MapSwipe vs Microsoft Surface
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
MapSwipe
Contribute to humanitarian efforts by analyzing satellite imagery. Identify settlements, roads, and rivers in crisis-prone areas to help aid organizations locate vulnerable populations. Your contributions enable faster and more effective delivery of life-saving assistance.
- Analyze satellite imagery
- Identify settlements and infrastructure
- Support humanitarian missions
- Contribute to mapping projects
- Crowdsource data for aid organizations
Read full descriptionHide full description
Make a meaningful impact from your phone, one swipe at a time. MapSwipe is part of the Missing Maps project. It is a free, open-source app that lets anyone contribute to humanitarian and development projects in just minutes a day. No mapping experience needed: review satellite imagery, identify features like buildings, roads, and waterways, and help validate map data used by organizations around the world. The data you generate supports humanitarian organizations, researchers, and local communities, making OpenStreetMap data more accessible for disaster response, public health, climate resilience, and sustainable development. How you can contribute: * Find Features: Swipe through satellite imagery to spot buildings, roadways, waterways, and more * Compare Dates: Review before-and-after imagery to detect environmental changes and assess damage * Validate Footprints: Check building footprints and flag areas that need remapping * Check Completeness: Compare mapped data against aerial imagery to find gaps * Assess Images: Review photographs to confirm features and improve machine learning tools * Locate Objects: Mark rooftops, solar panels, trees, and other features to help train machine learning models Your swipes have real impact. MapSwipe is managed by a volunteer-led team with support from the American Red Cross, British Red Cross, Canadian Red Cross, HeiGIT, Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team, Médecins Sans Frontières, and Togglecorp. Download MapSwipe and join a global community putting the world's most vulnerable places on the map.
Microsoft Surface
Manage and personalize your audio devices. Update firmware, view device information, and adjust settings like equalizer and volume. Connect and control devices, and access tutorials for assistance.
- Update earbuds and headphones
- View and change device info
- View battery and volume
- Personalize settings
- Change equalizer settings
- Control connected devices
- Reset devices
Read full descriptionHide full description
Here are the things you can do: • Update your earbuds and headphones • View and change device info • View battery info and volume level • Personalize settings • Change equalizer settings to get the sound you want • Control which devices are connected • Change language settings • Reset your earbuds and headphones to the factory settings • Watch tutorial videos • Send us feedback
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: MapSwipe at 76% against Microsoft Surface's 26%. MapSwipe also leads on rating (4.5 vs 3.2). Microsoft Surface's advantage is ratings volume (159 vs 26) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 16.4). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
MapSwipe holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Microsoft Surface has 159 ratings behind it against 26, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 76% of MapSwipe's written reviews are positive against 26% of Microsoft Surface's.
MapSwipe ships an update every 6 weeks, Microsoft Surface every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | MapSwipe | Microsoft Surface |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (26 ratings) — better | 3.2 (159 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 76.2% of reviews — better | 25.6% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 26 | 159 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 | 11.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 65 MB | 70 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | British Red Cross | Microsoft Corporation |
Customer experience
MapSwipe
Microsoft Surface
Bugs and requests
MapSwipe
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Microsoft Surface
Reported bugs
11 issues- App stuck on scanning/searching for headphones
- Bluetooth connection drops during calls
- App won't recognize headphones even when paired
- Authentication hangs on 'Authenticating' screen
- Constant red light indicator issues
Show 6 moreShow fewer
- Firmware updates cause connection degradation
- App fails to load when headphones are connected
- Pairing mode limbo after power cycling
- Earbud chirping and constant disconnections
- Uneven battery drain between earbuds
- App incompatibility with newer iOS versions
Requested features
9 requests- MacOS app support
- iPad landscape mode support
- Customizable gesture controls
- Better device switching between paired devices
- More EQ preset options
Show 4 moreShow fewer
- Xbox wireless compatibility
- Ability to disable automatic noise cancellation on calls
- Case battery level indicator
- Computer/device management features
In-app purchases
MapSwipe
No in-app purchases
Microsoft Surface
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is MapSwipe free?
Is Microsoft Surface free?
Which has better reviews, MapSwipe or Microsoft Surface?
Do MapSwipe or Microsoft Surface have ads?
Which is updated more often, MapSwipe or Microsoft Surface?
Other comparisons















