Freeman Maps vs Wayback Maps USA
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Freeman Maps
Navigate popular motorcycle routes with turn-by-turn directions derived from authentic, curated maps. Designed for riders who prioritize enjoying the journey, it offers access to expertly crafted rides and scenic stops.
- Turn-by-turn directions
- Curated motorcycle ride maps
- Authentic Freeman's maps
- Scenic route suggestions
- Access to complete ride library (membership)
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Get turn-by-turn directions for the most popular rides straight from Freeman’s famous printed maps. Welcome to the all-new Version 2.0! We've completely redesigned the app to be faster, cleaner, and more stable, so you can spend your time enjoying the ride, not making or sharing maps. Randy Freeman has been creating specialty touring and trail maps from scratch since 1992. He does the homework so you don’t have to. Our maps show only the best-named roads, ride loops, and stops possible. What to expect in the app: Reworked Turn-by-Turn Guidance: We completely overhauled our most loved feature to give you the most reliable, seamless navigation experience yet. Smart Caching: Hit a dead zone? No problem. Our new smart caching keeps your route loaded and ready even when your cell signal drops. Free & Premium Rides: We’ve provided many of the most popular rides for you to use for free. Members can access our complete library, which is continuously updated with new rides in new places. Seamless Login: Getting started is faster than ever with new Apple and Google sign-in options. We’re thrilled to bring Freeman Maps to your phone in our best app version yet. Please note, we cannot always foresee detours and construction activity—so ride and drive safely, and please Look Twice.
Wayback Maps USA
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Wayback Maps USA displays U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) maps, from the current USGS Topo national map all the way back to historical topographic maps from previous centuries. • Up to date background map layers, street and imagery • Historic map overlays at many scales and dates • Displays map legend, or "collar" • Turn off collar to align adjacent historic maps • Turn on GPS to find historic maps at your current location • Set marker for measuring position, heading, and distance • Cache maps for offline field use • Comprehensive search of place names • Single purchase for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch TIPS & TRICKS The arrow cursor at the center of the screen points to an exact location on the map. Drag the map to move the cursor's location. Pinch to zoom the map in and out. Press the location icon at bottom left of screen to turn on GPS and move the cursor to your current location on the map. The map rotates in the direction facing the top of your device. Press the location icon again to rotate the map to face north. Turn off location by dragging the map off center. Press the "..." icon at bottom right of screen to display the options menu. Press the "Overlay map" drop down control. Choose an historic map available at the current map location. Maps are listed by year and map scale. The expand button at the upper left will change the drop down to an inline list for closer study. Also on the options menu, press "Search" and type "Fort Point Ca..." The first overlay map listed for this location is "1995 1:24K San Francisco North CA." This is a 7.5 x 7.5 degree minute topographic map of the Golden Gate Bridge area. USGS stopped making this style of hand-drawn map in the 1990s, as it had grown too expensive to keep up to date. The modern replacement map is the computer generated base map displayed in Wayback Maps, USGS Topo. The oldest map in the list is from 1895, 1:62.5K scale. Note the old railway lines that have since vanished. And, of course, there is no Golden Gate Bridge. The overlay map appears with its "collar," the white area surrounding the map that contains the map legend. The "Map collar" toggle controls the display of the collar. With the collar off you can select adjacent maps of the same scale to achieve a seamless view at the map edges. The base map is the background map over which the overlay maps appear. The default base map is "USGS Topo," which is the modern topographic map from USGS. "USGS Imagery" is a similar map but with aerial imagery. Maps downloaded by Wayback are stored in an internal cache. If the cache size is set sufficiently large then you can view your previously viewed Wayback maps without a network connection in the backcountry. To make sure all desired content is cached it is a good idea to preview maps in airplane mode before heading out. To measure distances on the map, move the center arrow cursor to the starting point. Tap the center arrow. A cross mark appears, and the latitude and longitude of this point is displayed. Now move the cursor to the second spot. The arrow points back towards the cross mark and shows the distance. To turn off measurement, tap on the center arrow again. Thank you for using Wayback Maps USA.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Freeman Maps at Free against Wayback Maps USA's $4.99. Wayback Maps USA's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 3 months) and chart position (#176 vs unranked). On ads, in-app purchases and iOS requirement 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
Freeman Maps is free to download; Wayback Maps USA costs $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Freeman Maps ships an update every 3 months, Wayback Maps USA weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Freeman Maps | Wayback Maps USA |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $4.99 |
| Rating | 2.5 (8 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 16.7% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 8 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Best chart rank | — | #176 — better |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 17 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 141 MB | 89 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | xm systems | Eastridge Technology |
In-app purchases
Freeman Maps
No in-app purchases
Wayback Maps USA
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Freeman Maps free?
Is Wayback Maps USA free?
Do Freeman Maps or Wayback Maps USA have ads?
Which is updated more often, Freeman Maps or Wayback Maps USA?
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