Comparison

CoordCalc vs Plains Locator

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

Head to head
About

CoordCalc

Calculate distances and bearings between two points on Earth using manual coordinates or the built-in map. It can also determine a final position based on an initial point, distance, and bearing. Supports various units and coordinate formats.

Highlights
  • Calculate distance and bearing between two points
  • Determine final position from initial point, distance, and bearing
  • Manual coordinate input or map-based selection
  • Supports multiple distance units (miles, km, nautical miles, etc.)
  • Converts between decimal degrees, minutes, and seconds
  • Uses GPS for current location
  • Saves previous positions
Features
Read full description

A coordinate utility app that calculates the distance and initial/final bearings between two points on Earth specified either manually by latitude and longitude or automatically using the built-in map. It can also calculate a final position given an initial position, distance, and bearing. ################################ Limited time sale, get it now before the price increase to $4.99 ################################ The final distance can be calculated in miles, kilometers, nautical miles, yards, meters, or feet. Coordinates can be specified in and converted to and from decimal degrees, decimal minutes or decimal seconds. Bearing is returned in degrees true. Uses WGS84 for improved great circle distance calculation accuracy. NOTES: Coordinate messages can only be sent to other CoordCalc users and are available only within the app. Additional Features: -Can use internal GPS to find the lat/lon coordinates of your current location -Can use and drag the points around on the built-in map and get distance/bearing updates continuously. -Shows starting and ending positions on a map -Saves the previous set of starting and ending positions -Maps can display satellite imagery, and labeled roads, highways, cities, oceans, etc. -Can send coordinate messages with short notes to other CoordCalc users. - Built-in HD version for iPad Example use cases: -Navigation tool for aircraft, boats, etc. -Measure walking distance -Finding your exact position in order to mark points of interest/landmarks or meeting places. -Visualize and edit starting and ending locations using the map feature. -Calculate the size of various landmarks if they are visible via satellite. -Save the position of your parked car -Convert coordinates between different formats Checkout the revamped website and video at: www.justintimeapps.com iOS 4.0 Tested A video demo of how to move the pins is located here: http://www.justintimeapps.com/ts.html This pin jumping issue has been fixed in iOS 4.0, but for iOS 3.0 users, the difficulty of this depends alot on your screen protector. If the protector has a rough surface and causes your finger to jump around, the pin will be dropped often. You will get a better response if you move your finger slowly. Although, you should still be able to move a pin from the top to the bottom of the screen within 2 seconds without losing track. In iOS 4.0, this is not an issue.

About

Plains Locator

This navigation tool converts Public Land Survey System (PLSS) land descriptions into precise GPS coordinates. It allows users to save favorite locations, add custom notes, and get turn-by-turn directions via popular mapping services. Supports several US states.

Highlights
  • Convert PLSS to Latitude/Longitude
  • Save favorite locations and notes
  • Plot locations on map
  • Turn-by-turn navigation
  • Search by current location or map
  • View MTRS and county information
Features
Read full description

Plains Locator: Convert and Map Public Land Survey System (PLSS) Land Descriptions to Latitude and Longitude coordinates. Results include GPS Coordinates and distance to the centre of the section, the ability to favourites, add notes to the location, plot on a map and get navigation directions through Apple Maps, Google Maps and ForeFlight. Features * Search Full Sections * Search Quarter Sections * Search MTRS * Search Latitude & Longitude * Search by Current Location * Search by Map * View full details including MTRS and County information * Save Favorite Locations * View History of searches * Save Custom Notes * Plot locations on map and start turn-by-turn navigation Plains Locator supports the following States: * Colorado * Iowa * Kansas * Minnesota * Montana * Nebraska * North Dakota * Oklahoma * South Dakota A subscription is required to use Plains Locator. Subscriptions can be purchased from within the app. All new signups receive a free 7-day trial period. Your subscription lets you use Plains Locator everywhere. Your data syncs securely and automatically between your devices, and can also be accessed on the web. An active network connection is required to perform conversions and use mapping features. If you enjoy using Plains Locator, please leave us a 5-star review. If you have any questions, problems or suggestions, please contact support@plainslocator.com Payments will be charged to your iTunes Account after confirmation. Subscriptions are automatically renewed unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the subscription period. Accounts will be charged for subscription renewals within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. Subscriptions may be managed in your iTunes Account’s Settings after purchasing. Plains Locator's privacy policy is available at: https://plainslocator.com/privacy-policy Plains Locator's terms of service is available at: https://plainslocator.com/terms-of-service

Screenshots

CoordCalc2 screens
Plains Locator4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Plains Locator at Free against CoordCalc's $2.99. Plains Locator also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.0) and review sentiment (50% vs 40%). CoordCalc's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months). On ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Plains Locator is free to download; CoordCalc costs $2.99 up front. Plains Locator sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.49 per month. CoordCalc asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Plains Locator holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 1 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 40% of CoordCalc's written reviews are positive against 50% of Plains Locator's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

CoordCalc ships an update monthly, Plains Locator every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
CoordCalc versus Plains Locator: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCoordCalcPlains Locator
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating3.0 (4 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews40.0% of reviews50.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings4 — better1
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaid — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS9.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB19 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJustin TimeFlipwire

Customer experience

CoordCalc

All ratings4 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews15 reviews
Positive40.0%
Neutral13.3%
Negative46.7%

Plains Locator

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

In-app purchases

None

CoordCalc

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Plains Locator

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly$4.491 Month
  • Yearly$44.991 Year

Questions

Is CoordCalc free?
CoordCalc costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Plains Locator free?
Plains Locator is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, CoordCalc or Plains Locator?
Plains Locator is rated higher. CoordCalc averages 3.0 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while Plains Locator averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do CoordCalc or Plains Locator have ads?
Neither CoordCalc nor Plains Locator shows ads.
Which is updated more often, CoordCalc or Plains Locator?
CoordCalc ships an update monthly, and Plains Locator every 3 months. Most recently, CoordCalc was updated on October 1, 2026 and Plains Locator on October 16, 2026.

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