Comparison

Guru Maps vs You Need A Map

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

Head to head
About

Guru Maps

Navigate the world without an internet connection using detailed offline maps and turn-by-turn GPS directions. Plan multi-stop routes, record your adventures, and discover millions of points of interest with rich 3D terrain views. Sync your data across devices for seamless exploration.

Highlights
  • Offline maps and navigation
  • Turn-by-turn voice directions
  • Multi-stop route planning
  • GPS track recording
  • 3D relief and terrain views
  • Offline search for places
  • 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

You Need A Map

This app provides detailed offline 3D topographic maps of the entire USA. It includes terrain, roads, water bodies, and landmarks, functioning even without a cell signal. It's ideal for navigation and emergency situations where connectivity is unreliable.

Highlights
  • Offline 3D topographic maps
  • Covers all 50 US states
  • Works without cell signal
  • Shows terrain, roads, and landmarks
  • GPS tracking and track replay
  • Detailed feature information display
  • Satellite image overlays
Features
Read full description

If you get lost or in an emergency, YOU NEED A MAP! A map that covers the entire USA, all 50 states. A map that works everywhere even without a cell phone signal. A map that shows not just roads but also terrain, streams, lakes and other landmarks. Note: If you would prefer a small app that caches online maps covering the entire world, please see the More by GrangerFX section below and try the free Scenic Map app. Get You Need A Map if you want an offline map the entire USA as a single large download. The paid apps have built in maps with full resolution terrain. Your iPhone has a great online map but all it takes is one wrong turn and you could find yourself lost with no cell phone signal. What is the fastest way back to the highway? Should you go forwards or back? Is there a better road just a short distance away? Is there a raging stream or an steep cliff between you and the road? YOU NEED A MAP! You Need A Map is a huge application. It has to be. It contains every mountain, hill, stream, lake, pond, freeway, highway, local road and track. In addition it contains many buildings, trails, railways, points of interest and polygon features. It has everything you need to find out where you are and what is around you anywhere in the USA. Most navigation apps on the iPhone and iPad must transfer all their maps from servers on the internet. This can be slow in areas with only 2G coverage or completely unavailable in wilderness areas where a map would be most useful. You Need A Map solves this problem by storing maps directly on your iPhone or iPad. This extremely fast high quality software renderer is the first of its kind for mobile devices. If you do have a cellular or WiFi internet connect, Satellite image overlays add breathtaking detail and realism to the maps (tap preset 2 or 4 when Online Map is enabled). You can use them as you travel to see what is hidden from view at ground level. This takes moving maps to a whole new level. Tap the arrow in the toolbar to enable GPS tracking. As you move, you will generate a track file which you can replay. You can also import GPX tracks generated in other programs and play them. While recording or playing a track, the map will be centered on the current location and rotated towards the direction of travel and rendered in 2D or 3D with silky smooth animation. When playing a track, you can speed up, slow down, pause, restart or skip to the end. Send your GPX tracks to other apps or email them. Want to learn more about a map feature? Click the target icon and center it under the compass rose to display its name, feature type, urban area, state, elevation and coordinates. You will also see a bearing line back to your current GPS location or from your location to a selected waypoint. The status will display the direction and distance along with the map and GPS elevation, the track length, and your current speed and direction of travel You Need A Map uses the same code as Scenic Map and has most of the same features. These include many map customization options, customizable waypoints, direction and bearing information, a smooth scrolling moving map display while driving or flying, city search and much more. You can also get the full feature set of Scenic Map with an in-app purchase including the new online maps of the entire world. Documentation, detailed coverage maps, installation guide and blog are available on ScenicMap.com You Need A Map covers the entire USA including all 50 states Map data © OpenStreetMap and contributors under the Open Database License You Need A Map supports GPS tracking while the app is in the background. Caution: Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.

Screenshots

Guru Maps4 screens
You Need A Map4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Guru Maps at every 10 days against You Need A Map's every 4 months. Guru Maps also leads on ratings volume (2.9K vs 53) and rating (4.7 vs 4.4). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases 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 6 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and You Need A Map sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Guru Maps holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Guru Maps has 2.9K ratings behind it against 53, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 76% of Guru Maps's written reviews are positive against 73% of You Need A Map's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Guru Maps ships an update every 10 days, You Need A Map every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and August 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Guru Maps versus You Need A Map: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGuru MapsYou Need A Map
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (2.9K ratings) — better4.4 (53 ratings)
Positive reviews75.7% of reviews — better72.7% of reviews
Number of ratings2.9K — better53
Update frequencyEvery 10 days — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank#193 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.1
Further details — not scored
Size123 MB66 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperEvgen BodunovGrangerFX

Customer experience

Guru Maps

All ratings2,900 ratings
Positive92.4%
Neutral3.0%
Negative4.7%
Written reviews404 reviews
Positive75.7%
Neutral7.2%
Negative17.1%

You Need A Map

All ratings53 ratings
Positive86.8%
Neutral1.9%
Negative11.3%
Written reviews88 reviews
Positive72.7%
Neutral11.4%
Negative15.9%

User reviews

Guru Maps

From 2.9K 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

You Need A Map

From 53 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🗺️ Excellent offline maps
  • ⛰️ Detailed terrain and 3D view
  • 📸 Useful for photography planning
  • ✈️ Great for pilots and aviation
  • 🌲 Ideal for backcountry/remote areas

Room to improve

  • 💾 Large file size
  • 🔋 High battery consumption
  • 🗺️ Missing specific locations (e.g., Isle Royale)
  • 📉 Outdated map data in some areas
  • ❓ Unintuitive at times

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

You Need A Map

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Dark mode alphanumeric display issue
  • App crashes when touching GPS icon
  • App won't open after update
  • Download issues
  • 3D feature purchase unavailable

Requested features

9 requests
  • Prioritize favorite waypoints
  • Update satellite imagery
  • Improve search functionality for towns/streets
  • Add BLM and state trust land overlays
  • Add Retina display graphics for new iPads
Show 4 more
  • Provide a user guide within the app
  • Add status icon for GPS signal acquisition
  • Make maps selectable by region to reduce download size
  • Improve street name alignment/readability

In-app purchases

6 purchases

Guru Maps

Subscriptions2
  • Guru Maps Pro Monthly7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Guru Maps Pro Yearly7 Days trial$29.991 Year
One-time4
  • One-Time Purchase$27.00
  • One-Time Purchase$40.49
  • One-Time Purchase$54.00
Show 1 more
  • One-Time Purchase$89.99
2 purchases

You Need A Map

One-time2
  • 3D MappingFree
  • Scenic Map Features$4.99

Questions

Is Guru Maps free?
Guru Maps is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is You Need A Map free?
You Need A Map is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Guru Maps or You Need A Map?
Guru Maps is rated higher. Guru Maps averages 4.7 out of 5 from 2.9K ratings, while You Need A Map averages 4.4 from 53 ratings.
Do Guru Maps or You Need A Map have ads?
Neither Guru Maps nor You Need A Map shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Guru Maps or You Need A Map?
Guru Maps ships an update every 10 days, and You Need A Map every 4 months. Most recently, Guru Maps was updated on September 23, 2026 and You Need A Map on August 28, 2026.

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