Comparison

Avenza Maps vs GIS Kit

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

GIS Kit

This app provides powerful mobile mapping and field data collection for iPhone and iPad. It allows users to view and collect geographic data offline, import various file formats, and organize information by projects and layers. It's designed for professional use without requiring desktop software or prior GIS training.

Highlights
  • Offline mapping and data collection
  • Import Shapefiles, KML/KMZ
  • Collect point, line, and polygon features
  • Customizable attribute fields
  • Project and layer organization
  • Wireless data import/export
Features
Read full description

Premier field collection and data viewer for iPhone and iPad. - No desktop GIS software required. - No prior GIS training required. - Completely offline capable. - Cache (download) open source topographic maps, street maps and satellite imagery straight from device. - Import ESRI Shapefiles and KML/KMZ files including attributes. - Attribute fields include: Alphanumeric (Description), Photos, numerical values, user defined list of values, addresses, websites, date & time, telephone number, check box. - Easily collect new point, line, and polygon features in the field by GPS or drawing manually. - Enter attribute values for each feature and/or add new attribute types at time of collection. - Create templates of user defined feature classes with custom attributes. - Comes loaded with numerous example feature templates for professional use in Forestry, Wetland Delineation, Stream Surveys, and Real Estate. - Import and export data wirelessly by email. Larger data sets can be imported/exported by connecting to any computer with itunes. - Organize by projects and layers - Best-in-class performance. Check our website to see videos, documentation and more information about the "Pro" version. Please note that all the features of the GIS Pro version (such as Shapefile export) are available through in-app purchase in this app as well. For Businesses: Please note that a separate license is required for each user or each device that is used by multiple users. See http://www.apple.com/legal/itunes/us/terms.html for details. Also see http://www.apple.com/business/vpp for information on purchasing in volume. Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.

Screenshots

Avenza Maps4 screens
GIS Kit4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Avenza Maps at Free against GIS Kit's $99.99. Avenza Maps also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.1) and ratings volume (128K vs 12). GIS Kit's advantage is iOS requirement (9.0 vs 18.0). On review sentiment, update cadence, 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

Avenza Maps is free to download; GIS Kit costs $99.99 up front. Avenza Maps sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $32.99 per year and GIS Kit sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Avenza Maps holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Avenza Maps has 128K ratings behind it against 12, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 52% of Avenza Maps's written reviews are positive against 50% of GIS Kit's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Avenza Maps ships an update every 2 months, GIS Kit every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Avenza Maps versus GIS Kit: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAvenza MapsGIS Kit
PriceFree — better$99.99
Rating4.8 (128K ratings) — better4.1 (12 ratings)
Positive reviews51.6% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings128K — better12
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 6 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#18 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.09.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size335 MB44 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAvenza Systems Inc.Garafa, LLC

Customer experience

Avenza Maps

All ratings128,071 ratings
Positive96.4%
Neutral2.9%
Negative0.8%
Written reviews882 reviews
Positive51.6%
Neutral6.8%
Negative41.6%

GIS Kit

All ratings12 ratings
Positive83.3%
Neutral8.3%
Negative8.3%
Written reviews46 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral13.0%
Negative37.0%

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

GIS Kit

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
1 purchases

GIS Kit

One-time1
  • GIS Pro Upgrade$199.99

Questions

Is Avenza Maps free?
Avenza Maps is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is GIS Kit free?
GIS Kit costs $99.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Avenza Maps or GIS Kit?
Avenza Maps is rated higher. Avenza Maps averages 4.8 out of 5 from 128K ratings, while GIS Kit averages 4.1 from 12 ratings.
Do Avenza Maps or GIS Kit have ads?
Neither Avenza Maps nor GIS Kit shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Avenza Maps or GIS Kit?
Avenza Maps ships an update every 2 months, and GIS Kit every 6 weeks. Most recently, Avenza Maps was updated on October 19, 2026 and GIS Kit on October 17, 2026.

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