FreeRange Camping is a directory of more than 11,000 camping spots and local businesses across Australia, with a free app and an optional Premium Club. People look past it when they want an app with a one-off price, checked listings, official park data or places to book. AussieCamps is made by the team behind this site, so it opens the list, and each entry says where another app does the job better. Prices and features were read on the developers' own pages on 28 October 2026.
What FreeRange Camping offers, and why people look elsewhere
FreeRange Camping runs a directory of more than 11,000 camping spots and local businesses, on iPhone and Android, and its site also appears as Full Range Camping. The app is free to download with free online maps. The Premium Club adds offline caching of listings, seven-day weather on listings, radar overlays, saved collections and member discounts, and is offered as an annual or lifetime membership. The pages read did not show a price.
The usual reasons to look elsewhere are wanting a price you can see before you sign up, a larger set of traveller reviews, listings checked by a team or park agencies, or a way to book a night in the same app.
- 11,000+ spots and businesses
- Offline listings are a Premium Club feature
- Price not shown on the pages read
The alternatives at a glance
Each app below covers camping in Australia in a different way, so the table shows what each is built around.
| App | Price (AUD) | What it is built around | Without signal | Choose it over FreeRange if |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AussieCamps | Free to download, with in-app purchases | Park agency campgrounds, rest areas, dump points and water, plus bookable stays | Place details stay on the phone; no offline map | You want official data and a trip plan on iPhone |
| WikiCamps Australia | A$9.99 once per platform | Traveller-reviewed sites of every kind | Offline Mode for sites and trips | You want the most reviews |
| CAMPS Australia Wide | Free for 7 days, then A$14.99 a year | Low-cost sites its team has checked | Maps and sites downloaded per state | You want checked budget camps |
| CamperMate | Free to download | Free camps, holiday parks and facilities in Australia and New Zealand | Not stated on its home page | You want a free app with partner deals |
| Hipcamp | Free to download; you pay per booking | Sites hosted on private land | Not its focus | You want a booked farm or bush site |
1. AussieCamps: official campground and rest area data
Where FreeRange Camping is a community directory, AussieCamps is built from the agencies that run public land. It carries 1,838 campgrounds and 745 national parks from state park agencies, 5,552 rest areas from road authorities and 1,393 dump points, each with facilities, fees and rules as the source publishes them. You can filter by cost, including free sites, and keep places in Liked, Starred, Visited and Want to Visit lists or in your own collections.
Trips put places in order with dates, show the driving distance and time for each leg when you plan with signal, and show the forecast for arrival days. Every place's details are saved on the phone and open without reception, while map tiles, routing, weather and photos need a connection. Holiday parks, farm stays and tours from BookEasy can be booked inside the app.
It runs on iPhone only, has no traveller reviews and does not list local businesses the way FreeRange does.
- Official campground and rest area data
- Trips with legs and forecasts
- iPhone only; no traveller reviews
2. WikiCamps Australia: the biggest bank of reviews
One purchase of A$9.99 per platform unlocks WikiCamps, which counts more than 65,000 sites of every sort, from roadside free camps to caravan parks, each with traveller photos and reviews. Offline Mode keeps sites and your own trip plans usable out of reception, and a few thousand sites and experiences take bookings inside it.
Since the listings come from the people who stay there, check access and fees with the land manager before you rely on one.
- A$9.99 once per platform
- Reviews and photos
- Listings written by travellers
3. CAMPS Australia Wide: sites its team has checked
The CAMPS team says it has visited each of its 16,000-plus sites and takes no money for listings, and the directory favours cheap camping. Maps come down one state at a time on Wi-Fi. After a free week it costs A$14.99 a year.
Once the trial ends there is no free tier, so it pays off for people who camp often more than for a single weekend away.
- Checked in person
- A$14.99 a year after the trial
- No free tier
4. CamperMate: free, with partner bookings
CamperMate costs nothing to download and covers free camps, holiday parks, dump stations and toilets in both Australia and New Zealand, which suits a traveller who crosses the Tasman. Partner parks offer bookings and deals through it.
Travellers add many of its updates, so read the notes on each place and the sign at the gate.
- Free to download
- Partner bookings and deals
- Listings from travellers
5. Hipcamp: sites hosted on private land
On Hipcamp, landowners host camping, glamping and caravan sites on farms, stations and bush blocks, and guests leave photos and reviews. Downloading is free, and each booking carries a service fee that appears at checkout.
National park campgrounds and free camps are not its focus, so it fits the nights you want locked in better than a whole route.
- Private-land stays
- Pay per booking
- Not built for free camps
When FreeRange Camping is still the better choice
If you want one directory that mixes camping spots with local businesses, uses the free online maps and runs on Android as well as iPhone, FreeRange Camping covers it. Its Premium Club adds offline listings, weather and radar in the one membership, which suits travellers who want those extras without a second app.
Check the membership price on its site before you join, because the pages read did not list one.
- Camps and local businesses together
- Android and iPhone
- Check the membership price
How the apps were compared
Each price, feature and coverage claim was read on the developer's own page on 28 October 2026, and none of the developers paid to be included. The apps were judged on what a FreeRange Camping user usually wants instead: a clear price, listings someone has checked, official data or a booking.
AussieCamps is made by the team behind this site and opens the list for that reason. If a price or feature has changed, flag it through the support page.
- Developer pages read 28 October 2026
- Judged on what FreeRange users want
- No paid placements
Places along the way
Check before you go
Rules and conditions change. Recheck the official source and the page for your exact park or campground before departure.
Common questions
What is the best alternative to FreeRange Camping?+
For official park data and trip planning on iPhone, AussieCamps. For the largest bank of traveller reviews, WikiCamps, and for checked budget camps, CAMPS Australia Wide. CamperMate is the free option.
Is FreeRange Camping free?+
Downloading it costs nothing and the online maps are free. Offline listings, weather on listings and radar sit behind the Premium Club, an annual or lifetime membership whose price was not on the pages read.
Which camping app works without phone signal?+
FreeRange Camping offers offline caching with the Premium Club, WikiCamps has an Offline Mode, and CAMPS downloads maps by state. AussieCamps keeps place details on the phone but needs signal for map tiles, routing and weather.
Is there a free camping app for Australia?+
CamperMate is free to download, and FreeRange Camping and AussieCamps are free to download with optional purchases. Hipcamp is free to download but you pay for each booking.
Take it on the road
Save the stops. Plan the whole trip.
Build an ordered route from saved places, calculate the distance and keep dates, notes and to-dos attached.
