Paper Maps vs NomadTracks
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Paper Maps
This app allows you to view and edit digital maps with support for various file formats. You can customize maps by adding placemarks, recording tracks, and drawing shapes. It also offers real-time annotation sharing and useful tools like a theodolite.
- View PDF, TIFF, KAP, KML files
- Cloud integration (iCloud, Google Drive, Dropbox)
- Add placemarks and record tracks
- Draw lines and shapes
- Real-time annotation sharing
- Theodolite and georeferencer tools
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The best digital maps viewer and editor ever made for a mobile device! - View PDF, TIFF, KAP, KML - Integrated with iCloud, Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, - Customize your map - add placemarks, record tracks, draw lines and shapes - Share annotations with other users in real time - A lot of useful tools: theodolite, georeferencer and more!
NomadTracks
Record, plan, and organize your outdoor adventures with precise GPS tracking. Mark points of interest, follow planned routes, and manage your data with robust import/export and sync options. Works offline and prioritizes your privacy.
- High-precision GPS recording
- Points of Interest (POIs) with photos
- Route planning and following
- Track editing and organization
- GPX/GeoJSON import/export
- iCloud sync and backups
- Apple Watch integration
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Bring your own maps. Open a GeoPDF, a scanned topo sheet or a photo of a paper map, and watch your live GPS position move across it — offline, with no signal at all. YOUR OWN MAPS — WHAT WE DO BEST • GeoPDFs and georeferenced PDFs line themselves up the moment you import them • Photograph a paper map, drop a few control points, done — the fit accuracy is shown in metres (RMS) • Park handouts, alpine club sheets, lease boundaries, century-old survey sheets: all become maps you can walk on • As many maps as you want, free RECORDING • Precise GPS recording with real elevation — barometer-assisted where the device has one • Waypoints with category, colour, photo, address and notes • Enter a waypoint straight from lon/lat or UTM coordinates • Scale bar, compass and coordinates always on screen • Live stats keep running in the notification while you record FOLLOWING A TRACK • Follow any saved or imported track: distance to the line, distance left, turn cues • Stray off it and the app tells you with sound and vibration — the radius is yours to set per track • Ghostrider: race your own earlier run and watch live whether you are ahead • Drop a point by bearing and distance, then walk it in PLANNING ROUTES • Plan routes along real roads and trails — anyone can try it • Saving one, as a route or a track, is part of Pro IMPORT & EXPORT — YOUR DATA STAYS YOURS • GPX, GeoJSON and KML in — GPX, GeoJSON and bundles back out • Photos and metadata travel with them • Heart rate rides along inside the GPX (Garmin format; Strava and Komoot read it) YOUR LIBRARY • Folders for tracks, waypoints and your own maps • Elevation, speed, pace and heart-rate charts for every track • A 30-day recycle bin SYNC & BACKUP • iCloud sync across all your devices — free • Nextcloud over WebDAV — free • Synology NAS — free • Dropbox — with Pro • Backups are portable: carry your library between Android and iPhone WITH PRO • Google Maps: roadmap, terrain and high-resolution satellite imagery • OpenStreetMap in the OSM Bright and Stamen Terrain styles • Offline Maps: download map areas so your maps stay available offline • Road-Snapped Measuring: real driving, cycling and walking distances instead of straight lines • Dropbox sync, and saving the routes you plan NO ACCOUNT, NO ADS • Recording, your own maps, GPX import and export, waypoints, Nextcloud and Synology sync: all free, no sign-up • No ads, no third-party tracking • Your data stays on your device and in your own sync target — never on our servers FIELD WORK & SURVEYING • Take the official sheet with you: agency GeoPDF, parcel, block or concession map • Walk a parcel and keep the outline • Mark samples, boundary stones and corners as waypoints with photos and coordinates • The whole crew works from the same map — hand maps and waypoints over as a file FOR 25+ ACTIVITIES Hiking, trekking, mountain biking, trail running, overlanding, sailing, paddling, geocaching, ski touring and more — in metric, imperial or nautical units. APPLE WATCH • Record GPS, heart rate and elevation without your iPhone • Track navigation and Ghostrider on the wrist • Save recordings to Apple Health LANGUAGES English, Deutsch, Español, Italiano, Français, Português, Magyar, Bahasa Indonesia NOMADTRACKS PRO Unlocks Offline Maps, Road-Snapped Measuring, Google Maps, OpenStreetMap, Dropbox sync and saving planned routes — plus every Pro feature we add later. Nextcloud and Synology stay free. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the period ends. Manage or cancel any time in App Store → Account → Subscriptions. ——— Privacy Policy: https://www.iubenda.com/privacy-policy/52648882/full-legal
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: NomadTracks at 4.4 against Paper Maps's 3.9. NomadTracks also leads on review sentiment (67% vs 43%) and update cadence (every 6 days vs every 3 weeks). Paper Maps's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 18.6). On price, ratings volume, 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. Paper Maps sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and NomadTracks sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
NomadTracks holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 13 and 7 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 43% of Paper Maps's written reviews are positive against 67% of NomadTracks's.
Paper Maps ships an update every 3 weeks, NomadTracks every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Paper Maps | NomadTracks |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.9 (13 ratings) | 4.4 (7 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 42.9% of reviews | 66.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 13 — better | 7 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 6 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 18.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 59 MB | 64 MB |
| Age rating | +4 | 4+ |
| Developer | Abbro Inc | DonkeyCat GmbH |
Customer experience
Paper Maps
NomadTracks
In-app purchases
Paper Maps
- Monthly Subscription$4.991 Month
- Yearly Subscription7 Days trial$9.991 Year
- Map$0.99
- Map$1.99
- Map$2.99
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- Map$3.99
- Map$4.99
- Unlock data export$4.99
NomadTracks
- One Month Pro Features$2.991 Month









