Avenza Maps vs Mapcha
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
Mapcha
Overlay your paper maps onto your device's screen to see your current location, even offline. Simply calibrate by matching points on your paper map to digital maps.
- Overlay paper maps on digital maps
- See current location on paper maps
- Offline map usage
- Calibrate maps using known points
- Use device camera or photo library
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Mapcha allows you to easily navigate paper based maps on your iOS device, even without an internet connection*. Perfect for walking, trekking or just navigating an unfamiliar city, Mapcha allows you to see your current location on your paper map. Mapcha uses an intuitive mechanism to overlay images of maps on to the standard Apple Maps: - Take a picture of your paper map using your device's camera or choose an image from your photo library - Choose two known points on the paper map and locate those points on Apple Maps - From those points Mapcha calculates the map's scale and positions your image on top of Apple Maps * An active internet connection may be required in order to load Apple Map data to assist in calibrating a map, however once a map has been calibrated it can be used offline. Note - Mapcha does not cache Apple Map data; however your map images will be available offline and you will still be able to see your current location. - Mapcha does not come with any preloaded maps.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Mapcha at none against Avenza Maps's 10. Mapcha also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.8) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 18.0). Avenza Maps's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 11 months) and ratings volume (129K vs 1). On price, review sentiment, 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
Both are free to download. Avenza Maps sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $34.99 per year. Mapcha asks for nothing beyond the download.
Mapcha holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Avenza Maps has 129K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 51% of Avenza Maps's written reviews are positive against 50% of Mapcha's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Avenza Maps ships an update every 2 months, Mapcha every 11 months. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Avenza Maps | Mapcha |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (129K ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 51.2% of reviews — better | 50.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 129K — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 11 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #20 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 8.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 335 MB | 31 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Avenza Systems Inc. | Marc Baldwin |
Customer experience
Avenza Maps
Mapcha
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
Mapcha
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
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
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- 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
Mapcha
No in-app purchases









