Comparison

Topo Maps US vs Garmin Explore™

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Topo Maps US

Access and download detailed topographic maps of the United States for offline use. Track your location, mark waypoints, and record your routes for outdoor activities. Navigate with direction arrows and measure distances on the map.

Highlights
  • Download US topographic maps
  • Offline map viewing
  • GPS location tracking
  • Add and import waypoints (flags)
  • Import and share GPX/LOC files
  • Record and share trails
  • Elevation profile charts
Features
Read full description

Download and view topographic maps covering the United States. Topographic maps are useful for recreational activities such as hiking, canoeing, camping, fishing, mountain biking, geocaching, and exploring. MAPS Choose from 2 map sources: USGS standard topographic or USGS hybrid topographic. OFFLINE Download maps for areas of interest to view them later when you don't have Internet access or you don't want to use cell data. TRACKING Use location tracking to show where you are on the map, your elevation, and the accuracy of the GPS signal. FLAGS Flags are included with map downloads. Add flags (waypoints) to the map to mark your current location or other locations. Import flags from other sources using GPX files and geocache LOC files. Share flags with others using email or AirDrop. Organize your flag types by color, for example, geocaches, trailheads, and summits. TRAILS Trails are included with map downloads. Import trails (tracks) using GPX files you find on the Internet or from your personal GPS track collection. Share trails with others using email or AirDrop. Organize your trail types by color, for example, mountain bike trails, hiking trails, and OHV trails. TRAIL RECORDING Record your own trails to show where you've been on the map, follow them later, and share with others. ELEVATION PROFILE Recorded trails include an elevation profile (distance/elevation chart). NAVIGATION Navigate to a flag by following the direction arrow that uses your compass heading. Useful for geocaching. MEASURE Measure the distance between points on the map. Note: Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.

About

Garmin Explore™

Navigate off-grid with this app, which pairs with a compatible Garmin device for trip planning, mapping, and navigation even without Wi-Fi or cellular service. Plan routes, download maps for offline use, and sync data to the cloud.

Highlights
  • Off-grid navigation
  • Trip planning
  • Offline map downloads
  • Pair and sync with Garmin device
  • Activity library
  • Cloud storage
  • LiveTrack location sharing
Currently charting
Read full description

OFF-GRID NAVIGATION When paired with your compatible Garmin device(1), the Garmin Explore app lets you use your mobile device for outdoor navigation, trip planning, mapping and more — with or without Wi-Fi® connectivity or cellular service. SEARCH TOOL Easily locate geographic points — such as trailheads or mountain summits — associated with your adventure. STREAMING MAPS For pre-trip planning, you can use the Garmin Explore app to stream maps when you’re within cellular or Wi-Fi range — saving valuable time as well as storage space on your mobile device. Download maps for offline use when venturing outside cellular range. PAIR, SYNC AND SHARE With Garmin Explore, you can pair your smartphone or tablet with your compatible Garmin device to sync and share data for off-grid adventures. Use downloadable maps for navigation anywhere. EASY TRIP PLANNING Plan your next trip by downloading maps and creating courses. Specify your start and finish points, and automatically create a course you can sync with your compatible Garmin device. ACTIVITY LIBRARY Under the Saved tab, review and edit your organized data, including your saved waypoints, tracks, courses and activities. See map thumbnails to easily recognize your trips. SAVED COLLECTIONS The collections list allows you to quickly find all data related to any trip — making it easy to sort and locate the course or location you’re looking for. CLOUD STORAGE The waypoints, courses and activities you’ve created will automatically sync to your Garmin Explore web account when you’re within cellular or Wi-Fi range, preserving your activity data with cloud storage. A Garmin account is required for storing your data in the cloud. LIVETRACK™ With the use of the LiveTrack™ feature, loved ones can follow your location in real time(2) and see data such as distance, time and elevation. What You Get with Garmin Explore • Unlimited map downloads; access topographic maps, USGS quad sheets and more • Aerial imagery • Waypoints, tracking and route navigation • High-detail GPS trip logging and location sharing • Unlimited cloud storage of routes, waypoints, tracks, and activities • Online trip planning 1. https://explore.garmin.com/appcompatibility 2. When used with your compatible smartphone, the Garmin Explore® app and your compatible inReach® technology-enabled Garmin device. The Bluetooth word mark and logos are registered trademarks owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of such marks by Garmin is under license.

Screenshots

Topo Maps US3 screens
Garmin Explore™4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Topo Maps US at 88% against Garmin Explore™'s 45%. Topo Maps US also leads on rating (4.4 vs 4.1) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.4). Garmin Explore™'s advantage is monetization model (free vs paid) and update cadence (monthly vs every 4 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Topo Maps US holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 210 and 1K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 88% of Topo Maps US's written reviews are positive against 45% of Garmin Explore™'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Topo Maps US ships an update every 4 months, Garmin Explore™ monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 18, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Topo Maps US versus Garmin Explore™: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTopo Maps USGarmin Explore™
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (210 ratings) — better4.1 (1K ratings)
Positive reviews87.5% of reviews — better45.0% of reviews
Number of ratings2101K — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
Best chart rank—#98 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better18.4
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB449 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperDC Cloud Apps, LLCGarmin

Customer experience

Topo Maps US

All ratings210 ratings
Positive87.1%
Neutral1.4%
Negative11.4%
Written reviews80 reviews
Positive87.5%
Neutral2.5%
Negative10.0%

Garmin Explore™

All ratings1,015 ratings
Positive76.9%
Neutral6.0%
Negative17.0%
Written reviews544 reviews
Positive45.0%
Neutral11.9%
Negative43.0%

User reviews

Topo Maps US

From 210 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Intuitive and simple user interface
  • 📱 Works completely offline with downloaded maps
  • 💰 Free app with no subscriptions or ads
  • 🗺️ High-quality USGS topographic maps
  • 📍 Accurate GPS location tracking

Room to improve

  • 🐛 White/gray blocks appearing on offline maps
  • 🔋 High battery drain during route recording
  • ❌ Limited color options for flags (only red)
  • ⚠️ Route recording stops unexpectedly
  • 🔍 No search functionality for trails/landmarks

Garmin Explore™

From 1K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🚀 Excellent for planning routes and activities
  • 💡 Great for offline navigation with downloaded maps
  • 👍 Seamless integration with Garmin devices
  • 👍 Useful for tracking and sharing adventures

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Sync issues with Garmin devices
  • 🔍 Lacking detailed map options in some regions
  • 🔍 Confusing interface and terminology
  • 🐛 Crashes and performance issues
  • 🔒 Requires login and internet connection for full functionality

Bugs and requests

Topo Maps US

Reported bugs

8 issues
  • White and gray blocks appearing on downloaded offline maps
  • Route recording stops unexpectedly mid-hike
  • High battery drain during route tracking
  • GPX file import issues in iOS 13+
  • Map display issues near borders
Show 3 more
  • Flags cluttering the view
  • Inconsistent zoom functionality
  • Route tracking drops without saving

Requested features

18 requests
  • Pause/resume tracking during hikes
  • Search feature for trails and landmarks
  • Apple Watch app support
  • CarPlay integration
  • Slope shading visualization
Show 13 more
  • Ability to select and download multiple tiles at once
  • Background map downloading
  • Map transfer between devices
  • iCloud backup for GPS tracks
  • Older USGS topographic map versions
  • Time stamps in GPX export for fitness tracking
  • Quadrangle identification display
  • Built-in compass with map orientation
  • Laptop map manager for easier updates
  • Community Q&A section
  • Multiple color options for waypoints
  • Auto-save feature for long recordings
  • Larger downloadable map areas

Garmin Explore™

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Sync failures between app and Garmin devices
  • Disappearing or corrupted user data
  • Compatibility issues with newer iOS/Android versions
  • Unreliable offline map downloads

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to edit waypoint coordinates
  • More customization options for map layers and displays
  • Improved route planning and navigation features
  • Better syncing and data management between app and devices
  • Support for more Garmin device models

In-app purchases

None

Topo Maps US

No in-app purchases

None

Garmin Explore™

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Topo Maps US free?
Topo Maps US is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Garmin Explore™ free?
Garmin Explore™ is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Topo Maps US or Garmin Explore™?
Topo Maps US is rated higher. Topo Maps US averages 4.4 out of 5 from 210 ratings, while Garmin Explore™ averages 4.1 from 1K ratings.
Do Topo Maps US or Garmin Explore™ have ads?
Neither Topo Maps US nor Garmin Explore™ shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Topo Maps US or Garmin Explore™?
Topo Maps US ships an update every 4 months, and Garmin Explore™ monthly. Most recently, Topo Maps US was updated on September 18, 2026 and Garmin Explore™ on September 24, 2026.

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