Updated October 2026
Quick answer: For a ready-made shape in one tap on your phone, with no account, use our Run Art Route Maker. For drawing your own picture or tracing an image for free, RouteDoodle is the most flexible. If you want a huge shape library, photo tracing and AI doodles and you are happy to pay once, RouteSketcher is worth a look, and Garmin owners can draw a freehand course right in Garmin Connect.
Full disclosure before we start: we make one of the tools on this list. I am going to tell you where ours is great and where the others are better, because a turkey that looks like a potato helps nobody, and you will figure it out on mile 4 anyway.
Strava art (or GPS art) means planning a run so the line on your map draws a picture or a word. The running is easy. The planning is where people give up: squinting at maps, guessing distances, finding a dead end where the turkey's neck should be. Here is how the free ones compare.
The comparison table
| Tool | Price | Best for | How it works | Export | Login needed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Run Art Route Maker (ours) | Free | Ready-made shapes on a phone, fast | Pick a spot, one of 26 shapes or up to 6 typed characters, and 2 to 15 miles. It finds a route on real streets and shows a % match score | GPX, 1080x1350 share card, story image | No |
| RouteDoodle | Free, all features, no paid version | Drawing your own line or tracing a picture | Draw with a pencil tool, trace a picture you search for or upload, or start from 7 built-in shapes. Snaps to real roads | GPX, TCX, FIT, KML, CSV cue sheet, PNG | No |
| RouteSketcher | 2 free sketches, then $19.99 one time | Big shape library, photo tracing, AI doodles | Sketch freehand, pick from hundreds of shapes, upload a photo to trace, or describe a doodle to the AI (beta). Snaps to OpenStreetMap roads and paths | GPX, transparent PNG or video overlay | Yes (free account) |
| rundida GPS art planner | Free | Estimating distance and time before you plan | Enter design type, complexity, area size and pace. It estimates distance and time. No map or route | None on the page | Not stated |
| Strava route builder | Subscription needed to create routes | Following a route inside Strava | Click the map to add points. You can also make a route from a GPX file on the website | Not stated | Yes |
| Garmin Connect course creator | Free with a Garmin Connect account | Garmin watch owners who want freehand control | Follow roads or draw freehand by clicking points on the map, on the web or in the app | Send to your Garmin device | Yes |
Prices and features as stated on each tool's own site in October 2026. They can change, so check before you commit.
Run Art Route Maker (ours)
We built the Run Art Route Maker for the runner who wants a turkey on Thanksgiving morning and does not want to draw one. You pick a spot (use your location or type a city or ZIP), pick a shape, pick a distance, and tap "Make my route". It tries many sizes and angles on the real streets around you, then shows the best fit with a match score, like "96% heart", plus the miles and an estimated time at your pace.
There are 26 shapes in Holiday, Running and Fun tabs (turkey, pumpkin, ghost, Christmas tree, 26.2, 5K, PR, heart, dinosaur, pizza and more), plus a Text tab for up to 6 characters. When you like it, download the GPX for Strava, Garmin Connect or Coros, and save the 1080x1350 share card or the story image for Instagram. It is free, works in your phone's browser, and never asks you to sign up.
Where others are better: you cannot draw freehand or upload your own picture. If your idea is not one of our 26 shapes or a short word, you need RouteDoodle or RouteSketcher. Our exports are GPX and images only, with no TCX or FIT.
RouteDoodle
RouteDoodle is the most generous free tool we found. Its site says all of it is free for everyone, including the pro features, with no paid version and no trial that runs out. You draw with a pencil tool (drag, or click point by point), drop in a picture to trace, or start from built-in shapes like a heart, star, horse, dinosaur, whale or elephant. It finds real roads that follow your line, and Bird Mode draws straight lines where there is no road.
Exports are the widest on this list: GPX, TCX, FIT, KML, CSV cue sheets and PNG images. No account is needed, and it works in desktop and mobile browsers. One thing to know: there is no cloud saving yet, so you keep your work by copying its share link or exporting a file.
Pick it if you have your own idea, want full control of the line, or use a bike computer that likes TCX or FIT. It does not turn typed text into a drawing, so for words you will be drawing the letters yourself.
RouteSketcher
RouteSketcher packs in the most features. You can sketch freehand, choose from hundreds of shapes in its GPS art directory, upload a photo and let it auto-trace the outline, or describe a doodle and let the AI generator (in beta) draw it. Routes snap to roads and paths using OpenStreetMap data, and you can also download the unsnapped version.
It exports GPX, plus a transparent PNG or an animated video overlay for social posts, which is a nice touch. You need a free account to start. The free plan gives you 2 sketches, and unlimited sketching is a one-time $19.99 at the time of writing (their site says pricing is changing soon). It runs in any modern browser, including on your phone.
Pick it if you plan to make a lot of art, want photo tracing or AI doodles, and do not mind a one-time payment after your 2 free tries.
rundida GPS art planner
The rundida GPS art planner is different from the others, and it is worth being clear about that. It does not draw a route on a map. You enter the type of design (shape, text, animal or symbol), how complex it is, the size of the area and your pace, and it estimates the distance and the time, including extra time for navigating.
That is genuinely handy before a big project. Thinking about writing a long name across town? It tells you whether you are signing up for 6 miles or 16, and then you take that number to a route tool.
Pick it if you want a quick reality check on distance and time. Do not pick it if you need a route to follow, because there is no map and no GPX.
Strava route builder
Strava's own route builder is where many runners end up, because the route then lives right next to your runs. You click the map to add points. One catch for this list: Strava's help pages say creating routes from scratch is a subscription feature. On the website you can also create a route from a GPX file, which is how most people load art routes from the tools above. Strava's help page does not say whether free accounts can use that import.
Pick it if you already pay for Strava and want to tweak and follow your art inside the app.
Garmin Connect course creator
If you wear a Garmin, the course creator in Garmin Connect is free with your account (Garmin says existing Connect features remain free) and gives you real control. Garmin's own guide describes two ways to draw: follow the roads on the map, or freehand draw by clicking points, which it says can give a more accurate distance. When you are done, you send the course to your device and it shows up on your watch after the next sync.
Pick it if you are a Garmin runner who enjoys placing every corner yourself. It has no shape gallery, so you are the artist.
How to choose
Start with one question: do you want to pick a shape or draw one?
- Pick a shape, fast, on your phone: Run Art Route Maker. Best for holiday shapes, race numbers and short words.
- Draw or trace your own, free: RouteDoodle.
- Lots of art, photo tracing, AI doodles, and you will pay once: RouteSketcher.
- Not sure how far your idea is: run it past the rundida planner first.
- Total control on a Garmin: Garmin Connect course creator.
- Following it inside Strava: import the GPX into Strava's route builder.
A few tips that help with any tool. Grid neighborhoods and big parks with lots of paths make the cleanest art. Bold, simple shapes read better than detailed ones. And a slightly bigger distance usually gives a clearer picture, because the shape has more blocks to work with. Need ideas? Our Strava art ideas list has 26 shapes grouped by season, and if you are reading this in October, our Halloween Strava art guide walks you through a ghost or a bat.
Before you run it
Check the route before you run. Start a few blocks from home or use a privacy zone. Some streets may be busy or closed, so stick to sidewalks and paths and follow traffic rules. No route tool can promise a street is safe, so look it over the way you would any new route.
And if all this art has you counting miles, our 2027: 1,000 Miles running mileage tracker poster ($29.99) gives every run a box to color in. Turkeys count.
Disclosure: Run & Tell makes the Run Art Route Maker, one of the tools listed here. We are not affiliated with Strava, Inc., Garmin or any other tool on this list. Strava is a trademark of Strava, Inc.
Strava art route tools FAQ
What is the best free Strava art app? It depends on how you like to work. For a ready-made shape on your phone with no sign-up, our Run Art Route Maker is the quickest. For drawing or tracing your own picture for free, RouteDoodle is the most flexible. RouteSketcher has the most features but is free for only 2 sketches.
Is there a free Strava art route generator with no login? Yes. The Run Art Route Maker and RouteDoodle both work in your browser without an account and export GPX. RouteSketcher needs a free account.
Can I make Strava art in Strava itself? You can plan a route with Strava's route builder, but its help pages list creating routes from scratch as a subscription feature. Many runners plan the shape in a free tool, then import the GPX file on the Strava website.
How do I get a GPS art route onto my watch? Download the GPX from your route tool, import it into Strava, Garmin Connect or Coros, and send it to your watch. Then follow the line on your run.
Why does my GPS art not match the shape perfectly? Real streets are not a sketchpad. Every tool has to fit your shape onto the roads that exist, so grids and parks give the best results. Try a bigger distance, a simpler shape or a spot with more blocks nearby.