Avenza Maps vs Theodolite HD
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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
Theodolite HD
This app combines a compass, inclinometer, rangefinder, GPS, and map for augmented reality navigation. It allows users to capture data-overlay photos and videos, view positions on a map with offline options, and share location data with others. It's designed for professional use and outdoor activities.
- Augmented reality viewfinder
- Compass and inclinometer
- GPS and map with offline options
- Data-overlay photo/video camera
- Rangefinder and nav calculator
- Location sharing and team tracking
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Theodolite HD is a multi-function viewfinder that combines a compass, two-axis inclinometer, rangefinder, GPS, map, nav calculator, and geo-overlay photo/movie camera into one indispensable app. Theodolite was one of the very first augmented reality (AR) apps when it was released in 2009, and it’s been downloaded and used by millions of customers since then. Uses are endless, and the app is great for land measurements, outdoor sports, sightseeing, navigation, and finding your way around. Theodolite is a pro grade app and is used extensively by surveyors, geologists, architects, engineers, competitive sportsmen, first responders, military personnel, and search and rescue workers around the world. Theodolite lets you take data-overlay photos and movies with 2X-8X zoom. Overlay geographical data, angle markings, date/time, author/company info, and project notes directly on photos and movies for later reference. The same data is written into the metadata record of images, making image files self-contained data records. Third-party apps can tap into Theodolite's advanced camera functions with a camera sharing feature. View current position on the built-in map with optional offline Outdoors maps that include topo contours, roads, trails, landmarks, campgrounds, ski lifts, and more. Live map markers continually update distance/heading relative to the current location and also show wayfinding info in the main viewfinder. Draw polygons on the map to mark things like property boundaries and trails, and import/export polygon data via KML. Share map markers and nav calculator points with other users of Theodolite via text messages or e-mail. This powerful capability opens up a wide range of collaborative uses including team land surveying, accident investigations, spotting wild fires, triangulation of landmarks, and advanced tactical observation and targeting. With an optional in-app purchase to enable team tracking, you can share location with up to 20 people on Theodolite's map. Theodolite includes features for serious users like a reference angle mode, nav calculator, map marker import/export, manual and automatic data logging with CSV and KML export, clipboard integration, %grade display, mil compass readout, optical rangefinders (including a mil-based reticle, sniper-style stadiametric graphs, and a variable 4X-24X scope), and night filters to improve use in dark conditions. Theodolite can provide location in military grid reference system (MGRS) coordinates, Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) coordinates, British/Irish National Grids, US National Grid, Maidenhead locator system, Map Grid of Australia, and six latitude/longitude formats. Optional US State Plane coordinates include SPCS27 and SPCS83 zones covering all US States. The optional Datum Pack adds over 230 geodetic datums to the app to improve position computation from GPS data, covering regions and countries on all continents around the world. AR Layers include navigational aids like the sun, moon, planets, and Polaris (North star), and the optional US Mountain Summits layer that shows over 70,000 US mountain summits in the viewfinder. Theodolite has been shown in Apple Keynotes, featured on the App Store, and has been a #1 selling Navigation app in App Stores around the world. Since its introduction in 2009, Theodolite has defined augmented reality navigation. The app continually introduces new technologies, pushing the limits of iOS app development and taking advantage of new hardware capabilities. Find out why Apple named Theodolite one of the most amazing apps available and showed it being used to explore the Great Wall of China. Where will you take it on your next adventure? Note: Theodolite HD is an iPad app -- see the regular “Theodolite” app for use on an iPhone or iPod Touch. And be sure to check out the all-new "Theodolite for Watch" and put Theodolite on your wrist!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Avenza Maps at Free against Theodolite HD's $8.99. Avenza Maps also leads on ratings volume (128K vs 136) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 4 months). Theodolite HD's advantage is review sentiment (91% vs 51%) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 18.0). On rating, ads, in-app purchases 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
Avenza Maps is free to download; Theodolite HD costs $8.99 up front. Avenza Maps sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $34.99 per year and Theodolite HD sells 8 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Avenza Maps against 4.7 for Theodolite HD. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Avenza Maps has 128K ratings behind it against 136, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 51% of Avenza Maps's written reviews are positive against 91% of Theodolite HD's.
Avenza Maps ships an update every 2 months, Theodolite HD every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Avenza Maps | Theodolite HD |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $8.99 |
| Rating | 4.8 (128K ratings) — better | 4.7 (136 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 51.2% of reviews | 91.4% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 128K — better | 136 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #17 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPad |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 15.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 335 MB | 30 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Avenza Systems Inc. | Craig Hunter |
Customer experience
Avenza Maps
Theodolite HD
User reviews
Avenza Maps
From 128K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Easy to use
- 🗺️ Accurate GPS tracking
- 📥 Offline maps
- 💾 Ability to download maps
- 🗺️ Detailed topographic maps
Room to improve
- 🔍 Poor search functionality
- 🗺️ Inaccurate map placement
- 💰 Expensive maps
- 🔋 Battery drain
- 🤔 Confusing interface
Theodolite HD
From 136 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Intuitive and easy to use
- 🔍 Accurate measurements and data
- 📷 Useful photo documentation features
- 🧭 Versatile for various applications
- 🏫 Great for educational and teaching purposes
Room to improve
- 🔍 Occasional compass/sensor accuracy issues
- 💰 Expensive in-app purchases for maps and features
- 📱 Separate iPhone and iPad versions require double purchase
- 🔄 Lack of screen rotation support on some devices
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
Theodolite HD
Reported bugs
2 issues- Occasional crashes or freezes, especially on older devices
- Camera orientation issues on some devices
Requested features
4 requests- Add option to set elevation angle to 0 degrees horizontal
- Implement cross-device sync and data sharing
- Expand map coverage and reduce in-app purchase costs
- Add support for more camera features like video recording
In-app purchases
Avenza Maps
- Avenza Maps Plus1 Month trial$34.991 Year
- Avenza Maps Pro1 Month trial$169.991 Year
- Forest Service Topo Product$0.99
- Garmin Tier 1$0.99
- BaseImage, LLC Map Product$0.99
Show 5 moreShow fewer
- 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
- National Geographic Map Product$11.99
Theodolite HD
- 1,000 Outdoors Map Tiles$0.99
- Team Tracking$1.99
- World Datum Pack$2.99
Show 5 moreShow fewer
- US Mountain Summits AR Layer$2.99
- 5,000 Outdoors Map Tiles$4.99
- 10,000 Outdoors Map Tiles$8.99
- 20,000 Outdoors Map Tiles$17.99
- US State Plane Coordinates$24.99









