Comparison

Cartographer vs Samwise

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

Head to head
About

Cartographer

Create custom maps for fantasy worlds, alien landscapes, and imaginary realms. Easily generate diverse terrains and adjust geographical features like sea levels and landmasses. Offers professional-looking styles for writers and RPG players.

Highlights
  • Custom map generation
  • Landscape customization
  • Adjustable sea level
  • Terrain transformation
  • Custom map styles
  • Random world creation
Features
Read full description

Designed specifically by and for writers and RPG players, Cartographer is the perfect tool for creating custom maps of alien worlds, fantasy realms, and imaginary landscapes. Simply pick what kind of landscape you're looking for and Cartographer takes care of the rest! Then customize your landscape by adjusting the sea level, turning peninsulas into islands and archipelagos into mountain ranges. Plus, with a suite of custom styles, your map will look professionally crafted from the very moment of its creation. Whether you're trying to visualize a world for your next story or looking for a way to add "dice roll"-stlye randomness to an RPG campaign, Cartographer will have you up and running in no time!

About

Samwise

This platform helps you create, manage, and play tabletop role-playing games. It offers tools for building custom RPG systems, interactive maps, and real-time chat for remote or in-person play. Enjoy a paperless gaming experience with seamless syncing across devices.

Highlights
  • Create custom RPG systems
  • Interactive map builder
  • Real-time chat and dice rolls
  • Campaign note-taking
  • Cross-device syncing
  • Community content library
Features
Read full description

Create, GM, and play Tabletop RPGs with your friends for free, on any device ——— Designed with Care Samwise gives GMs and players a clean interface that keeps everything organized and uncluttered, no matter the size of your campaign. Every detail is thought through and developed by a team of RPG enthusiasts like you. ——— Play for Free Whether you're a GM or a player, there's plenty of room to play your games without worrying about a subscription. ——— Wherever You Go Samwise has the full set of features on all your devices, so you don't have to give anything up when switching between your phone, tablet, or computer. Character sheets, rulebooks, campaign notes, dice rolling, chat, interactive maps, and more, all synced in real time for you to pick up right where you left off. ——— Together or Apart Since Samwise can be used in full on every device, you can bring it right to the table on your phone or tablet for in-person sessions, or use it remotely when you and your friends are apart. ——— Create Your Own RPGs or Play D&D and More Create your own Tabletop RPGs with an easy-to-use and flexible editor, without writing a single line of code. Or find D&D and many other RPGs at the Emporium, including creations from the community, and start playing right away. ——— Everything Can Be a Sheet In Samwise, everything in your RPG can be represented by a sheet, not just characters. Weapons, armor, consumables, creatures: each can have their own fields, calculations, resources, and everything else available to character sheets, instead of being just text entries or rulebook references. ——— Interactive Maps Create maps from scratch or add interactivity to maps created elsewhere. Character tokens, lighting, fog of war, and rulers for measuring distances and areas of effect are just some of what you can use, with straightforward tools so you can quickly get a map ready for your session. ——— Chat & Roll Chat and roll dice in real time with your group. Talk about your game, coordinate your next session, discuss strategies, or celebrate those miracle rolls without having to switch to another app. ——— Campaign Notes Capture and organize important information or just jot down random thoughts to remember later. No more need for a separate note-taking app or, even worse, a bunch of handwritten notes you have to bring to every session. ——— Built with the Community We want to make Samwise the best it can be for GMs and players, and we know no one has all the answers. That's why our community means so much to us, and you can be a part of it by sharing your creations at the Emporium or bringing us your ideas and feedback on Discord and Reddit as we continue to improve Samwise together. ——— Make Samwise Part of Your Next Adventure Our goal is to give GMs and players everything they need in a Tabletop RPG platform that can be used anywhere and on any device, embracing modern technology but never forgetting what makes Tabletop RPGs so special: the shared moments, the creativity, the storytelling that draws you in. Welcome to Samwise, and may the dice always roll in your favor! ——— Standard Apple Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Cartographer4 screens
Samwise4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Samwise at 100% against Cartographer's 34%. Samwise also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.2) and update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 weeks). Cartographer's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.6). On price, ratings volume, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Cartographer sells 5 one-off in-app purchases and Samwise sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Samwise holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 27 and 10 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 34% of Cartographer's written reviews are positive against 100% of Samwise's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Cartographer ships an update every 2 weeks, Samwise every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Cartographer versus Samwise: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCartographerSamwise
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (27 ratings)5.0 (10 ratings) — better
Positive reviews34.5% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings27 — better10
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 4 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size102 MB115 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAlexander WinnEstudio Pirilampo Mestre - Empresa de Desenvolvimento de Software Ltda

Customer experience

Cartographer

All ratings27 ratings
Positive77.8%
Neutral11.1%
Negative11.1%
Written reviews119 reviews
Positive34.5%
Neutral12.6%
Negative52.9%

Samwise

All ratings9 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Cartographer

Reported bugs

7 issues
  • 3D viewer has no interactive controls
  • Cannot save 3D planet visualization
  • Map visualization loads as blank or partial
  • Sea level adjustments sometimes don't work properly
  • Sliders behave unpredictably
Show 2 more
  • App is laggy and slow
  • Map edges don't align when wrapping around

Requested features

17 requests
  • Manual terrain editing and drawing tools
  • Ability to add mountains, valleys, lakes, and rivers
  • Place structures, buildings, towns, and landmarks
  • Different map projections (Mercator, Robinson, etc.)
  • Globe rotation and interactive 3D controls
Show 12 more
  • Save 3D planet as video or GIF
  • Weather and climate features (snow, ice, deserts)
  • Zoom in/out and pan across map
  • Higher resolution output
  • Add text labels for oceans, towns, and regions
  • Export to higher quality formats
  • Elevation/topography display on 2D maps
  • Compass rose and scale indicators
  • Integration with other worldbuilding apps
  • Ability to edit and save generated maps
  • Full-screen map viewing
  • Procedural generation customization sliders

Samwise

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Cartographer

One-time5
  • Pro Mode$0.99
  • Pro Mode$1.99
  • Pro Mode$2.99
Show 2 more
  • Pro Mode$3.99
  • Pro Mode$4.99
6 purchases

Samwise

Subscriptions4
  • Legendary Edition Offer (Monthly)$2.991 Month
  • Legendary Edition (Monthly)$4.991 Month
  • Legendary Edition Offer (Yearly)$23.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Legendary Edition (Yearly)$47.991 Year
One-time2
  • LIFETIME Legendary Edition$59.99
  • LIFETIME Legendary Edition$79.99

Questions

Is Cartographer free?
Cartographer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Samwise free?
Samwise is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Cartographer or Samwise?
Samwise is rated higher. Cartographer averages 4.2 out of 5 from 27 ratings, while Samwise averages 5.0 from 10 ratings.
Do Cartographer or Samwise have ads?
Samwise shows ads; Cartographer does not.
Which is updated more often, Cartographer or Samwise?
Cartographer ships an update every 2 weeks, and Samwise every 4 days. Most recently, Cartographer was updated on October 24, 2026 and Samwise on October 27, 2026.

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