# MapScribe — user reviews

> 38 indexed App Store user reviews of MapScribe by Daniel Eskridge, rated 3.30/5 from 46 ratings.

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mapscribe/id1271371859/reviews
- App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mapscribe/id1271371859.md
- Rating breakdown: 5★ 17 · 4★ 7 · 3★ 8 · 2★ 2 · 1★ 12

## Newest reviews (15 of 38)

### 4/5 — Good tool, wish there were updates.

*2024-12-30, version 2.0*

Thought I would give it a try because fantasy map making on mobile devices is something I’ve been wanting. Wish there were updates.

### 4/5 — Great, simple Tool

*2024-04-24, version 2.0*

Having spent a day with the app, only using my iPhone, and after a couple test maps, I was able to create a decent looking map for my RPG.

    Simple in its design, its quick to grasp the different “brushes” and how to use them. By my third map I was able to create a detailed map of my world that looked good.

    Only complaints would be:
1. There’s no fine tuning what you put on, forcing you to undo what you “brush” on till you get it how you want it to look. 

2. The scaling of the “brushes” is something to get used to: the brushes scale in size with both the adjustment bar and the “zoom” level of your screen. No deal breaker, but makes it difficult to scale items correctly or uniformly across the map. Trick I learned was to zoom in to a similar feature (mountain or town) and brushing the feature and adjusting the scale till i got the size i wanted, then carefully paning over (since paning also controls the zoom) to where i wanted the feature and inserting it in there.

3. There’s a decent amount of brushes, terrain and foilage is covered well, but other brushes could be added (sail ships, camps, lighthouses, ruins, animals, etc.). Also the colour brushes go over top of your features, so planning ahead and putting down the colour first followed by the features is a good way to get around that.

     If you are looking to make some old fashioned maps for you RPG’s or Lore and have no prior knowledge in making maps, this is a great tool to use!

### 4/5 — Good, but…

*2023-07-17, version 2.0*

You can achieve similar if not better results by taking an art program, some clipart, and a parchment .png file.
Is it sufficient for it’s task?
Yes.
Would I pay the $3 again?
Not likely.

But it’s good enough at what it does, so it works for me.

### 2/5 — It’s okay

*2023-01-29, version 2.0*

It’s not the best I’ve seen, and it’s hard to work with and frustrating. I kinda wasted my money.

### 4/5 — Very nice!

*2021-01-11, version 2.0*

Excellent little map making tool. Would love to see more added to it. Would rate it five stars if it had more to it.

### 3/5 — This is really useful!

*2020-04-12, version 2.0*

This is probably one of the best map making tools I’ve seen for ios. It has many assets you can use for markers, towns, forests, terrain, etc. 
I feature I’d like to suggest would be maybe allowing images to be uploaded so we can trace or add our own assets.

### 3/5 — Bon...mais loin d’être parfait !

*2019-11-10*

Ce logiciel m’a beaucoup aidé dans la confection d’un serveur RP dans un univers médiéval avec une fantaisie sombre. 

Elle est sympa et facilite la création de cartes et on ne peux pas le nier mais MON DIEU ! Il y a beaucoup trop de soucis. 

L’application est bien trop pauvre en contenue pour son prix ! 4€ ?! Autant vous dire que ça ne les vaut pas alors faites tout de même attention. 

La prise en main est quelque peu difficile et quand ont vient à poser plusieurs dessins les uns sur les autres les dessins ne se mélanges pas ce qui produit un résultat peu convainquant... 

Les perspectives changent avec le zoom de la caméra ce qui pose D’ÉNORMES SOUCIS de prévisions et la plupart du temps les dessins n’apparaissent pas vraiment ou nous avions appuyer. 

En bref, c’est assez correct mais l’application ne vaut pas son prix. 1,99€ GRAND MAXIMUM. 

Attendez que le prix baisse et que le contenu se mette à grandir.

### 3/5 — Still needs some work but great Base.

*2019-04-23, version 2.0*

There's great art tools in this but Coastlines or any sort of border line is impossible to draw.  Maybe you could with a tablet pencil but I feel not everyone has those.  Some tool for creating coastline would be much appreciated, especially if you could just draw a basic shape and have the app auto create a coastline shape based on it.  Maybe have options of how smooth or rough of a coastline it is, perhaps a tool.  I haven't gotten to use the other useful stuff yet because I'm stuck on not being able to create the landmasses, Islands, etc.

### 4/5 — Nearly perfect

*2019-04-09, version 2.0*

Love the newly added items, the higher resolutions are also much appreciated. Two things still missing, in my opinion. One is Apple Pencil support, not just for the extra precision, but especially to get variable width strokes based on pressure.  The other thing is a clone tool, to draw a custom feature and replicate it like a stamp.
Great app!

### 3/5 — Nice beginners map making

*2019-01-30, version 1.3*

This app is good for a beginning step in making something to show your team when thinking up maps. Unfortunately, it doesn’t let you get as detailed as you may want/need.

Also it is a pain to edit the map. A crop, resize, and drag feature would be nice, especially since this app is unforgiving if you make a mistake. I’d have liked to be able to move a perfectly drawn island to another part of the screen instead of having to redraw it.

For $5, I’m not upset that I bought this app, but I also don’t know how much I’ll be using it. I’m definitely interested to see if it gets updated in the future.

### 3/5 — Would be 5 Star, but Crashes

*2019-01-18, version 1.3*

This app is great for creating fantasy-style maps simply. Unfortunately, the app crashes when using larger-resolution canvases. When it does so, any unsaved progress is erased. It would be nice to be able to work on a large-scale map without having to save every 30 seconds for fear of a crash.

### 3/5 — I love this but..

*2019-01-05, version 1.3*

I wish you guys could make it compatible with an iPad. I use my iPad for drawing and it would be great to have the bigger surface. I’ve searched the App Store and I can’t seem to find it on the iPad App Store. 

Please make it compatible! :-)

### 3/5 — An average app

*2018-12-31, version 1.3*

It isn’t bad. I have never really made maps before so this was a new to me. I wanted it because I have been making a fantasy story and need to map out locations. 
However I am not sure how to delete a map that has been saved. I had a few rough drafts and mess ups and I can’t find a way to delete them which is quite frustrating

### 3/5 — Great app BUT

*2018-12-29, version 1.3*

This app does a very good job making any sort of map but my only problem is that when you erase it shows up as a different color than what it was before, this makes it look distorted and messes it up

### 4/5 — More a request than a review.

*2018-12-15, version 1.3*

Can you add a feature to import a photo of a map in order to use the icon sets?

## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated)

### 1/5 — Waste of money

*2025-08-06, version 2.0*

This app is nothing more than a $3.00 drawing pad. There is absolutely nothing else to it. Do NOT waste your money!!!

### 1/5 — There’s this problem

*2022-01-14, version 2.0*

I was excited to use this, until I realized I couldn’t pull a pre made map from my photos. How dumb is that? I can save the map to photos. But I can’t retrieve it from my photos. This app has potential, but that was a deal breaker for me.

### 1/5 — Nasty want my money back

*2020-10-30*

I could do better by hand, not worth the time or money. Want a refund

### 1/5 — Very limited but could have potential

*2018-12-28*

The app lacks a lot in functionality.
Impossible to creat a world map, just pieces of maps.
It has a short a list of templates and functions.

The idea is interesting and could be a really functional tool for writers and designers, but right now it does not help very much.
The price is also too much for what it offers.

Bottom line: Disappointing

### 1/5 — List of problems (iPhone)

*2018-11-24, version 1.3*

1) Description of app claims multiple resolutions but there is no way to control canvas size or export resolution. It seems smaller drawings are supposed to pass for larger resolutions. 
2) There is no way to close a menu without making a selection, eg. a cancel button. 
3) Undo does not work on the first item drawn when map is zoomed and brush size is set to the smallest level. 
4) The help document is both obsolete and woefully insufficient. 
5) When using a feature brush, each instance overlaps the last (acting like a stamp instead of a brush).
6) The water brush/stamp is okay for lakes and horizontal rivers but not for diagonal or vertical rivers because of the horizontal design. 
7) There is no way to rotate the canvas or the compass. 
8) There is no free version to try so one can determine if the app is worth the price. 

I’m extra disappointed because I thought I would never find an app that would help me draw maps for my RP game so when I saw this I thought my wish came true. After purchasing it and finding the flaws I regret spending the money.

### 1/5 — Resolution too low

*2018-11-23, version 1.3*

I was really excited to use this but I was immediately disappointed to find the resolution is so low that it’s not really good for anything but messing around. My intent was to use this to map out a fictional world I am writing about and there is no way you can make a map of that size. You are much better off using something like procreate and importing your own images for the features. Sure it’s an extra step but it’s worth it for how limited this app is. For $1 this might be fun to mess around with. But for $5 I was expecting something much more professional. Not recommended.

### 1/5 — Horrible App

*2018-07-25, version 1.0*

I wish I would have listened to the reviews - I paid $5 for no reason...the map is SO hard to use and honestly there are so many bugs that need to be fixed. Horrible.

### 1/5 — trash don’t buy

*2018-05-27, version 1.0*

the good reviews for this garbage were likely written by the developers because this app is a non functional mess the stamps take up the whole map the line tool is buggy save your money and stay far away from this

### 1/5 — Please fix

*2018-04-19, version 1.0*

I love everything about this app except it doesn’t work on my phone for some reason. The app keeps on shutting down or even freezing my phone.

### 1/5 — Bad Controls

*2018-03-17, version 1.0*

The brush scales with how one is zoomed in. This means you need to zoom in on any area you want to place fine detail on, otherwise you will get Mountains and trees that take up a sixteenth of the screen. I like the features but they need to make an adjustable brush for actual precision,

## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated)

### 5/5 — 5 STAR APP!

*2025-07-12, version 2.0*

This app is absolutely as advertised as of 2025. Should not be getting any less than 5 stars, it’s an awesome app that is helping me visualize my world.

### 5/5 — Best Mobile Fantasy Map Maker

*2023-01-05, version 2.0*

Although this map app is simplistic, it is nice to have a map generator that can be used on my iPad.I would pay even more money to have more features. It would be nice to be able to make some of the building icons smaller. I would also be great to be able to resize an icon once it has been placed. But I really can’t complain as this is pretty great for what it is.

### 5/5 — Nice App

*2022-11-09, version 2.0*

Nice app. does what it says it does. Question for the developer though, are you still updating this app? could we have a redo button? i saw in the reviews that you were able to add a few more features over time….

### 5/5 — Great for what it is

*2022-08-14, version 2.0*

It’s a $3 map making app for your phone and it is worth every penny. It’s not super complicated, it’s not going to replace the serious non-mobile map making tools out there, but it’s a great lite version to have on your phone for rough sketches and quick ideas.

### 5/5 — WhatU-NEED-2KnowAboutMapscribe

*2021-05-17, version 2.0*

I don’t know what other people are talking about for this app gives you a TON of detail. And what’s the big deal if you can’t detail your map even smaller? People wouldn’t be able to read it anyway. Plus, the app has added a bunch of stuff to it.

Though there are glitches, they only happen when you add so much detail that no one will be able to read it. Also the app warns you if the app storage is getting too full. And though if you don’t like the choices of objects like mountains and buildings I just use the black lines to create my own mountains and they end up looking A LOT more realistic. Most of these bad reviews come from people with a lack of creativity, and who judge the app like judging a book by its cover.

This app is the best professional map making app I’ve ever had. As an author of an epic fantasy which will soon be a world phenomenon, I am not only advising, but DEMANDING that if you’re an author looking for a map app, this is it. And PLZ don’t trust the 3 star rating. This app has worked wonders for me!

Question for MapScribe:
Can you plz add a map adding feature? Where you can attach another map to the original map? That would help me a lot for in my story the map expands and it would be so easier to add to the map then having to redraw every detail.

### 5/5 — A review and suggestions

*2021-01-28, version 2.0*

This is the best map making app i have ever seen and installed. I really like the art style of the mountains and buildings. 

         SUGGESTIONS 

Aright now time for suggestions (: 

1: a new obtain in buildings the option would be called town ruins and it would look a destroyed village. It would also be nice to have a castle version of this, a tower version, a temple ruin, and a arena ruin 

2: plz fix the export every time i try to export my map it says “eRrOr” this is kinda annoying plz fix it (:

3: smaller text brush (a brush size for text option that makes it smaller)

4:me rating this app 5 stars (obviously)

5: adding a military base building in the nw section i would like to be added called military also an outpost would be nice 👍 

And thats about it for this review plz respond to this and thank you for making an amazing map making app 

Ok now i have to make more maps ok bye bye (:

### 5/5 — Big success!

*2019-07-14, version 2.0*

I reviewed this app back in January, and since then, my concerns are gone. This app is great if you want to create a detailed map! I use this as an easy way to make a city layout before transferring it to paper, or to get a rough layout of terrain for my current work. That’s not all though, I have a big map and it looks great!

This is a great app that I like to use. It use to have a low resolutions, but now you can zoom in really far before it goes blurry. I have an IPhone 7, and it works very well on my phone. Thank you Daniel, and I suggest this app to everyone.

### 5/5 — Excellent!

*2019-04-07, version 2.0*

Please continue to add more terrain stamps. You have developed a great mapping tool. Looking forward to see how it improves.

As a fantasy author, I constantly create maps. This helps immensely. Thank you.

### 5/5 — Just what I’ve been looking for.

*2019-03-13, version 2.0*

This app is fantastic.  I’ve been searching for something to make large campaign-scale maps and this has proved to be perfect for me.  It’s very easy to use and it didn’t take long at all for me to make what I needed - thanks so much!

### 5/5 — Works Even For A Novice, BUT

*2018-08-17, version 1.2*

Small learning curve but eventually I crafted a discernible map that depicted my intent. Then...I could NOT export my map. The app closes every time I attempt to export. So, I used a camera and photographed my childish map. The quality of my finished work was diminished and thus I am sorely disappointed.
FLASH UPDATE!
The above review initially rated this app 1 star due to the non-export problem. The developer, Daniel Eskridge, solved the issue with an update and now I am a happy map maker who can export his work. Now the only thing to complain about is my underdeveloped artistic ability, but using this app is going to change all of that. 5 STAR RATING means the app does what it purports to do in a non-stressful manner.

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*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.*