Magic Earth Navigation & Maps vs Mapcode Finder
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Magic Earth Navigation & Maps
Navigate your world with detailed offline maps and turn-by-turn directions for driving, biking, and walking. Enjoy real-time traffic updates and public transport information, all while prioritizing your privacy. Unlock advanced features with an optional subscription.
- Offline maps for 233 countries
- Turn-by-turn navigation
- Real-time traffic information
- Public transport routing
- Head-up Display (HUD) feature
- CarPlay compatibility
- Weather forecasts
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As we celebrate the 10-year anniversary of Magic Earth on the App Store in 2025, our commitment to privacy and innovation has never been stronger. Magic Earth is now freemium, giving everyone free access to core features like map browsing, search, favorites, and turn-by-turn navigation. For even more powerful features, Magic Earth Premium subscription unlocks: • Traffic-aware navigation • Activity recording • Offline maps • Elevation map style for clearer terrain visualization To all our active subscribers: Thank you! Your continued support empowers us to build a better, more private Magic Earth for everyone. Magic Earth uses OpenStreetMap data and a powerful search engine to offer you the optimal routes for driving, biking, hiking, and public transportation. Find the best route to your destination even without an internet connection. PRIVACY FIRST! • We do not track you. We do not profile you. We do not trade in your personal data; moreover, we do not have it. MAPS • Save big on mobile internet costs and navigate reliably with offline maps powered by OpenStreetMap. 233 countries and regions are ready to be downloaded. • Choose between 2D, 3D, and Satellite map views. • Get ready for travel and know every detail of your route like surface, difficulty, distance and elevation profile. • Learn more about the points of interest near you from Wikipedia articles. • Spot nearby parking places to easily park your car. • Stay up-to-date and enjoy regular free map updates. CARPLAY compatibility • Connect to Apple CarPlay and enjoy the ultimate navigation experience. NAVIGATION • Find the fastest or the shortest route to your destination when you travel by car, bike, on foot or with public transport. • Plan your route with multiple waypoints. • Stay safe with the free Head-up Display (HUD) feature which projects the most important navigation info onto the windshield of your car. • Know in advance which lane to take with precise turn-by-turn navigation and lane assistance. • Get notified about speed cameras and stay up to date with current speed limits. TRAFFIC INFO • Get real-time traffic info, updated every minute. • Discover alternative routes that avoid traffic jams and save you time on the road. PUBLIC TRANSPORT • Get around town quickly and easily. Choose from public transit routes that combine all transportation modes: bus / metro / subway / light rail / train / ferry • Get walking directions, transfer times, departure times, number of stops. And when available, the cost. • Find wheelchair or bike-friendly public transportation. WEATHER • View current temperature and local weather forecasts for your favorite locations. • See what weather conditions to expect in the next hours and view the forecast for the next 14 days. APPLE WATCH • Take a quick glance at your Apple Watch to get directions, distance, speed and workout details in real-time-right on your wrist. Notes: * Some features are not available in all countries. * Some features require internet connection. Your free trial will be automatically renewed to a paid subscription if you don't cancel it at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. The payment will be charged through your Apple ID account. Subscriptions automatically renew unless they are cancelled at least 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel your subscriptions in Settings after purchase. Privacy Policy https://www.magicearth.com/privacy/ Disclaimer https://www.magicearth.com/disclaimer/ Terms of Use https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/ https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Mapcode Finder
This app provides a short, universal code for any location on Earth, functioning like a worldwide postal code. It allows users to find locations by mapcode, coordinates, or address, and generate routes to them. Mapcodes are designed to be easily communicated and are recognized by major navigation systems.
- Generate short address codes for any location
- Find locations using mapcodes, coordinates, or addresses
- Get routes to locations via the Maps app
- Mapcodes recognized by HERE and TomTom
- Precise location identification
- Useful for emergency services and utility companies
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This app provides a short address for ANY location on Earth. Much like a postal code, except its a world-wide postal code. What are mapcodes? Mapcodes are a free and open way to make location on Earth addressable by a short code even if it has no "official" address. For instance, with nothing but your mapcode, a navigation system will bring you to within meters of your front door. This app allows you to get mapcodes for any location on Earth by finding the location on the map, entering its coordinates, or entering its address (if that exists). And, obviously, if you have a mapcode, this app will you show where the location is and allow you to get a route to it (using the Maps app). Mapcodes were designed to be short and easy to recognize, remember and communicate. Shorter than a regular address and simpler than latitude and longitude coordinates. Regular mapcodes are precise to a few meters, which is good enough for everyday use, but they can be extended to almost arbitrary precision. Mapcodes are supported by major map makers, such as HERE and TomTom. For example, the HERE and TomTom navigation apps (also in this AppStore) and millions of satnav devices recognize mapcodes out-of-the box. Just type it in as if it were your address. Who uses mapcodes? Here are some examples of using mapcodes in real life. Emergency services need to quickly reach the strangest places. Not only will a Mapcode get an ambulance to within meters of its target, no matter where, but the short mapcodes can also be communicated clearly even over bad connections (for example in Eastern Cape and South Africa). Many countries are currently considering mapcodes as a candidate for their national postcode. Most countries today only have "zone" codes, where thousands of dwellings share the same code. South Africa was the first to introduce mapcodes to officially support informal dwellings (such as slum dwellings). In countries without an effective addressing system, utility services can not readily come to aid of households or businesses when they are faced with power cuts or water leakages. In Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria, electricity and water meters bear mapcodes which aren't just their unique identifier, but acts as the address of that particular house or business. Archeological and botanical finds are (of course) registered very precisely. Many errors are made, however, both in writing down and in copying the unwieldy latitudes and longitudes. Mapcodes are now used to put a human face on coordinates by the Naturalis Biodiversity Center. Land or building ownership is a relevant and complicated, but vastly under-organized issue in many countries. Several land registry offices are looking into easily and unique identifying parcels of land by their central mapcode whilst others (South Africa, India, USA) have implemented mapcode down to a 1m2 accuracy for urban planning and asset management. Contact the Mapcode Foundation for more information on mapcodes or for questions or feedback on this app. You can reach us at http://mapcode.com and info@mapcode.com.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Mapcode Finder at none against Magic Earth Navigation & Maps's 1. Mapcode Finder also leads on iOS requirement (11.0 vs 17.0). Magic Earth Navigation & Maps's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 4 months) and chart position (#198 vs unranked). On price, review sentiment, ads and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Magic Earth Navigation & Maps sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $19.99 per year. Mapcode Finder asks for nothing beyond the download.
Magic Earth Navigation & Maps ships an update weekly, Mapcode Finder every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Magic Earth Navigation & Maps | Mapcode Finder |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.9 (569 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 51.1% of reviews — better | 50.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 569 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #198 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 11.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 94 MB | 12 MB |
| Age rating | +12 | 4+ |
| Developer | Magic Lane International BV | Rijn Buve |
Customer experience
Magic Earth Navigation & Maps
Mapcode Finder
Bugs and requests
Magic Earth Navigation & Maps
Reported bugs
4 issues- Keyboard obscures search results in CarPlay mode
- GPS signal issues and location jumps
- Inconsistent behavior when deviating from a route
- Crashes and freezes, especially after recent updates
Requested features
5 requests- Add ability to lock map orientation to North
- Improve search by allowing voice input and better location relevance
- Provide more detailed traffic information and rerouting options
- Integrate with more car systems beyond just CarPlay
- Offer more customization options for the user interface
Mapcode Finder
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Magic Earth Navigation & Maps
- Premium14 Days trial$19.991 Year
Mapcode Finder
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Magic Earth Navigation & Maps free?
Is Mapcode Finder free?
Do Magic Earth Navigation & Maps or Mapcode Finder have ads?
Which is updated more often, Magic Earth Navigation & Maps or Mapcode Finder?
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