Open Canal Map UK vs Panda Explorer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Open Canal Map UK
Navigate the UK's waterways with a comprehensive map of canals and rivers. Discover points of interest like locks, services, and commercial amenities. Contribute to the community by adding new locations and keeping the map up-to-date.
- UK canal and river mapping
- Points of interest (locks, bridges, services)
- User contributions and updates
- Boater services (water, pumpouts)
- Commercial services for cruisers
- Automatic map updates
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UK canal and river map created using both public data and user contributions. Points of interest are overlaid on maps of the UK's navigable canals and rivers, and include entries for navigation (locks, bridges, junctions, turning points), boater services (water points, toilet pumpouts, etc.), and commercial services especially relevant to continuous or long-term cruising (e.g. laundry services) The map is generated with help fellow boaters and we welcome your adding missing items to the map. Over 700 items have been added based on user submissions so far, including convenience stores, laundry services, as well as a list of high quality mooring spots, and some hidden gems like private marinas or mooring locations where public access is allowed to waste disposal other boater services. New user contributions are added periodically, and the map will auto update automatically when new points of interest are added Happy boating...
Panda Explorer
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Panda Explorer is the ultimate tourist companion app, helping you discover the best places near you wherever you travel. Whether you're looking for a great restaurant, a lively bar, local attractions or entertainment — Panda Explorer finds them all on a beautiful interactive map. FEATURES: • Discover nearby restaurants, bars, attractions and entertainment • Interactive map with real-time place pins • Get directions straight to any place with one tap • Filter by category to find exactly what you're looking for • Search within your chosen radius • See ratings and details for every place • Share places with friends and family EXPLORE YOUR WAY Browse places on the map or switch to list view to scroll through everything nearby. Tap any place to see more details and get instant directions. TRAVEL SMARTER Perfect for tourists and travellers who want to make the most of every destination. Simply open the app and let Panda Explorer show you what's around. Remove ads with a one-time purchase and enjoy a clean, distraction-free experience.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Open Canal Map UK at none against Panda Explorer's shown. Open Canal Map UK also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.2). On price, in-app purchases and device support 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. Open Canal Map UK sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Panda Explorer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
| Parameter | Open Canal Map UK | Panda Explorer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (11 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 59.3% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 11 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Weekly | — |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 26.2 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 105 MB | 35 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Tom Sapey | Michael Haslam |
Bugs and requests
Open Canal Map UK
Reported bugs
11 issues- Location not found after update
- Tow path closure location incorrect
- Locks have disappeared from the Thames map
- App icon changed, graphics horrid
- Stopped working on iPad
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- New update no longer works on phone
- Maps do not load
- Report option greyed out
- Text unreadably small on iPhone
- Blurry Google map overlay
- Mapping difficult and unusable after update
Requested features
18 requests- Add ETA feature
- Include widths, depths, and air height of canals
- Option to change text size
- Option to switch off blurry Google map overlay
- Add map legends
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- Facility to add personal notes
- Incorporate a route planner
- Add pubs and eateries as POI
- Allow users to contribute pubs, shops etc.
- Add a donation button
- Show distance from point to point
- Add photos for points of interest
- Ability to report errors
- Update Droitwich canals
- Add mile markers instead of km
- Include historical map year
- Search function for locations
- Allow users to comment on premises
Panda Explorer
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Open Canal Map UK
- Remove Adverts Permently$4.99
Panda Explorer
- Remove Ads$0.99
