Roadfolio vs Stride: which free mileage app should you pick?
This article includes Roadfolio, which is built by ITF Business. Other tools may include affiliate links; if you buy through them we may earn a small commission at no cost to you.
Stride is the favorite of rideshare and delivery drivers because it's free and built around gig-work tax deductions. Roadfolio is also free for the core features and goes further by adding invoicing, client management, and a voice assistant. Both work; here's the difference.
Short verdict
- Stride: best if you're a W-2 employee who also drives for Uber/Lyft/DoorDash and need a free deduction tracker
- Roadfolio: best if you run any kind of self-employed business that bills clients
Pricing
- Stride: 100% free. Funded by insurance and tax-prep affiliate offers shown in-app
- Roadfolio: Free for mileage and basic invoicing. Pro $29.99/mo, Elite $49.99/mo
What Stride does well
- Completely free, no ads, no subscription
- Designed for gig workers (Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, Instacart)
- Built-in tax deduction finder (suggests categories you might miss)
- Health insurance shopping built in
- Simple, clean UI
What Stride doesn't do
- No invoicing (Stride is for tax-deduction tracking, not billing clients)
- No client management
- No quotes or proposals
- No voice assistant
- No job costing or project tracking
- Mileage tracking exists but isn't as polished as MileIQ or Roadfolio
What Roadfolio does that Stride doesn't
- Send invoices to clients with one-click pay
- Track clients and jobs
- Quotes/proposals (Elite)
- RoadBuddy AI voice assistant (Pro+)
- Recurring billing for retainer clients
- Time tracking
- Multi-business support
Mileage tracking head-to-head
- Auto GPS tracking: both
- Manual entry: both
- Swipe classify business/personal: both
- IRS-compliant reports: both
- Business hours auto-classify: Roadfolio
- Multi-vehicle: Roadfolio
- Tag to client or job: Roadfolio only
Best for gig drivers
Stride wins. Uber/Lyft/DoorDash/Instacart drivers typically don't bill clients. They just need miles and deductions for taxes. Free is perfect.
Best for contractors and freelancers
Roadfolio wins. If you bill anyone (real estate agents, plumbers, handymen, designers, photographers), you need invoicing too. Stride doesn't invoice.
Both at once
If you do gig delivery AND freelance work, run both. Stride for the gig income/deductions, Roadfolio for the freelance side. Roadfolio supports multiple businesses in one account too.
The honest take
Stride is free because they monetize through health insurance and tax-prep referrals. The app does what they intend it to do really well. But it's a stepping stone. The moment you have one client you bill directly, you need more than Stride.
5 things to do this week
- Audit your work: gig only, client only, or both?
- If gig only: install Stride.
- If client-billed: install Roadfolio free.
- If both: install both.
- Set business hours in Roadfolio and enable auto-tracking. End the year with a clean tax export.
Need a recommendation?
Tell me what kind of work you do. I'll point you at the right tool.