GPS Speedometer: Speed Tracker

Review by eFreeware

GPS Speedometer: Speed Tracker is a free Android app from the developer COOL NIKS, filed under Maps & Navigation. It uses your phone's location signal to show how fast you are moving and how far you have gone, in place of or alongside a vehicle's own dashboard. That is the core offer, and it is a narrow one: speed, distance and a handful of tools built around them.

The reason to consider it is the combination of a live speed readout, a digital odometer and a few extras that are genuinely useful when you are moving — a mirrored display for the windshield, warnings when you cross a speed you set, and a small floating window that stays visible over a map app. With more than five million installs and a 4.7 average from over 61,000 ratings, it is clearly doing something that works for a lot of people, and the developer keeps it current: the last update arrived in August 2025, and the app dates back to May 2016.

It is free to install and supported by ads; there are no in-app purchases. Anyone who wants a simple speed and distance readout on a phone screen, rather than a dedicated device, is the natural audience here.

A live speed readout from the satellites above you

The headline feature is the speed tracker itself. The app reads your position from GPS and converts the change between readings into a current speed, shown in real time. The developer bills it as high accuracy, which in practice depends on the quality of the signal where you are; the app's job is to translate that signal into a number you can read at a glance.

You are not locked into one unit. The display supports miles per hour, kilometers per hour, meters per second and knots, so the same screen works whether you are commuting on a highway, pacing a bicycle, or thinking in nautical terms. Switching units matters more than it sounds: a runner watching pace in km/h and a boater watching knots are reading the same underlying data in the form that makes sense to them.

The feature I find most interesting is HUD mode. It flips the speed display into a mirrored layout so that, when you set the phone flat on the dashboard, the reflection in the windshield reads the right way around. That is a clever use of a phone that would otherwise be a distraction, and it is the kind of detail that separates a speed app from a plain number on a screen.

Odometer, trip history and the tools around them

Alongside the live speed, the app keeps a digital odometer that records the distance covered on a trip. That is the piece that turns a speedometer into something you can use for mileage: a delivery driver logging a day's route, a cyclist checking how far a loop actually was, or a scooter owner curious about a regular errand. Trip history saves past routes with statistics attached, so the record is not just a single running total that resets and disappears.

Several smaller tools round out the package. A compass mode shows which direction you are facing, which is handy when the phone is mounted and you want orientation without opening a map. Live weather appears while you are driving or riding, giving you current conditions without switching apps. A floating window keeps the speed readout visible on top of other apps, so navigation and speed can share the screen.

The developer also describes the app as compact in size and optimized for low power use. Those are claims rather than specifications, but they point at the right priorities for something meant to run continuously on a dashboard or in a pocket.

What it asks of you: a signal and some ad tolerance

The app is free, and the trade is advertising. There are no in-app purchases to consider, so nothing is gated behind a payment, but you should expect ads as part of the deal. That is the main cost of entry, and it is a straightforward one to weigh.

On the technical side, the developer says the app works offline and needs no internet connection. That is a meaningful point for a GPS tool: the location signal comes from satellites rather than a data connection, so a trip through an area with poor coverage does not stop the speed and distance readouts.

That is a property of the technology rather than a fault in the app, but it shapes where the app shines: open roads, bike paths and runs outdoors.

The other requirement is your attention. A speed display is only useful if you can read it without staring at it, which is where the HUD mode and the floating window earn their place. Used carelessly, any screen in a vehicle becomes a distraction.

Getting useful numbers out of it

The speed alerts are worth setting up before you rely on the app. They are customizable warnings, so you can pick the threshold that matters for your situation: a posted limit you keep drifting past, or a pace you want to hold on a bike. Hearing or seeing a warning is more practical than glancing down repeatedly to check a number.

If you drive at night, the mirrored HUD layout is the mode to learn first. Placing the phone flat and reading the reflection takes a little getting used to, but it keeps your eyes closer to the road than a screen propped upright. During the day, the floating window over a navigation app is the more natural setup, since it keeps speed and route in the same view.

Trip history is the feature to revisit after a journey rather than during it. Reviewing saved routes and their statistics afterward is how the odometer becomes useful for mileage records, expense claims or simply knowing what a regular route costs you in distance. Trip data can be exported, which points to the same idea: the numbers are there to be taken out and used, not just watched in the moment.

Units are worth setting once and leaving alone. Mixing mph and km/h between trips makes the history harder to compare, and the app supports both plus m/s and knots, so there is no reason to settle for a unit that does not match how you think about distance.

A focused tool for anyone watching speed and mileage

GPS Speedometer: Speed Tracker does one job and does it with a sensible set of accessories: live speed, a trip odometer, saved history, a compass, weather, a floating window and a mirrored HUD mode. It is free, ad-supported, and works without an internet connection. For drivers, cyclists, runners and anyone moving goods or people who wants a second opinion on their speed and distance, that is a coherent package.

The caveats are the ones built into the idea. It is ad-supported, which is the price of a free install. And it is a speed and distance tool rather than a navigation app; the floating window exists precisely because you will often want a map running underneath it.

If you want a phone-based speedometer and odometer without buying hardware, this is a well-established option with a long update history and a large user base behind it. Install it, set your units and your speed warning, and it will do the rest.

What's new in version 18.2.0

Bug fixes and improvements