# BRMB Maps by Backroad Maps — user reviews > 75 indexed App Store user reviews of BRMB Maps by Backroad Maps by Mussio Ventures Ltd., rated 4.20/5 from 26 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/brmb-maps-by-backroad-maps/id1528015531/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/brmb-maps-by-backroad-maps/id1528015531.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 17 · 4★ 2 · 3★ 3 · 2★ 3 · 1★ 1 ## What do users think of BRMB Maps by Backroad Maps? Overall sentiment: negative **Pros** - 🗺️ Great maps and data - 🇨🇦 Excellent for exploring Canada - ⛰️ Detailed topos and satellite imaging - 👍 User-friendly for some - ✨ Recent improvements noted - 🔄 Web syncing works great - 📚 BRMB books features in app - 📍 Offline map downloads available - 🌲 Rec site information - ✅ Accurate for overgrown roads/trails **Cons** - 💸 Expensive subscription - 😠 Excessive and disruptive ads - 🐛 Sync issues (hit or miss) - 🚫 No waypoint management - 📱 Poor CarPlay integration - 🐌 Slow loading times - 🗑️ Useless free version - ❌ No refund for free trial - 💻 MacOS app issues - ⚠️ Outdated maps (snowmobile) - 🚫 No crown lands for BC - 🤔 Not intuitive to use - 🔄 Restore purchase needed often - 🤔 Free version doesn't explain limitations - ❌ No search function - 🗺️ App maps don't match book maps - 💰 Price gouging concerns - ❓ Difficult to navigate app - 🚫 US maps unavailable - 🐛 App crashes frequently - ❌ Cannot remove trails/paths - 🤔 Settings not synced between devices - 🐛 Version 3 broke 'Your trip' feature - 💸 Charged during free trial - 😠 Ads reset map position - 🚫 Cannot plan routes easily - 🐛 Sync doesn't always work - 🚫 No direction arrow - 🐛 Adding waypoints is slow - 🐛 Accidental waypoint creation - 🐛 Search function useless - 📏 Cannot change meters to feet - 🎨 Waypoint icons look the same - 📝 No description/notes for waypoints - 🚫 Cannot export KML/GPX - 🐛 Trail recording issues - 🐛 Cannot edit/erase trail sections - 🐛 Cannot re-edit waypoint location - 😵‍💫 Too many levels to access features - 🐛 Continually asks to drop pin - 👎 Poor customer service - 🚫 No response from support - 💸 Charged after cancellation - 🤔 Free trial issues - 🚫 Cannot create account after purchase - ❌ Not compatible with US - 🐌 Downloads time out - 🤔 Not as easy as Google Maps **Commonly reported bugs** - Unwanted push notifications for challenges - Issues resetting password - CarPlay useless (no tracking/waypoint access) - Sync of data is hit or miss - Waypoints are a jumble of names, no numbers, folders, filters - Waypoint list different on web - No 7 day free trial as advertised - Zoom doesn't work on MacOS app - Scroll doesn't work in MacOS settings - MacOS window size fixed, fullscreen not working - Ads are relentless, can't exit - Advertisement glitch: closing ad returns to location - Sync in both directions is hit or miss - CarPlay map only moves at one preset zoom level - App runs like a BETA 1 version - Free version doesn't make you want to use pay version - Ads pop up full screen, annoying - Closing ad puts user back to current location - Paid for Pro subscription, no 7-day free trial - Adding waypoint on cell service takes up to 10 min - Touching screen by accident adds waypoint and menu - Search function doesn't work - Cannot change from meters to feet - Recording a trail jumps massive lines when restarting - Cannot edit or erase certain sections of trail - Cannot re-edit waypoint location or move it - Editing waypoint requires going through two menus - Interface is poorly designed with too many levels - Continually asks to drop a pin/waypoint when moving map - Satellite images are out of date - Updated roads are missing - Cannot download maps for offline use without paying - Ads appear every couple of minutes - Advertising even when paying for subscription - Requires restoring of purchase too often - Caught out without offline maps due to purchase timeout - Ads interrupt and are hard to close - Advertising even when paying for the app - PRO subscription not accessible after payment - Excessive disruptive ads, each ad resets map - Charged for subscription on 2nd day of free trial - Unable to use pro upgrade after payment - App asks to pay for subscription again on different device - Version 3 broke 'Your trip' feature - Cannot remove trails I've been on - Maps on app do not match book maps - Not easy to use, not as easy as Google Maps - Cannot control manual off - App crashes every time it's opened - Nothing showed for the entire United States - Downloads time out after 10 minutes - No search function for specific locations - Instructions on web are for previous version **Most requested features** - Icon for mines/pins - Crown land for BC - Direction feature with distance and turn directions - Waypoint management (numbers, folders, filters) - CarPlay integration with tracking/waypoint access - Ability to plan routes - Direction arrow showing icon facing - Trace function to outline or create trails with finger - Export KML or GPX files - More waypoint icons and customization (color, outlines) - Ability to edit/erase trail sections - Ability to move waypoint location - Description or notes section for waypoints - Sort waypoints (closest, alphabetical, recent) - Folders for waypoints - CarPlay map with adjustable zoom - Dark mode - Advanced analytics dashboard - Ability to add different colors to tracks - Organize tracks into folders - Full featured OSX version with offline map downloads - Export file from OSX to iOS version offline - URL for websites of points of interest - More detailed options on iOS app (drill down for parks) - Sync settings between iOS and browser - Ability to plan excursions on PC and access on iOS app - Edit track colors - Organize tracks into folders - CarPlay support ## Newest reviews (16 of 75) ### 2/5 — Great, but…… *2026-07-21* 3.8 still had a huge problem! The maps and data are great, with many amazing extras included. But, there is still zero waypoint management. It’s like my personal data is not important at all. Sync of my data is hit and miss especially on long outings with no service, get home not all new data syncs to the web. Waypoints are treated like an annoyance, just a jumble of names. No numbers, no folders, no filters, nothing but a list. That list is also different on the web. So if you plan to add large amounts of your own data, this is not the app for you. Probably should be 1 star really. **Developer response:** Thank you for the detailed feedback. We understand how important reliable waypoint management and syncing are, especially for offline trips. Improving sync reliability is our next major focus, and we’re working to make this experience better. We appreciate your suggestions and feedback. ### 2/5 — Sends unwanted push notifications *2026-06-10* The app started sending me push notifications about “challenges”. I don’t want my maps gamified. There is no option to turn this off; I had to turn off all notifications from BRMB. I haven’t even had an opportunity to use the app yet so I don’t know if I like it other than that. ### 4/5 — Mines/icons *2026-05-02* I do a lot of exploring mines and mining and I’d love an icon to place pins for mines. I see they are available in other parts of the app but not to drop pins. So far it’s been a great app, love it. Been having some recent issues resetting my password- I got a new phone and can’t remember the old password and the server won’t connect when I try to reset it. All other websites are working on my end so I think it must be an issue on your end. **Developer response:** Hello Azalliah! We appreciate your detailed feedback and are thrilled to hear you’re enjoying the app overall! UPDATE: Regarding the password reset issue, the app and web map were experiencing technical issues. Please try again now and let us know if this has been solved for you! Thanks for your patience! ### 4/5 — Crown land for BC *2026-02-07* The only thing that could make this app better for me is if it had crown land available for BC **Developer response:** Thank you for your feedback and for using the BRMB Maps app! We are definitely considering Crown Land for BC and hope to include it soon. ### 3/5 — App is okay *2025-12-28* I have the printed books and the maps and decided to try the app. It’s pretty poor overall. It’s hard to get the layers going in a useful way - but part of that might be the issues with private and crown land and crossing back and forth in my region. Sometimes it has conflicting names for the same road. **Developer response:** Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us. We appreciate your feedback about the conflicting road names, as it helps us understand the areas needing improvement. Your experience is valuable to us, and we hope you continue exploring the app! ### 2/5 — CarPlay useless *2025-10-27* CarPlay offers no tracking or waypoint access totally useless contacted tech support and no response paid for Pro subscription and no 7 day free trial as advertised Totally false marketing product good for phone only **Developer response:** Thank you for sharing your experience. It's disappointing to hear that CarPlay isn't meeting your expectations and that you did not receive a response from tech support. We appreciate your feedback regarding the PRO subscription and are taking your comments seriously as we work to improve. Your insights are valuable to us, and we hope to enhance your experience moving forward. ### 2/5 — Great, but…… *2025-09-20* Still a huge problem with this app! The maps and data are great, with many amazing extras included. But, there is still zero waypoint management. It’s like my personal data is not important at all. Sync of my data is hit and miss especially on long outings with no service, get home not all new data syncs to the web. Waypoints are treated like an annoyance, just a jumble of names. No numbers, no folders, no filters, nothing but a list. That list is also different on the web. So if you plan to add large amounts of your own data, this is not the app for you. Probably should be 1 star really. **Developer response:** We appreciate your feedback and are glad you enjoy the maps and extras! Your concerns about waypoint management and data syncing are important, and we’re working on adding some ways to manage your data in the next two updates. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and helping us improve! ### 2/5 — No crown lands for BC? *2025-08-06* BC is a huge outdoor enthusiast province and yet there are no maps for crownlands. I paid $9.99 and couldn’t use it the entire time I was in B.C. Super disappointing. Also app is not intuitive to use, especially the “layers”?! **Developer response:** Hi there, thanks for your feedback! We understand how useful Crown Land information can be for trip planning. While Crown Land data is available in the BRMB Maps app for Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, PEI and Nova Scotia, it’s not currently available for BC. The app does include Private Land data and the ParcelMapBC fabric (both in the Layers menu), which can help you identify property boundaries in BC. We’ll continue looking into options for adding BC Crown Land in the future. In the meantime, if you’d like help making the most of the current layers, our team is happy to walk you through it. Just reach out to us at app@backroadmapbooks.com. ### 2/5 — Sync Doesn’t Always Work and Missing Features *2025-04-12, version 3.2.0* Sync in both directions is hit or miss. Adding waypoints and tracks when out on a trip sometimes end up on the web and other times they don’t. Making changes to data on the web sometimes affects the mobile app and sometimes it doesn’t. This is crazy annoying as the service can’t be trusted. The feature of waypoint management would help this a bit, but poor sync is unacceptable. Waypoint management is desperately need. You can’t even sort your waypoints in any way. There should be options for sort by closest, alphabetical, and recent at least. Also, there should be folders for waypoints to have the option to categorize them, rather than the current long list of hundreds of my waypoints that don’t even have a number associated with them. Fix that and then we can talk about the CarPlay integration that doesn’t show my waypoints…. What? And the CarPlay map only moves at one preset zoom level. Not useful at all! Some great map layers are ruined by an app that runs like a BETA 1 version. ### 4/5 — Advertisements *2025-04-09* This is a great app that my adventures live by. I would be happy to update this review with 5 stars if the platform removes the random pop up adds for paying customers **Developer response:** Hi there! Advertising is only included on FREE plans. You should not see any ads if you are a PRO user. We have released an app update (version 3.1.2) that resolves the advertising issue for PRO users. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. To update, please download the latest version from the app store by searching for "BRMB Maps" or by using this link: https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/brmb-maps/id1528015531. Also, ensure you're logged into your account by going to Settings > Your Account. If this doesn't resolve the issue, please contact our tech support at app@backroadmapbooks.com. ### 1/5 — Full of ads *2025-02-20* I keep getting ads every couple of minutes. Deleted the app. **Developer response:** We have released an app update (version 3.1.2) that addresses the Advertising issue for PRO users. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. To update, please download the latest version from the app store by searching for "BRMB Maps" or by using this link: https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/brmb-maps/id1528015531 ### 1/5 — Ads *2025-01-16, version 3.1.1* I’ve been paying for the app for a long time and now they’ve added advertising even though I pay a monthly subscription fee!! That’s a crappy thing to do to your customers. ### 1/5 — Requires Restoring of Purchase TOO OFTEN *2025-01-15, version 3.1.1* I have had this app for several years. The maps and data layers are great. One of the reasons that I selected it is for the ability to save maps of line. Works great…. HOWEVER… pause… frequently when I turn on the app it requires a restore of my purchase in order to access these premium features that I have subscribed to. As a result I have been caught out numerous times without being able to access my off-line maps or additional data layers when I am not connected. BRBM never fails to bill me for these premium features but for some reason times out my devices. Maybe someone will consider fixing this? ### 4/5 — My GOD…. The ADS!! *2025-01-15, version 3.1.1* I press a button and have to go through 3 videos. Nothing happens. Press again? 3 more videos to accomplish NOTHING. Totally infuriating. You can buy the book instead but only if you have perfect vision. I have to use the Zoom function on my phone because the maps are so small even with my reading glasses. Was hoping the app would be better? No. If I want to watch videos I will open up YouTube. ### 1/5 — Adds?! *2024-12-27, version 3.1.1* I pay for this app so why is there advertising? ### 4/5 — Recent improvements *2024-12-13, version 3.1.0* This app has seen major improvements. Well done! Much more stable and importing data is an asset. Web syncing works great! ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — Payment taken, pro plan not received *2026-07-07* Long time customer, they recently took my payment but I did not receive pro. Tech support not reachable by phone or email… app used to be good now is a scam…. Will re rate app once issue is rectified **Developer response:** Hi Pablo, could you please reach out to our tech support at app@backroadmapbooks.com? We will look into this and fix the issue. Thank you! ### 1/5 — Do not purchase *2026-06-27* I have had this app for years including when it was considerably less expensive. Despite then happily charging my subscription for many months and me emailing them to fix issues with it not recognizing that I am a paid subscriber, they have not fixed it. I cancelled my subscription. Should have done it months ago. I have no idea how they have such a high rating overall because if you look at most of the recent reviews most are 1-2 stars. Used to be a great product and one of the few that would show crown land vs private but they have ruined it trying to monetize the hell out of it. **Developer response:** We're sorry to hear about your experience. Subscription issues like the one you described are frustrating, and we understand why you cancelled. The problem with paid subscriptions not being recognized has affected a small number of users, and we've been working to resolve those cases as quickly as possible. We're sorry that we didn't get yours sorted out in time. Over the past year we've made significant improvements to the app, including performance, offline maps, and new features, while continuing to expand our map data. Subscription revenue is what allows us to keep updating the maps and adding new content, but we know that only matters if the app works reliably. If you're willing to give us another chance, we'd be happy to investigate your account and make things right. Please contact us at app@backroadmapbooks.com with the email address associated with your account, and we'll look into it personally. ### 1/5 — No refund for free trial *2025-07-01* Heard some good things about the backroad maps physical copy so I was curious and bought the free trial for the app. Figured it wasn’t worth it and was planning to buy the physical book till I realized there was no option for me to cancel the free trial despite it saying it would. Checked in subscriptions and in the app itself and nothing. Basically scammed me and turned me off and I’ll be staying away from this company. **Developer response:** Thank you for your feedback, and we apologize for your negative experience with the trial cancellation process. If you subscribed via the app, you can find your subscription and cancellation options in the App Store app by tapping your profile, then selecting Subscriptions. For subscriptions made on brmbmaps.com, cancellation options are available on the same website under your profile > Settings > Your Plan. ### 1/5 — MacOS App is useless *2025-06-25, version 3.4.0* Zoom doesn’t work, can zoom in double clicking but there is no way to easily zoom out. Scroll doesn’t work in settings. Window size is fixed, fullscreen mode is not working. ### 1/5 — Absolute garbage *2025-05-15* All I wanted this for was to plan a road trip. Can’t select a starting point. The ads are RELENTLESS. Six ads in the first 60 seconds - every time you press any button at all you get an ad first. Deleted within a minute of setting up my account. **Developer response:** Hello! We appreciate your input. We recommend trying the free trial of the PRO plan available on the App Store to explore the app's features without advertisements. Currently, the app offers navigation from your current location to a selected destination. However, there are many additional options on the web map at brmbmaps.com/map, accessible with the same username and password. The web map allows you to plan your trip by creating directions to and from any point of interest, drawing your own routes, and adding trails, tracks, waypoints, and points of interest, all on a larger screen. Once you've finished, you can sync your work with the app by using the "sync with web map" button found in the "Your Data" section of the app. Your saved trips can be located under Your Data > Trips. ### 1/5 — Advertisement Glitch *2025-04-18* This was a great app until the advertisements started. When I close an advertisement, the app takes me back to my location instead of leaving me on the screen I was at. Too bad, I’ll be researching a new online map book. **Developer response:** Hi there! Advertising is only included on FREE plans. You should not see any ads if you are a PRO user. We have released an app update (version 3.1.2) that resolves the advertising issue for PRO users. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. To update, please download the latest version from the app store by searching for "BRMB Maps" or by using this link: https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/brmb-maps/id1528015531. Also, ensure you're logged into your account by going to Settings > Your Account. If this doesn't resolve the issue, please contact our tech support at app@backroadmapbooks.com. ### 1/5 — Free sucks *2025-04-12* Free version doesn’t make me want to use the pay version. **Developer response:** Hello! We appreciate your feedback. There's a free trial of the PRO plan on the App Store, which we recommend to fully explore the app's offerings. ### 1/5 — Very poor first impressions *2025-04-12* I installed the free version to evaluate if this is a product I wish to purchase but so far in the first 4 minutes I’ve had no less than 6 ads pop up full screen. This is annoying in of itself but when I close the advertisement it puts me back to my current location not where I had scrolled to. By the time I move the map back to the area of interest another advertisement is full screen in my face. Extremely annoying and off putting. Deleting the app at this point as in this day and age bombarding me with US based company advertising is certainly not welcome. Get it together people. **Developer response:** Hello! We appreciate your feedback. There's a free trial of the PRO plan on the App Store, which we recommend to fully explore the app's offerings. ### 1/5 — It has to come along way still *2025-03-14, version 3.2.0* Backroad maps: Pros: save satellite imaging, Great topos and lots of great info on maps. The mapping is great. Cons: -Too expensive, should be 20$ a year at this functionality. Map is the only thing thats good. -No direction arrow to where your icon is facing like 1000 mapping apps already do. -Adding a waypoint on cell service, gives it a spinning wheel and takes up to 10min to finish when adding a waypoint or trail, app unusable for the duration. - You even tough a screen by accident adds a waypoint and brings up the menu - Search function is useless doesn’t work even though the name is correct and on the map. - Can’t change it from metres to feet. Most outdoors people use imperial for everyday stuff still at least in some aspect. Most apps allow you to change each type of measurement Be nice to have a trace function and outline a box or create a trail but using your finger. We’ve had touchscreen for 16yrs now, how is this not a function -every waypoint look the same, same colour, same look on Map, impossible to differentiate and know what your looking at when it looks all the same. -Ridiculous to edit or change your waypoint info, sometimes doesn’t allow it. -Cant reedit location of waypoint. -no description or notes section for waypoint. This is 2025. Everyone has had it since 2012. -can’t export KML or GPX file. Web based or phone. -When editing waypoint, should be a drop down menu for colour selection, preview box of what the icon looks like (not a spinning 2009 wheel). -Look at lowrance fishfinder on how to design a great waypoint edit designs. -2/10 for user friendliness and its not intuitive. -only 12 waypoint icons and they all look the same. -when recording a trail, when you stop, then move, then hit record again, to jump a massive line over from your last point to where you are now. Who does this? It’s totally wrong and it now makes the trail you recorded and so much time on it, useless. Draws a line across water and mountains. Then you can’t submit it for a new trail like that. Absolute mess. -Can’t edit or erase certain section of trail -cant reedit waypoint location, move it. For waypoints your need to have colour options, needs way more types of waypoints, activity related too, and outlines per, and they stand out better. -to edit waypoint, you have to go through two different menus, then scroll down to edit, and it doesn’t even land on the right one half the time. -hold to move icon on map for 5 seconds would be a great feature or off a pop up box. Use tap to edit waypoint on the box that pops up. My buddies use this app, they said it’s only good for topo and satellite images. Usesless for trails and waypoints. They said its garbage past those two strongpoints. These are hunting and fishing guides. I am as well. Once Onyx Hunt comes into Canada better, they’re all switching to that. ### 1/5 — Useless *2025-03-03* I tried for the snowmobile maps , the maps are at least 5 years out of date **Developer response:** Thank you for your feedback regarding our BRMB Maps app. You pointed out some areas on the map that require updates. We have recently introduced "send updates to BRMB Maps" buttons, allowing users to directly report inaccuracies or missing information from within the app. >> If you spot an error in our existing points of interest (POI) — for instance, if the description or location is incorrect — simply click on the POI on the map, then select "Update Map" or "Send an update to BRMB Maps" to let us know. You also have the option to add a public review or upload photos to inform other users. >> Should the map update concern a missing or incorrect road, trail, or point of interest (POI), you can drop a waypoint or record a track and notify us using the "update map" button. This action will bring up a text box where you can detail the necessary map updates. Your insights can really help us improve, so please let us know if you spot any areas where our data might be off. There's no better source of accuracy than feedback straight from the backcountry! ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Best guide *2026-08-18* Best way to discover new places and how to reach them. When the regular map doesn’t have a road BRMB knows the way. **Developer response:** Thank you for your feedback! It's great to hear that our app helps you discover new places and find roads that aren't on standard maps. ### 5/5 — Would love a direction feature. *2025-08-12* When ATVing on trails it would be very helpful for it to plan a route based on the trails and gave you the distance to the destination and turn directions. **Developer response:** We appreciate your feedback and are glad you're enjoying the app! Your suggestion for a direction feature while ATVing is noted, as we always value insights from our users. Thank you for sharing your thoughts! ### 5/5 — No better app for exploring Canada *2025-03-08* Absolutely everything you could possibly want for exploring anywhere in Canada. If you’re familiar with the US public land layers in Gaia (USFS sites, NF land), you’ll see similar things like Rec Sites and Crown Land here. AND the team actually replies to feedback unlike other companies out there. ### 5/5 — Love this app *2024-12-25, version 3.1.1* Many improvements over the years has made this our favourite map app. We were ecstatic when Apple CarPlay was finally available. We are hoping eventually that the CarPlay version will allow us to use topographical layers as it currently only shows streetview. Keep up the good work ### 5/5 — Books are amazing app is fantastic *2024-11-28, version 3.1.0* With the new CarPlay support this app just got even better. Highly recommend using this service if you do any outdoor activities ### 5/5 — BRMB *2024-11-08, version 3.0.1* The online version is absolutely fantastic ### 5/5 — Great, but only on iOS *2024-09-13, version 3.0.1* TL;DR: 5 Stars because the iOS version is killer, but the review is to forewarn folks that the OSX version isn't very usable. If you see BRMB on the OSX App Store, avoid it. Looks like the developer compiled and exported for OSX without testing. Maps are not scrollable and other than being able to click on a few things and search, it's relatively useless. Woud love to see a fully featured version for OSX where we could download maps for offline use to plan the day/week ahead without needing an internet connection. While I'm wishing, it would also be extremely cool if the OSX version could somehow export a file to the IOS version for use on the trail, all while offline. ### 5/5 — Accurate roads *2024-09-01, version 3.0.1* I downloaded the app and downloaded offline maps and went out on a adventure and was accurate with the overgrown roads and trails my new go to maps for seeking out new areas ### 5/5 — Canada covered crown land and more *2024-08-25, version 3.0.1* Best app for my area around Ontario and other areas, amazing amount of beta information for trails and fishing plus more like they say. The cartography is the best I have used on a phone. Keep up great work I will keep using your Backroad Mapbooks for Cottage Country and Northeastern Ontario they are great for my truck. ### 5/5 — On the fence *2024-07-11, version 3.0.1* Updated - App now working, no email to our original concern, but something has been updated. We have used the books for years, but wanted to try the app. Paid the $ for a year subscription, worked on our iPad but decided it’ll would be better on iPhone. Now it asks for us to pay for the subscription again every time we login. Sent message through technical support last week, still no answer. We are in the road travelling so this is very frustrating. At this point I want my money back. --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-26.*