# CAD vs SW Maps

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: SW Maps at none against CAD's 4. SW Maps also leads on ratings volume (25 vs 6). CAD's advantage is rating (4.3 vs 3.8) and review sentiment (50% vs 30%). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. CAD sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. SW Maps asks for nothing beyond the download.

CAD holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6 and 25 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of CAD's written reviews are positive against 30% of SW Maps's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | CAD | SW Maps |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.3 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cad-locator/id1532756928/reviews)** | [3.8 (25 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sw-maps/id6444248083/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 6 | **25** |
| Positive reviews | **50.0% of reviews** | 30.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free** |
| Size | 141 MB | 17 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [KPR Publishing LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1532756930) | [Aviyaan Tech](https://appshunter.io/developer/1653343736) |

## What reviewers say

### CAD

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cad-locator/id1532756928)

Visualize .dxf files on your phone or tablet without complex calibration. Upload your design files to see lot lines, detention areas, and more, aiding contractors, developers, engineers, and surveyors in planning and execution.

**Highlights:** Visualize .dxf files on a map, View in State Plane or Lat/Long, Layer management, Surface to Grid corrections, Unlimited uploads (10MB limit), TXT formatted point sets (PNEZD)

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| CAD-Locator Basic Membership | $1.99 | per month |
| CAD-Locator Basic Membership | $19.99 | per year |
| CAD-Locator Monthly Membership | $49.99 | per month |
| CAD-Locator Membership | $499.99 | per year |


### SW Maps

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sw-maps/id6444248083)

This app allows users to collect, present, and share geographic information. It supports recording points, lines, polygons, and associated data like photos and audio. High-accuracy GPS surveys are possible with external receivers, and data can be shared in various standard formats.

**Highlights:** Collect points, lines, and polygons, Attach custom attributes (text, photo, audio, video), High-accuracy GPS surveys with external receivers, Offline map support, Export data in multiple formats (Shapefile, GeoPackage, CSV), Create and share project templates

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is CAD free?

CAD is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is SW Maps free?

SW Maps is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, CAD or SW Maps?

CAD is rated higher. CAD averages 4.3 out of 5 from 6 ratings, while SW Maps averages 3.8 from 25 ratings.

### Do CAD or SW Maps have ads?

Neither CAD nor SW Maps shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, CAD or SW Maps?

CAD ships an update every 2 months, and SW Maps every 2 months. Most recently, CAD was updated on November 3, 2026 and SW Maps on November 3, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*