Scenic Map Eastern USA vs You Need A Map
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Scenic Map Eastern USA
Explore detailed 3D topographic maps of the Eastern USA and the entire world offline. View terrain, roads, and water features with incredible detail, even at satellite altitude. Track your location, record routes, and customize map displays for any adventure.
- Offline 3D topographic maps
- Global online map coverage with caching
- Satellite image overlays
- 3D tilt and flight simulator view
- GPS tracking and route recording
- Customizable map layers and styles
- Feature information display
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A 3D topo map of the Eastern USA. The vector map data is contained within the app and can be used without an internet connection. Use it in a car, a boat, a plane or while hiking. It is like having more than a third of the country in your pocket. Scenic Map now covers the entire world via online maps. The maps are cached automatically so they can still be used when there is no cell coverage. Turn on Online Map in the Settings menu and you can then scroll or go to any location on the planet. 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. Use the two finger vertical swipe gesture to tilt the map for a 3D view. Scroll like a map or fly like a flight simulator. Enable Joystick Gestures in the Settings menu and then fly around the terrain using a virtual joystick. Prefer only 2D maps? Enable the 2D Map option in the Settings menu. Scenic Map is simply the best 3D topo map available for a mobile device. You will see incredible detail while scrolling, rotating and zooming perfectly smoothly. You will see every road even if you zoom out to the altitude of a satellite. As you zoom in, you will see every small bump and hollow of the Earth and terrain features as small as ten meters. Unlike old fashioned topo maps, Scenic Map’s roads and trails are up to date thanks to OpenStreetMap.org. It contains polygons for urban areas, shopping malls, an ever growing number of buildings and many other features, The best lake, pond, stream and rivers from the USGS and Canadian public databases are also included. Tap the GPS center button to begin tracking your location. As you move, you will generate a track file. Tracks can be replayed with video like controls to speed up, slow down, pause, restart or skip to the end. You can display existing tracks while recording another if you want to retrace your route. When online, you can automatically create a route from your current GPS location to any other point on the map. Tracks can be received from or sent to other apps in GPX format. GPS recording stops automatically after you have remained stationary for some time or you can choose to manually stop tracking by tapping on the top track in the Tracks view. Never before have maps been this customizable. For example, you can turn on or off the roads. You can change the lighting direction or remove terrain shading entirely. You can display contour lines even over satellite images. There are five presets which let you quickly switch between map styles. Use Metric, English or Nautical units and choose one of four different coordinate displays including UTM. Want to learn more about a map feature? Tap the target icon and center the feature under the compass rose to display its name, type, urban area, county, 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 bar shows the bearing direction and distance along with the map and GPS elevation, the track length, and your current speed and direction of travel. In-app documentation is provided in the Help section at the top of the Settings menu. Links are provided in the documentation to detailed coverage maps, tutorial videos, installation guide and blog at ScenicMap.com Map data © OpenStreetMap and contributors under the Open Database License Scenic 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.
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.
- 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
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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
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: You Need A Map at Free against Scenic Map Eastern USA's $4.99. You Need A Map also leads on ratings volume (53 vs 6). Scenic Map Eastern USA's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.4) and in-app purchases (none vs 2). On review sentiment, update cadence, ads and monetization model 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
You Need A Map is free to download; Scenic Map Eastern USA costs $4.99 up front. You Need A Map sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Scenic Map Eastern USA asks for nothing beyond the download.
Scenic Map Eastern USA holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: You Need A Map has 53 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 65% of Scenic Map Eastern USA's written reviews are positive against 73% of You Need A Map's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on August 24, 2026 and August 28, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Scenic Map Eastern USA | You Need A Map |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 5.0 (6 ratings) — better | 4.4 (53 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 65.2% of reviews | 72.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 6 | 53 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.1 | 16.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 66 MB | 66 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | GrangerFX | GrangerFX |
Customer experience
Scenic Map Eastern USA
You Need A Map
Bugs and requests
Scenic Map Eastern USA
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
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 moreShow fewer
- 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
Scenic Map Eastern USA
No in-app purchases
You Need A Map
- 3D MappingFree
- Scenic Map Features$4.99
Questions
Is Scenic Map Eastern USA free?
Is You Need A Map free?
Which has better reviews, Scenic Map Eastern USA or You Need A Map?
Do Scenic Map Eastern USA or You Need A Map have ads?
Which is updated more often, Scenic Map Eastern USA or You Need A Map?
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