Draw Maps vs Cartograph Maps 3
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Draw Maps
Annotate maps with custom notes, pins, and photos. Use a variety of drawing tools and colors to mark locations, plan events, or record observations. Share your annotated maps with others or archive them for later use.
- Draw and highlight on maps
- Add colored map pins with notes
- Place photos on the map
- Draw and highlight within photos
- 72 color options
- Use stencils for shapes and labels
- Share map images or documents
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Draw Maps gives you color pens and pencils to make sketches and take notes anywhere in the map. Add map pins and photos to note important locations. Think of the whole world as being your sketch pad. Move around and zoom to different scales as you draw. Share your maps with friends. Use Draw Maps at work, school, and play: - Planning your next vacation - Designing landscapes - Detailing event logistics - Noting underground utilities - Reporting storm damage - Recording wildlife sightings - Remembering your favorite fishing holes - Tracing hiking trails - Geocaching and scavenger hunts - Learning geography by tracing borders - Taking field notes - Giving directions to your friend Features: - Draw and highlight in the map - Place colored map pins in the map and add long form notes - Place photos in the map - Draw and highlight in the photos - 72 colors - Use the stencil to draw perfect shapes or labels - Move and zoom the map as needed while you draw - Zoom to your location to take a note where you are - Zoom to other locations using Find - Send images of your map drawings to other people - Send your Draw Maps Document to another Draw Maps user - Archive your Draw Maps Document to online storage - Send KML (Pro feature) - Make as many maps as you like (Pro feature) - Ready for Apple Pencil
Cartograph Maps 3
View and record offline vector maps with advanced features like custom themes, hill shading, and multiple layer stacking. Plan routes offline, measure distances, and sync data across devices. Supports various map formats and coordinate systems.
- View Mapsforge offline vector maps
- Support for OpenAndroMaps render themes
- Offline route calculation with BRouter
- Track recording in background
- Measurement tools
- Cloud sync across devices
- Multiple map layer stacking
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# Cartograph Maps View Mapsforge offline vector maps and record tracks. Includes OpenAndroMaps render themes, MBTiles support, hill shading, multi-layer stacking, offline BRouter routing, measurement tools, cloud sync, search, and offline overlays. Questions, problems, or feature requests: https://www.cartograph.eu/v3/contact/ **NEW** The app now ships with a companion Apple Watch app: https://youtu.be/mMjO9Ngfak0 ## Map features - View Mapsforge offline vector maps (including OpenAndroMaps.org). - OpenAndroMaps render themes (Elevate, Elements) for hiking, mountainbiking, running, and more. - Other offline formats: MBTiles (raster/vector), TwoWays RMAP, Locus SQLite, Oruxmaps SQLite, Garmin IMG (non-NT). - Online types: Mapbox MVT, Bing quadkey, OSM slippy tiles, raster WMS, MapLibre. - Offline hillshading and slope mapping (*). - Mapsforge multi-maps (*). - Classic Mapsforge and Mapsforge VTM rendering. - Stack multiple map layers, including transparency (*). - 3D buildings (*). - Create custom Mapsforge maps (**). - Grid overlays: WGS84, UTM, MGRS, and local projections (*). - Coordinate display: WGS84, UTM, MGRS, and local (proj4) projections. - Online map tile downloader (*). - Image-to-map calibration tool (*). - Zoom lock. ## Tracks and routing - Background track recording (*). - Custom track drawing tool (*). - Photo, video, and audio waypoints (*). - BRouter offline route calculation (*). - OSRM routing. - Google Directions (**). - Offline navigation with voice/custom audio instructions (*). - Waypoint alerts (*). - Live route elevation profile (*). - Import/export GPX, KML, KMZ (import only). - Import EXIF JPEG photos and Google Takeout as bookmarks (*). - Garmin icon support (*). - Live friend tracking (*). ## Other features - Measurement tools: distance, elevation profile, circular distance (*). - Workspaces for managing maps/overlays/tracks (*). - Cloud sync via OneDrive, DropBox, or your own server (*). - "What's here" reverse geocoding. - Built-in offline overlays: drinking water, supermarkets, hostels, restaurants. - Search: Google Places, Nominatim (**). - WunderLINQ and Carpe-Iter-Control support. - Translations: Czech, English, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Traditional Chinese (add your own: https://www.cartograph.eu/v3/add-ons/translations/). - Bluetooth heart rate, cadence, and speed sensors. (*) Full version, via in-app purchase. (**) Requires credits, obtainable in-app. ## In-app purchases Unlock all features and access third-party services (e.g. Google Directions). Details and Terms of Use: https://www.cartograph.eu/v3/in-app-purchase-info/ ## Disclaimer Background track recording uses location services and may significantly increase battery usage.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Cartograph Maps 3 at 4.3 against Draw Maps's 3.3. Cartograph Maps 3 also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 5 weeks) and review sentiment (76% vs 62%). Draw Maps's advantage is ratings volume (35 vs 3) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 16.2). On price, ads, 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
Both are free to download. Draw Maps sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Cartograph Maps 3 sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $2.49 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Cartograph Maps 3 holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Draw Maps has 35 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 62% of Draw Maps's written reviews are positive against 76% of Cartograph Maps 3's.
Draw Maps ships an update every 5 weeks, Cartograph Maps 3 every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Draw Maps | Cartograph Maps 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.3 (35 ratings) | 4.3 (3 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 61.9% of reviews | 76.2% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 35 — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 16.2 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 22 MB | 132 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Bluefield GIS, Inc. | Harald Meyer |
Customer experience
Draw Maps
Cartograph Maps 3
In-app purchases
Draw Maps
- Pro features$1.991 Month
- Pro features$9.991 Year
- Pro features$24.99
Cartograph Maps 3
- Add 100 3rd party credits$2.491 Month
- Full version (monthly)$2.991 Month
- Cloud synchronization7 Days trial$2.991 Month
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- Full version (6 months)$4.996 Months
- Monthly subscription$4.991 Month
- Add 400 3rd party credits$7.991 Month
- Full version (yearly)$8.491 Year
- Yearly subscription$17.991 Year
- Add 100 3rd party credits$1.99
- Cartograph for Apple Watch$3.99
- 400 4rd party credits.$8.99
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- Full version (life-time)$29.99
Questions
Is Draw Maps free?
Is Cartograph Maps 3 free?
Which has better reviews, Draw Maps or Cartograph Maps 3?
Do Draw Maps or Cartograph Maps 3 have ads?
Which is updated more often, Draw Maps or Cartograph Maps 3?
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