Comparison

Guru Maps vs Spyglass

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

Head to head
About

Guru Maps

Explore the world offline with detailed maps, turn-by-turn navigation, and GPS track recording. Plan routes, save favorite places, and sync across devices, all without needing an internet connection. Offers advanced features like 3D terrain and lane guidance.

Highlights
  • Offline maps and navigation
  • Turn-by-turn voice directions
  • Multi-stop route planning
  • 3D relief and terrain visualization
  • GPS track recording
  • Fast offline search
  • Sync across devices
Features
Read full description

Explore the world offline with Guru Maps — detailed maps, turn-by-turn navigation, and GPS track recording that keep working when you have no signal. Download maps once and use them anywhere (powered by OpenStreetMap). Plan routes, record adventures, save favorite places, and sync everything across devices. OFFLINE MAPS • Download maps for countries or regions and use them fully offline. • Rich detail and millions of places. Monthly map updates. NAVIGATION THAT WORKS OFFLINE • Voice-guided, turn-by-turn directions with automatic rerouting. • Lane guidance for clearer driving in complex junctions. • Modes: car, bike, truck, walk, plus straight-line navigation (great for sailing or off-road). ROUTE PLANNING • Build multi-stop routes with custom waypoints. • Choose fastest or shortest route and save your plans. • Export routes to GPX/KML to share or back up. TRUE 3D RELIEF & TERRAIN • Preview hills and valleys in True 3D Relief. • High-detail terrain: contour lines, hillshade, and topographic overlays. • Elevation profiles and slope charts for smarter planning. GPS TRACK RECORDING • Record tracks with one tap (even in the background). • Live stats: speed, distance, time, altitude. • Analyze tracks with interactive graphs and export to GPX/KML. FAST OFFLINE SEARCH • Search by name, address, category, or coordinates — offline. • Instant results as you type, with multi-language support. POI & ORGANIZATION • Save places with custom pins and icons. • Organize everything into folders and share with friends. OPENING HOURS • See opening hours for places when available. SYNC ACROSS DEVICES • Sync and back up your markers, tracks, and collections with one Guru Maps account across iOS, macOS, and other platforms. CARPLAY • Use Guru Maps on Apple CarPlay with offline maps and voice directions. NO ADS. PRIVACY FIRST. • No advertising. Your location stays on your device. Power features: one-finger zoom, compass & scale, coordinate grids (MGRS/UTM), GeoJSON overlays, MBTiles/sqlitedb import, and more. Upgrade to Pro for: • Unlimited offline map downloads • Unlimited markers and GPS tracks • Pro map sources, including Satellite and specialist layers (cycling, outdoors, marine, ski, etc.) Choose monthly or yearly subscription (7-day free trial) — or a one-time lifetime purchase. Download Guru Maps and explore with confidence — anywhere, anytime. Terms of Service & Privacy Policy: https://gurumaps.app/terms_of_service Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.

About

Spyglass

This app is a comprehensive offline navigation tool for outdoor and off-road adventures. It combines a high-tech compass, GPS receiver, and augmented reality display with numerous tools for tracking, measuring, and celestial observation.

Highlights
  • Offline GPS and maps
  • Augmented reality display
  • Advanced compass and gyrocompass
  • Waypoint tracking and navigation
  • Sun, Moon, and star finder
  • Optical rangefinder
  • Camera with GPS data overlay
Features
Read full description

Spyglass is an essential offline GPS app for outdoors and off-road navigation. Packed with tools it serves as binoculars, heads-up display, hi-tech compass with offline maps, gyrocompass, GPS receiver, waypoint tracker, speedometer, altimeter, Sun, Moon and star finder, gyro horizon, rangefinder, coordinate converter, sextant, inclinometer, angular calculator and camera. It saves your custom places and waypoints, navigates precisely to them later, shows them on maps and using real-time augmented reality displays detailed GPS info, measures distances, sizes, angles, and does a lot more. COMPASS & GYROCOMPASS Accuracy improvement techniques, special compass modes and calibration methods available in Spyglass only make it a real instrument – the most advanced and accurate digital compass. FINDER, TRACKER & AR NAVIGATION Spyglass operates in 3D and uses augmented reality to show real-time object positions, info and directions to them overlaid over camera or maps. Save current position, add points from maps, manually enter location coordinates and bearings, add stars by hand or use a built-in star catalogue. Find saved places and objects later simply by following directional arrows. Spyglass tracks multiple targets simultaneously and shows their info – distance, direction, azimuth, elevation and estimated time of arrival. Copy, paste and share locations, coordinates and map links using many supported formats. GPS, SPEEDOMETER & ALTIMETER Find and track your location and get detailed real-time GPS data – coordinates in dozens of formats, altitude, course, current, maximum and vertical speed, using imperial, metric, nautical and surveying units. OFFLINE MAPS See your and targets’ positions on maps using different map styles and alternative map providers – plan waypoints and measure distances. Offline maps optimized for retina displays are available for download. TRACK STARS, SUN AND MOON & NAVIGATE BY STARS Track positions of stars, Sun and Moon with arc second precision – use them as a reference to calibrate compass for maximum accuracy. OPTICAL RANGEFINDER Measure distances to objects in real time with a rangefinder reticle similar to sniper sights. SEXTANT, ANGULAR CALCULATOR AND INCLINOMETER Find out heights of objects and distances to them – measure visually and calculate dimensions and distances. CAMERA Take pictures overlaid with all available GPS, positional and directional data. DEMO & HELP Videos: http://j.mp/spyglass_vids Manuals: http://j.mp/spyglass_help If you need specific map sources for hiking, cycling, skiing and many more outdoor activities, feel free to enjoy Spyglass PLUS. At confirmation of the Spyglass PLUS purchase, payment will be charged to your iTunes account, and it will be charged for renewal within 24-hours before the end of the current period. Automatic renewal can be turned off at any time in your Account Settings after purchase. After the cancellation of the renewal, Spyglass Plus will expire at the end of the current period. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact us at https://spyglassnav.com Privacy Policy: https://www.unblip.com/tmp/privacy_and_terms/privacy.html Terms of Use: https://www.unblip.com/tmp/privacy_and_terms/terms.html

Screenshots

Guru Maps4 screens
Spyglass4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Guru Maps at none against Spyglass's shown. Guru Maps also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 6 weeks) and device support (5 vs 3). Spyglass's advantage is iOS requirement (13.4 vs 15.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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

Both are free to download. Guru Maps sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Spyglass sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Guru Maps against 4.7 for Spyglass. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3K and 3.9K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 76% of Guru Maps's written reviews are positive against 81% of Spyglass's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Guru Maps ships an update fortnightly, Spyglass every 6 weeks. Both last shipped on November 10, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Guru Maps versus Spyglass: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGuru MapsSpyglass
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (3K ratings)4.7 (3.9K ratings) — better
Positive reviews76.2% of reviews80.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings3K3.9K — better
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#186#138 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.013.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size112 MB66 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperEvgen BodunovPavel Ahafonau

Customer experience

Guru Maps

All ratings3,021 ratings
Positive92.3%
Neutral3.0%
Negative4.7%
Written reviews412 reviews
Positive76.2%
Neutral6.8%
Negative17.0%

Spyglass

All ratings3,864 ratings
Positive94.8%
Neutral3.0%
Negative2.2%
Written reviews438 reviews
Positive80.6%
Neutral4.3%
Negative15.1%

User reviews

Guru Maps

From 3K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Offline maps work well
  • 🚀 Fast and responsive
  • 🚀 Detailed maps
  • 🚀 Excellent for travel and outdoor activities
  • 🚀 Useful offline navigation

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs
  • 🐛 Map search function not reliable
  • 🐛 Difficulty downloading/importing custom maps
  • 🔋 High battery consumption
  • 💰 Paid features required for full functionality

Spyglass

From 3.9K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🗺️ Excellent navigation and mapping features
  • 🔍 Highly accurate compass and location tracking
  • 🔭 Useful augmented reality and sextant functions
  • 📸 Ability to capture geotagged photos
  • 🛠️ Comprehensive set of tools and utilities

Room to improve

  • 🔋 High battery consumption
  • 🤔 Steep learning curve and complex interface
  • 🗺️ Outdated or incomplete map data in some regions
  • 🐛 Occasional bugs and crashes reported
  • 💰 Subscription model for advanced features

Bugs and requests

Guru Maps

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Crashes after recent updates
  • GPS not working reliably offline
  • Incorrect map data in some areas
  • Syncing issues between devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Route planning and turn-by-turn navigation
  • Elevation/terrain data display
  • Ability to add custom waypoints and annotations
  • Improved search functionality
  • Easier map download and import process

Spyglass

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Compass not always accurate or consistent
  • Freezing or unresponsive issues after updates
  • Difficulty syncing waypoints and locations

Requested features

5 requests
  • Improved waypoint and location management
  • Larger text and UI elements for better readability
  • Integration with popular mapping and navigation apps
  • Offline elevation data and terrain analysis
  • Apple Watch companion app for on-the-go use

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Guru Maps

Subscriptions2
  • Guru Maps Pro Monthly7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Guru Maps Pro Yearly7 Days trial$29.991 Year
One-time1
  • One-Time Purchase$89.99
4 purchases

Spyglass

Subscriptions3
  • Spyglass Plus$3.991 Month
  • Spyglass Plus (Month)3 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • Spyglass Plus (Year)7 Days trial$29.991 Year
One-time1
  • Spyglass Pro (Lifetime)$39.99

Questions

Is Guru Maps free?
Guru Maps is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Spyglass free?
Spyglass is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Guru Maps or Spyglass?
Spyglass is rated higher. Guru Maps averages 4.7 out of 5 from 3K ratings, while Spyglass averages 4.7 from 3.9K ratings.
Do Guru Maps or Spyglass have ads?
Spyglass shows ads; Guru Maps does not.
Which is updated more often, Guru Maps or Spyglass?
Guru Maps ships an update fortnightly, and Spyglass every 6 weeks. Most recently, Guru Maps was updated on November 10, 2026 and Spyglass on November 10, 2026.
Which is more popular, Guru Maps or Spyglass?
Guru Maps currently peaks at #186 in the App Store charts, and Spyglass at #138. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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