# GIS Lite vs SW Maps

The clearest difference is rating: SW Maps at 3.8 against GIS Lite's 1.0. SW Maps also leads on ratings volume (25 vs 1). GIS Lite's advantage is update cadence (every 6 days vs every 2 months) and review sentiment (50% vs 30%). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

SW Maps holds the better App Store score, 3.8 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SW Maps has 25 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 50% of GIS Lite's written reviews are positive against 30% of SW Maps's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

GIS Lite ships an update every 6 days, SW Maps every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | GIS Lite | SW Maps |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [1.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gis-lite/id1548266173/reviews) | **[3.8 (25 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sw-maps/id6444248083/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 1 | **25** |
| Positive reviews | **50.0% of reviews** | 30.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 6 days** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 30 MB | 17 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Ioannis Sofos](https://appshunter.io/developer/1548266175) | [Aviyaan Tech](https://appshunter.io/developer/1653343736) |

## What reviewers say

### GIS Lite

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gis-lite/id1548266173)

This app allows users to view and collect spatial data on their mobile devices. It supports various file formats, enables field data collection with photo attachments, and offers note-taking capabilities directly on maps. Offline access and extensive projection support make it ideal for field work.

**Highlights:** Load and view DXF, KML, Shapefiles, GeoTiff, Collect field data with photo attachments, Freehand/pencil notes over maps, Export georeferenced TIFFs, Offline data access, Support for over 3000 projections, Apple Pencil support for object selection

**In-app purchases:** none


### 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 GIS Lite free?

GIS Lite is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is SW Maps free?

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

### Which has better reviews, GIS Lite or SW Maps?

SW Maps is rated higher. GIS Lite averages 1.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while SW Maps averages 3.8 from 25 ratings.

### Do GIS Lite or SW Maps have ads?

Neither GIS Lite nor SW Maps shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, GIS Lite or SW Maps?

GIS Lite ships an update every 6 days, and SW Maps every 2 months. Most recently, GIS Lite was updated on October 21, 2026 and SW Maps on October 23, 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.*