Comparison

Avenza Maps vs Scenic Map Alaska

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

Head to head
About

Avenza Maps

Navigate any terrain with offline GPS maps, even without cell service. Explore a vast Map Store for hiking, biking, and travel, or import your own custom maps. Record tracks, add notes, and identify your location precisely.

Highlights
  • Offline GPS navigation
  • Real-time GPS position and direction
  • Record GPS tracks
  • Add photos and notes to locations
  • Import custom maps
  • Map Store with professional maps
Features
Read full description

New Description: Avenza Maps is a powerful offline navigation app for professional field work. Use offline maps with GPS navigation to stay on track anywhere—no signal required, so you can navigate confidently with precise location awareness. Discover and download trail, topographic, land use, utility, nautical, and survey data from trusted publishers, or import your own maps. Avenza supports custom map import, letting you work with PDF maps, GeoPDF®, and GeoTIFF files for reliable navigation both on and off the grid. Explore trusted outdoor & professional data Access the largest mobile Map Stores featuring content from: National Geographic National Park Service US Forest Service (USFS) US Geological Survey (USGS) NOAA, FAA, BLM, and more Avenza is widely used by professionals worldwide for surveying, land management, environmental work, GIS field operations, and more. Make your own maps? Import your custom maps and never get lost off the grid. Maps are available for free or purchase from the in-app Map Store. Plus subscription is available for unlimited custom map imports. Pro subscription is available for professional users with full access to all features and mapping tools. ENHANCE YOUR MAPS WITH THESE FEATURES - Locate your realtime GPS position and find direction, even when offline - Record GPS tracks during your activities - Navigate to features using compass tools - Add photos and notes to any location - Add placemarks to your map and style them with recreational symbols - Measure distances and estimate times - Supports KML, GPX, and CSV Formats GET MORE WITH AVENZA MAPS PLUS For users who need more - Up to 20 custom PDF, GeoPDF®, and GeoTIFF imports - Create geofences for up to 50 individual features and up to four geofence layers GET EVEN MORE WITH AVENZA MAPS PRO For professionals and organizations who require an offline mapping solution with location awareness with more features and tools - Unlimited import of your own geospatial PDF, GeoPDF®, and GeoTIFF maps - GPS averaging, additional coordinate display formats, custom symbol sets - Connect high-accuracy GPS devices via Bluetooth - Created unlimited geofences and get global geofence notifications - Convert tracks to areas - Map orientation lock - Import and export Esri® Shapefiles - Import and manage custom symbology sets - Priority technical support Avenza Maps Pro subscription required for commercial, academic, government, and professional use. Avenza Maps Plus and Pro are available as annual subscriptions. You can subscribe and pay through your Apple ID. Subscriptions are 12 months in duration and will automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period at the rate of your selected plan. Auto-renewal can be turned off in your iTunes Account Settings. If you didn’t use iTunes to subscribe, you can manage your subscription through Avenza. SUPPORT We can help! Go to support.avenzamaps.com LEGAL Privacy Policy: avenzamaps.com/legal/privacy-policy.html Terms of Use: avenzamaps.com/legal/terms.html CONNECT WITH US avenzamaps.com facebook.com/avenzamaps twitter.com/avenzamaps instagram.com/avenzamaps

About

Scenic Map Alaska

Explore detailed 3D topographic maps of Alaska and the entire world, with offline access and satellite imagery. Navigate, track your location, and customize map views for hiking, driving, or boating.

Highlights
  • Offline 3D topographic maps
  • Global online map coverage
  • Satellite image overlays
  • GPS location tracking
  • Customizable map views
  • GPX track import/export
  • 3D tilt and flight simulator modes
Features
Read full description

A 3D topo map of State of Alaska, 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 the entire state 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.

Screenshots

Avenza Maps4 screens
Scenic Map Alaska4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Avenza Maps at Free against Scenic Map Alaska's $1.99. Avenza Maps also leads on ratings volume (128K vs 4) and rating (4.8 vs 4.5). Scenic Map Alaska's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 13) and review sentiment (63% vs 51%). 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

Avenza Maps is free to download; Scenic Map Alaska costs $1.99 up front. Avenza Maps sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $32.99 per year. Scenic Map Alaska asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Avenza Maps holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Avenza Maps has 128K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 51% of Avenza Maps's written reviews are positive against 63% of Scenic Map Alaska's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Avenza Maps ships an update every 2 months, Scenic Map Alaska every 6 months. Both last shipped on November 1, 2026.

Scorecard9 real differences · 2 level
Avenza Maps versus Scenic Map Alaska: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAvenza MapsScenic Map Alaska
PriceFree — better$1.99
Rating4.8 (128K ratings) — better4.5 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews51.2% of reviews62.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings128K — better4
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 6 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank#22 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.016.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size335 MB65 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAvenza Systems Inc.GrangerFX

Customer experience

Avenza Maps

All ratings128,071 ratings
Positive96.4%
Neutral2.9%
Negative0.8%
Written reviews890 reviews
Positive51.2%
Neutral6.7%
Negative42.0%

Scenic Map Alaska

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive62.5%
Neutral12.5%
Negative25.0%

Bugs and requests

Avenza Maps

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Maps disappearing after updates
  • Airdrop functionality issues
  • Compatibility problems with newer devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to stitch/overlay multiple maps
  • Apple CarPlay integration
  • Improved map search and discovery
  • Easier map management and organization
  • Ability to export/share recorded tracks

Scenic Map Alaska

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

13 purchases

Avenza Maps

Subscriptions3
  • Avenza Maps Plus$32.991 Year
  • Avenza Maps Plus1 Month trial$34.991 Year
  • Avenza Maps Pro1 Month trial$169.991 Year
One-time10
  • Forest Service Topo Product$0.99
  • Garmin Tier 1$0.99
  • BaseImage, LLC Map Product$0.99
Show 7 more
  • Western Michigan University Map Product$2.99
  • US Forest Service R5 Map Product$4.99
  • US Forest Service R6 Product$4.99
  • Map the Xperience Map Product$4.99
  • US Forest Service R2 Map Product$4.99
  • US Forest Service R4 Product$4.99
  • National Geographic Map Product$11.99
None

Scenic Map Alaska

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Avenza Maps free?
Avenza Maps is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Scenic Map Alaska free?
Scenic Map Alaska costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Avenza Maps or Scenic Map Alaska?
Avenza Maps is rated higher. Avenza Maps averages 4.8 out of 5 from 128K ratings, while Scenic Map Alaska averages 4.5 from 4 ratings.
Do Avenza Maps or Scenic Map Alaska have ads?
Neither Avenza Maps nor Scenic Map Alaska shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Avenza Maps or Scenic Map Alaska?
Avenza Maps ships an update every 2 months, and Scenic Map Alaska every 6 months. Most recently, Avenza Maps was updated on November 1, 2026 and Scenic Map Alaska on November 1, 2026.

Other comparisons