Comparison

Draw Maps vs Map Notes

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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

About

Map Notes

This app allows users to draw directly on maps, add custom pins with icons, and plan journeys with direction calculation. It converts sketches into navigable paths and saves all annotations as part of the map, syncing across devices via iCloud.

Highlights
  • Draw directly on maps
  • Create pins with custom icons
  • Calculate directions
  • Convert drawings to navigable paths
  • Save annotations as part of the map
  • Attach tags, info, and photos
  • Sync across devices with iCloud
Features
Read full description

Map Notes: Your Personalized Cartography & Travel Planner "Map Notes" is your ultimate companion for personalized mapping and travel planning. With its intuitive interface and powerful features, Map Notes allows you to effortlessly mark your favorite spots, plan your adventures, and customize your maps like never before. Draw Directly on the Map:  Let your creativity flow as you draw directly onto the map. Whether it's highlighting a hiking trail, sketching out a scenic route, or simply doodling landmarks, Map Notes gives you the freedom to express yourself visually. Your drawing will stick to the map and become part of it, moving, rotating, and scaling along with the map itself. Create Pins with Custom Icons:  Make your map truly your own by creating pins with custom icons. Whether it's a favorite restaurant, a hidden gem, or a must-see attraction, personalize your pins to reflect your unique interests and preferences. Calculate Directions and Customise Colours:  Seamlessly plan your journeys with Map Notes' direction calculation feature. Simply pick your starting and ending locations, and let the app generate the optimal route for you. Plus, you can customize the color of your directions to enhance visibility. Convert Drawings to Navigable Paths:  Bridge the gap between creativity and utility. Draw a rough path on the map, and Map Notes can automatically convert your sketch into a formal, snap-to-road direction path. Once converted, save it directly to your map to keep your custom routes ready for your next adventure. Save Annotations as Part of the Map:  Your annotations aren't just temporary markings – they become integral parts of your map. Watch as your drawings, pins, and directions seamlessly rotate, scale, and move along with the map, ensuring that your personalized annotations are always in sync with your location. Attach Tags, Information, and Photos:  Add depth and context to your annotations by attaching tags, information, and photos. Whether it's adding notes about opening hours, descriptions of landmarks, or snapshots of memorable moments, Map Notes lets you enrich your map with meaningful details. Sync Across Devices with iCloud:  Your work is automatically saved to your iCloud account, ensuring seamless syncing across all your devices. Whether you're using your iPhone or iPad, access your maps and annotations anytime, anywhere, with the convenience of iCloud syncing. EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect/manage-app-information/manage-app-privacy/

Screenshots

Draw Maps4 screens
Map Notes4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Draw Maps at 62% against Map Notes's 0%. Draw Maps also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Draw Maps sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Map Notes sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Draw Maps ships an update every 5 weeks, Map Notes every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and October 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Draw Maps versus Map Notes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDraw MapsMap Notes
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.3 (35 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews61.9% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings35 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS12.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size22 MB290 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBluefield GIS, Inc.Zhuoyao lu

Customer experience

Draw Maps

All ratings35 ratings
Positive54.3%
Neutral14.3%
Negative31.4%
Written reviews42 reviews
Positive61.9%
Neutral23.8%
Negative14.3%

Map Notes

Written reviews2 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative50.0%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Draw Maps

Subscriptions2
  • Pro features$1.991 Month
  • Pro features$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • Pro features$24.99
2 purchases

Map Notes

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Subscription3 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Yearly subscription3 Days trial$34.991 Year

Questions

Is Draw Maps free?
Draw Maps is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Map Notes free?
Map Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Draw Maps or Map Notes have ads?
Neither Draw Maps nor Map Notes shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Draw Maps or Map Notes?
Draw Maps ships an update every 5 weeks, and Map Notes every 3 weeks. Most recently, Draw Maps was updated on October 3, 2026 and Map Notes on October 4, 2026.

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