Bad Elf GPS vs Emlid Flow
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Bad Elf GPS
Manage your Bad Elf GPS accessory. Check hardware health, view GPS data, transfer trip logs, and update firmware. Enhances location services for iOS devices.
- Check hardware health
- View GPS data
- Transfer trip logs
- Install firmware updates
- Enhance iOS location services
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This utility app allows owners of any Bad Elf GPS accessory to check the health of the Bad Elf hardware, view the GPS data being received, transfer and view trip logs, and install firmware updates. Visit www.bad-elf.com to learn more about the Bad Elf GPS, GPS Pro/Pro+, and the GNSS Surveyor accessories, which add a high performance GPS receiver to the iPod touch, iPhone, and iPad via the 30-pin dock connector, Lighting connector, or Bluetooth. The GPS data is usable by ALL location-based iOS applications in the App Store. Note: Continued use of the GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.
Emlid Flow
Manage Emlid Reach receivers and perform positioning tasks like data collection and mapping. Offers free and pro plans for various survey workflows, with cloud sync and team collaboration features.
- Receiver management (base/rover setup)
- RTK/PPK configuration
- Point collection and stakeout
- Import/export various file formats
- Coordinate system library
- Cloud sync with Emlid Flow 360
- Team collaboration
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Emlid Flow is a companion app for Emlid Reach receivers, designed to manage devices and handle all your positioning tasks in one place. The app has Free and Pro plans for a wide range of applications, from ground control point collection to topographic mapping and earthworks. What you get with the free version: - Full control of your receivers: set up base and rover, update, configure RTK and PPK. - Point collection and stakeout. - Import/Export CSV, DXF, KML, or Shapefile files. - Built-in coordinate system library with over 1000 systems. - Ability to create custom coordinate systems. - Base shift. - Cloud sync with Emlid Flow 360. - Team collaboration with up to 10 members. Emlid Flow 360 is the web platform where you can access all data from the app and vice versa! Sync works instantly, allowing you to prepare, manage, and export projects in the office without manual file transfers and even with the receiver at hand. For more advanced survey workflows, Emlid Flow offers Pro Plan: - Collect and stakeout lines and polygons. - Stakeout reports and collect rules for accuracy control. - Survey codes to better differentiate data. - DTM support. - Auto collection tool to free your hands. - Inverse & Traverse for geometry calculations. - Team collaboration with an unlimited number of members. And much more with continuous updates! Try Pro Plan with a 30-day trial available on all platforms. Terms of use: https://emlid.com/legal/#apps-terms Privacy Policy: https://emlid.com/legal/#privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Bad Elf GPS at none against Emlid Flow's 1. Bad Elf GPS also leads on rating (4.3 vs 3.9) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 16.0). Emlid Flow's advantage is update cadence (every 10 days vs every 2 months). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads 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. Emlid Flow sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $24.99 per month. Bad Elf GPS asks for nothing beyond the download.
Bad Elf GPS holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 20 and 36 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 49% of Bad Elf GPS's written reviews are positive against 55% of Emlid Flow's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Bad Elf GPS ships an update every 2 months, Emlid Flow every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Bad Elf GPS | Emlid Flow |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.3 (20 ratings) — better | 3.9 (36 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 49.0% of reviews | 55.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 20 | 36 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 10 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 82 MB | 205 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Bad Elf, LLC. | Emlid Tech Kft. |
Customer experience
Bad Elf GPS
Emlid Flow
Bugs and requests
Bad Elf GPS
Reported bugs
13 issues- App crashes on startup with iOS 8.3+
- Firmware update hangs indefinitely
- Stale cached data prevents control functionality
- Track logging fails to activate despite appearing to work
- Barometer readings not displayed correctly
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- WAAS/SBAS toggle has no effect
- Satellite count discrepancies between device and app
- App forces re-download of all trips when deleting individual trips
- Map views show no overlay in trip detail
- Intermittent position data sharing with third-party apps
- App crashes when naming recorded tracks
- Recording at rates above 1Hz with POI causes download failure
- Landscape mode not functioning in GPS screen
Requested features
10 requests- Offline base map display
- UTM coordinate display option
- Improved Bluetooth reliability
- Modern USB-C connector
- Satellite status information in main app view
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- Better trip organization and sorting
- POI saving without track recording
- Dark mode support
- Integrated GoBackPro functionality
- Firmware update progress indicator
Emlid Flow
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Bad Elf GPS
No in-app purchases
Emlid Flow
- Pro Plan Individual Monthly1 Month trial$24.991 Month
Questions
Is Bad Elf GPS free?
Is Emlid Flow free?
Which has better reviews, Bad Elf GPS or Emlid Flow?
Do Bad Elf GPS or Emlid Flow have ads?
Which is updated more often, Bad Elf GPS or Emlid Flow?
Other comparisons
