - RV GPS & Campgrounds
Social Knowledge, LLC · 40,587 ratings · ★ 4.6
4.6
★★★★★
40,587 ratings
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Top complaints - extracted from 49 negative reviews
Recurring phrases mined from 1-2★ reviews. The bigger the percentage, the more users have the same problem. Fix the top 2-3 in your version and you have product-market fit on day one.
1
"trip"
14 negative reviews mention this · 29% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Check with Google Maps before trusting RV Life navigation. We’re on a cross country trip. The first 5 weeks we only used RV Life Trip Wizard navigation. We never had a problem until driving from Sparks, GA to Smokemont Campground, Great Smoky Mountains NP. RV Life Navigation had us turn East on Hw…" - Izzy the Goldendoodle
2
"maps"
11 negative reviews mention this · 22% of all complaints
★★★★★ "HATE IT!!!. I hate this app so much. I’m crying because of frustration. Apple and Google Maps need to get on this and make their apps RV friendly. This is the worst app ever and SO not user friendly!" - KCan!
3
"route"
11 negative reviews mention this · 22% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Not happy. Got the trial version of this app while going to Arkansas. On a drive from the Buffalo River to Bull Shoals, I missed a turnoff, and the app re-routed us towing a fifth wheel through numerous back-country narrow roads with low hanging tree …" - Erich366
4
"google"
10 negative reviews mention this · 20% of all complaints
★★★★★ "HATE IT!!!. I hate this app so much. I’m crying because of frustration. Apple and Google Maps need to get on this and make their apps RV friendly. This is the worst app ever and SO not user friendly!" - KCan!
5
"through"
10 negative reviews mention this · 20% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Not happy. Got the trial version of this app while going to Arkansas. On a drive from the Buffalo River to Bull Shoals, I missed a turnoff, and the app re-routed us towing a fifth wheel through numerous back-country narrow roads with low hanging tree …" - Erich366
6
"life"
8 negative reviews mention this · 16% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Very meh. Ran it in conjunction with Google Maps as a trial. Google tried 2x to get me to get off the highways to do an alternate route to avoid a delay. RV Life still doesn’t know I’m sitting in traffic- cool concept, but deleting before the trial i…" - JOwensCook
7
"google maps"
7 negative reviews mention this · 14% of all complaints
★★★★★ "HATE IT!!!. I hate this app so much. I’m crying because of frustration. Apple and Google Maps need to get on this and make their apps RV friendly. This is the worst app ever and SO not user friendly!" - KCan!
8
"road"
7 negative reviews mention this · 14% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Not happy. Got the trial version of this app while going to Arkansas. On a drive from the Buffalo River to Bull Shoals, I missed a turnoff, and the app re-routed us towing a fifth wheel through numerous back-country narrow roads with low hanging tree …" - Erich366
9
"roads"
6 negative reviews mention this · 12% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Not happy. Got the trial version of this app while going to Arkansas. On a drive from the Buffalo River to Bull Shoals, I missed a turnoff, and the app re-routed us towing a fifth wheel through numerous back-country narrow roads with low hanging tree …" - Erich366
10
"navigation"
6 negative reviews mention this · 12% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Not happy. Got the trial version of this app while going to Arkansas. On a drive from the Buffalo River to Bull Shoals, I missed a turnoff, and the app re-routed us towing a fifth wheel through numerous back-country narrow roads with low hanging tree …" - Erich366
11
"times"
6 negative reviews mention this · 12% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Reroutes to roads rvs should not be on after picking a better route. Spam emails are horrible. I picked a route that I knew is safe for my fifth wheel and the app kept changing to make me go across a bridge that is too low for my camper and way too narrow. Why did you let me choose a route and then change it? The app is trash, save y…" - Dogwater369
12
"down"
6 negative reviews mention this · 12% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Wanted to love it. Sadly, the app took us down a road that we would have needed rescued from if we took the camper. One lane, narrow, steep cliffs on each side, and trees close to roadway." - tjhost
📋 All 49 negative reviews
Every 1-2★ review we fetched. Use the copy button to grab them all for your own analysis (paste into ChatGPT/Claude with a prompt like "summarize core user problems, group by theme, ignore bugs, focus on missing features").
HATE IT!!!
I hate this app so much. I’m crying because of frustration. Apple and Google Maps need to get on this and make their apps RV friendly. This is the worst app ever and SO not user friendly!
Reroutes to roads rvs should not be on after picking a better route. Spam emails are horrible
I picked a route that I knew is safe for my fifth wheel and the app kept changing to make me go across a bridge that is too low for my camper and way too narrow. Why did you let me choose a route and then change it? The app is trash, save your money and go elsewhere. The amount of times I’ve hit unsubscribe after deleting the app is criminal. Will be contacting the attorney general to stop all the spam from this pos app. Horrible!
Wanted to love it
Sadly, the app took us down a road that we would have needed rescued from if we took the camper. One lane, narrow, steep cliffs on each side, and trees close to roadway.
Very meh
Ran it in conjunction with Google Maps as a trial. Google tried 2x to get me to get off the highways to do an alternate route to avoid a delay. RV Life still doesn’t know I’m sitting in traffic- cool concept, but deleting before the trial is over.
Bad app
Can’t easily change credit card payment information
Awful
This app guided us across 6 miles of gravel road in Illinois, than guided us to another gravel road that had a bridge with a 5 ton limit. Switched it off and went to Apple Maps.
For perspective, our rig has a GCVWR of 26,600 pounds, far exceeding the bridge this app tried to take us to. Whatever vehicle specifications you put in this app are absolutely ignored. This trash company should be investigated by the DOT.
For perspective, our rig has a GCVWR of 26,600 pounds, far exceeding the bridge this app tried to take us to. Whatever vehicle specifications you put in this app are absolutely ignored. This trash company should be investigated by the DOT.
Garbage
The app is very hard to deal with and once you sign up, they make it very hard for you to cancel
Not very intuitive
I subscribed but I’m having a hard time figuring it out.
Notification spam
Doesn’t matter how many times I disable the (many, many) distracting notification types the app has, I still get spam from this on a regular basis. You can turn every option in the app off and STILL get notifications about newsletters or news in the app, which is ridiculous.
App’s fine otherwise, but the spam is distracting enough to deal with that I can’t give it a good rating.
App’s fine otherwise, but the spam is distracting enough to deal with that I can’t give it a good rating.
Worst GPS for camper possible
This joke of an app will take you the worst possible route there is. It’s literally the exact opposite of what you’d want when coming into an unknown city with a camper. I even changed the settings to the bigger camper possible just to see if that would make the route better and nope here we are driving through downtown with the tightest turns you can make only to end up a mile from the interstate off of a different exit that made common sense to take after knowing it was there. I really hope they give me a refund of this joke of an app.
Please Fix Ability to Paste Location
It is so frustrating when you copy the name of a campground or an address and when you’re in the GPS mode of this app that you can’t paste it in with the latest version on my iPhone 17 and the latest version of iOS. You have to type the damn name in and have to do a search. Do not understand why the lack of paste is missing from the app. Tap over and over again and you do not get an option to do a paste.
Basic Navigation
Navigation may be correct but it’s from the stone ages. Or I feel like AI is in my backseat.
Very disappointed
Not what I expected. Took us out of route several times and sent us down a road our fifth wheel barely made it down
Worst ever
Can’t make a trip without taking The Who day doing it
A very terrible website
I have been trying to use it since I’ve been a member for 2 1/2 years and it’s terrible. I don’t know why I stay subscribed to it.
Fine until. It isn't
We are on a trip and the app stopped working correctly, has to continue the trip with google
Rv routing sucks
I did a trial of this app specifically for rv safe routing. It just routes me the longest way possible. Seems like big oil sponsors the trip routing. I will end my free trial without a purchase. I would never pay for this app.
Don’t trust
This app has taken me miles and miles out of my way and today it had me driving in an infinite loop. I needed to use Google Maps to figure out where I was going. I am out hundreds of dollars in diesel.
What’s the point?
I’ve made one 5 legged trip with this app. I have the settings set for animal friendly, pull through camping. The app still shows campgrounds/RV parks that don’t have pull through sites and some that aren’t pet friendly. Each leg you have to reset whether you want main highways or not. The GPS is weird, I pulled off for fuel and to let my dog do business and the GPS tried to route me to that leg’s starting point again. As for it taking you the most RV friendly route, I’d say no it doesn’t. A lot of my trip was spent on hilly winding roads with steep climbs and sharp curves. My trips set for 6 hours usually took around 9-12 hours because the trip planner obviously doesn’t take into account the speed that you’ve set (mine was 55 mph as a first time towing) but the actual speed limit of the area. 100% this app is not worth paying for.
Too difficult
It’s not easy to navigate and it’s not intuitive
Long way from intuitive
I was really looking forward to using this app regularly. So far it’s been very difficult to use and is in no way intuitive takes a long time to get through separate pieces to try and just come up with simple information. Once were able to get to a campground figure out how to do Maps etc. if you’re not too frustrated and the information is very good and useful. Trip planning Make slightly more sense until you’re ready to actually complete the trip. So far setting regular or repeated start or endpoints remains a mystery. For instance, your location or starting from your home. Hopefully this will improve.
Hate this app
It is not user friendly at all
Keep changing it….have no idea how to set up my trip since last year change
Keep changing it….have no idea how to set up my trip since last year change
Horrible
Worst GPS I’ve ever used. Helen Keller could direct you better. It took me in and through the inner city of Baltimore because you can’t go through the tunnel instead of taking me around on 695. Cost me an hour and a half, too many tight streets and turns to count and I have a 26’ right. So happy I can cancel my subscription.
Not maintained properly
There’s been a known issue that you see other reviews complaining about - this app when navigating messes with audio from other sources (music, podcasts). It basically makes it unusable. It’s clear no one that works on this app uses it. If you email support they’ll ignore what you write and send you pages of irrelevant troubleshooting steps.
Do not trust low bridges
This app is horrible
1 sent down a road with low bridge.
Yes my campet specs were correct and in the app.
Exit numbers are wrong in South Carolina and North Carolina
North Carolina interstate 77 kept directing to express toll lanes. You cannot drive an RV in the toll lanes.
Doesn’t highlight intersections on surface streets.
1 sent down a road with low bridge.
Yes my campet specs were correct and in the app.
Exit numbers are wrong in South Carolina and North Carolina
North Carolina interstate 77 kept directing to express toll lanes. You cannot drive an RV in the toll lanes.
Doesn’t highlight intersections on surface streets.
Travel
This app was absolutely was horrible . Instead of direct, main roads, it tried to take us down tiny side streets, turns that didn’t exist, and so far out of the way on small side roads. It was so frustrating to use and a shame I paid for the “pro” features that were a waste
Can’t stand the changes
I can no longer see my trip on my IPad to make changes during the trip
What a waste of time
We have the app a try for a two week trip, that hit four states. Our primary interest was route planning and RV safe turn-by-turn gps guidance. I downloaded maps for all four states.
The annoyance score is through the roof and the GPS guidance was poor to dangerous at times.
Canceling the subscription and uninstalling.
The annoyance score is through the roof and the GPS guidance was poor to dangerous at times.
Canceling the subscription and uninstalling.
Garbage.
Useless. Just use maps app.
Sucks
I cannot figure out how to use this app for free
What the hell?
Cannot make a trip or copy an old one..
Not good
Hard to manipulate
I can never reach a real person. If I do, they want to email me with my problem. I’ve tried this
I purchased this program about two months ago and have camped in multiple areas have yet to be able to make a reservation through this site or add any existing reservations or add any existing reservations I really don’t know what For other than a glorified Google map. None of my new reservations show up for my past trips show up. Truly frustrated.
ms
I am not super happy. I have paid $65 and have yet been able to sign in and use this. It keeps trying to make me pay again. I need somebody to contact me. I have tried and tried and I am getting no help and I have never been able to use this. I need some help.
Inappropriate directions
We wanted RV Life to provide directions that do not take us on windy, narrow, steep roads. But it is continually taking us on those roads. The directions are no different than Google Maps.
Don’t trust its routes!
Would rate this less than 1 star if that were possible. Got this app specifically because it supposedly takes your rig size into consideration while choosing a recommended route for you. The first and only time I used it the route it chose was the worst one possible. It wasn’t even safe for rig our size. I would never trust it to route us again!
Not happy
Got the trial version of this app while going to Arkansas. On a drive from the Buffalo River to Bull Shoals, I missed a turnoff, and the app re-routed us towing a fifth wheel through numerous back-country narrow roads with low hanging tree limbs everywhere. It could have kept us on a highway, but instead I followed it, thinking the app knows where to take us given our fifth wheel dimensions. It was a harrowing hour or so trying to keep tree limbs from tearing up our rv, and becoming traffic cop directing other cars to go around us. Sorry, but the navigation on this app has ONE job: keep us off roads that are dangerous. And it completely failed. Will likely cancel my membership.
User
The phone app sucks
Heading south from Wisconsin being sent into Chicago??
This is an an update from the last time I reviewed the RV life GPS. We have traveled cross country from east to west and back east. Countless times I have had to resort to AI for route guidance as well as using a secondary GPS which also had issues as far as choosing dangerous routes for the sake of saving time. One example is sending a class a motorhome through Chicago traffic down 90/94. The guidance is way off! There are other routes to take from Northern Illinois to cross into Indiana that need to be updated on your platform. Sending a motorhome that is also towing a vehicle over the Chicago skyway? The toll costs are ridiculous and the roads are treacherous.
Check with Google Maps before trusting RV Life navigation
We’re on a cross country trip. The first 5 weeks we only used RV Life Trip Wizard navigation. We never had a problem until driving from Sparks, GA to Smokemont Campground, Great Smoky Mountains NP. RV Life Navigation had us turn East on Hwy 74 for 13 miles then turn left onto the Blue Ridge Mountain Parkway. As we came to realize, this parkway was steep, winding, low hanging trees, etc for ~20 miles. After arriving at our campground and speaking with the host, we should have driven only 6.6 miles on 441 N from Cherokee NC to Smokemont. From now on we use Google Maps and add “ask a question” for driving with a 30’ travel trailer and only use RV Life navigation as a simple guide.
So Clunky
I am new to this app but find it almost unusable. It is not intuitive at all and frequently locks up. I put an address in and click the drop down and nothing happens. Also, it doesn’t walk you through finding stops between beginning and end. It seems to want you to already know your exact route so you can just type it in.
GPS late turn notification
The GPS notification for turns is much too late. I have missed and almost missed many turns on the first trip I used it. I will use Google from now on as it gives ample time to make turns easily and safely when pulling a large trailer. Everything else was good but this is unacceptable.
Frustrating Experience
I used it this past weekend and was very frustrating. I had to switch back to Google maps and my Ford Trucks navigation app. I like to know when my next turn is so I give myself plenty of time to get in the proper lane. On the RV Life app it seems to have these left and right angled arrows listed in the detail directions but it's just the flow of the road. No turning is necessary. I went into the left lane thinking I needed to turn left based on these detailed arrows and then a few minutes later it's telling me to turn right. It also sometimes thinks that I'm off on the off ramp and tells me directions to get on the main road that I'm already on. You have to constantly check the screen when you hear directions to make sure it has you on the right road.
Rv routes
The two times I used RV LIFE gps , the route was not rv friendly. Leaving Gettysburg it route us through downtown and going around the small traffic circle in center of town. Good thing I always check my route before leaving.
Great Desktop Planner / Defective Mobile Navigator
As a desktop tool, the RV LIFE Trip Wizard is a fantastic macro-planner. It does a great job mapping out campgrounds and identifying major low clearances during the brainstorming phase. If this review were for the web interface alone, it would be a 5-star product.
However, the moment you transition from the desktop to the mobile app for live, in-cockpit navigation, the product completely falls apart. For an ecosystem that commands a premium subscription fee, the mobile app is unacceptable when compared to free alternatives like Google Maps or Waze. Of course, those apps don’t have low-clearance data…keep reading…I have a solution.
My experience on the road highlighted three critical failures:
Flawed Routing Logic: The app struggles with basic navigation fundamentals. On its very first test, it attempted to route me away from an interstate entrance ramp that was clearly visible two blocks to the left, instructing me to turn in the opposite direction. In a large rig where tight turnarounds are a challenge, this kind of routing error is a massive liability.
Blind to Real-Time Hazards: While the app successfully flags physical low clearances, it was completely ineffective at identifying active road construction and live lane closures-areas where free apps excel.
Archaic Audio Interface: The turn-by-turn voice guidance engine sounds jarringly robotic and outdated. In an era where every free navigation tool utilizes natural, human-sounding text-to-speech, listening to this voice engine feels like a massive step backward.
A Better Solution for Drivers:
Instead of paying a monthly premium for an inferior navigation app just to get clearance data, you can get the best of both worlds for less. I cancelledthe RV Life app and downloaded the low-clearance database from LowClearances for a one-time fee (which includes lifetime updates). You can overlay this database directly onto Google Maps or Waze. This gives you best-in-class, human-voiced, real-time navigation paired with perfect pre-trip visualization of low clearances on a map engine you actually trust.
The Verdict: Do not buy this app expecting a premium dashboard experience. The mobile product is not good. You are lured in by a beautiful desktop planning suite, only to be handed an unpolished app when you actually get behind the wheel. Save your money, use the website to plan if you must, but use a custom Google Maps overlay to actually drive.
However, the moment you transition from the desktop to the mobile app for live, in-cockpit navigation, the product completely falls apart. For an ecosystem that commands a premium subscription fee, the mobile app is unacceptable when compared to free alternatives like Google Maps or Waze. Of course, those apps don’t have low-clearance data…keep reading…I have a solution.
My experience on the road highlighted three critical failures:
Flawed Routing Logic: The app struggles with basic navigation fundamentals. On its very first test, it attempted to route me away from an interstate entrance ramp that was clearly visible two blocks to the left, instructing me to turn in the opposite direction. In a large rig where tight turnarounds are a challenge, this kind of routing error is a massive liability.
Blind to Real-Time Hazards: While the app successfully flags physical low clearances, it was completely ineffective at identifying active road construction and live lane closures-areas where free apps excel.
Archaic Audio Interface: The turn-by-turn voice guidance engine sounds jarringly robotic and outdated. In an era where every free navigation tool utilizes natural, human-sounding text-to-speech, listening to this voice engine feels like a massive step backward.
A Better Solution for Drivers:
Instead of paying a monthly premium for an inferior navigation app just to get clearance data, you can get the best of both worlds for less. I cancelledthe RV Life app and downloaded the low-clearance database from LowClearances for a one-time fee (which includes lifetime updates). You can overlay this database directly onto Google Maps or Waze. This gives you best-in-class, human-voiced, real-time navigation paired with perfect pre-trip visualization of low clearances on a map engine you actually trust.
The Verdict: Do not buy this app expecting a premium dashboard experience. The mobile product is not good. You are lured in by a beautiful desktop planning suite, only to be handed an unpolished app when you actually get behind the wheel. Save your money, use the website to plan if you must, but use a custom Google Maps overlay to actually drive.
App crashes
App crashes frequently, the map won’t display or won’t scroll correctly. Can’t open trip and it’s map on iPad with all updates.
RV trip navigation
as soon as the app loads which seems to take forever and you start moving it resets and crashes. You have to stop on the side of the road hit continue let it reload and this happens every couple of minutes
Missing a lot of parks
Just looked at Flathead lake and Priest Lk, A LOT of campgrounds are missing from RV LIFE. Stopped my subscription
CarPlay issues
When using CarPlay the volume control is locked on voice and you can’t adjust the audio volume.
Sentiment summary
92%
Positive (4-5★)
4%
Neutral (3★)
4%
Negative (1-2★)