Outside Maps vs Maps for OSM
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Outside Maps
View and navigate diverse mapping data on your iPhone or iPad. Access Ordnance Survey maps for Great Britain, worldwide OpenStreetMap, historic maps, and aerial imagery. Features include GPS tracking, compass, and waypoint management.
- View Ordnance Survey maps (Great Britain)
- Worldwide OpenStreetMap support
- Historic Ordnance Survey maps
- Aerial photography
- Real-time GPS tracking
- Compass and bearing
- Waypoint import/export (GPX)
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*** Please do not use reviews to report bugs or ask for features. I almost never read the reviews and I cannot contact you for additional information! Contact support@outsidemaps.com instead *** Outside Maps is an iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch application that enables you to view and navigate a wide variety of mapping data using an easy-to-use touch interface. Outside Maps supports Ordnance Survey mapping for Great Britain at various scales including 1:50000. Outside Maps supports WORLDWIDE coverage for OpenStreetMap, OpenCycleMap and the Stamen and Thunderforest map sources. Outside Maps supports historic 1" Ordnance Survey mapping from 1880-1990 and 1921-1947 courtesy of the National Library of Scotland. Outside Maps supports shaded terrain data for the UK only derived from Ordnance Survey OS Terrain 50. Outside Maps supports shaded terrain data for Scotland only derived from Scottish Government 1m LIDAR. Outside Maps includes ESRI aerial photography courtesy of ESRI. Outside Maps includes the following features: - Intuitive "slippy maps" interface - Native iPad support in both portrait and landscape modes - Current Ordnance Survey mapping is available - OpenStreetMap and derived data is supported at all available resolutions - Historic 1" Ordnance Survey data from 1880-1990 and 1921-1947 - OpenCycleMap support - Thunderforest "Landscape" and "Transport" mapping support - Stamen mapping support - ESRI aerial imagery - Hill-shading mapping for the UK at 50m and selected 1m resolution - Full Ordnance Survey OSTN02 adjustments for highest accuracy (+/- 1m accuracy) - Real-time position tracking via GPS (or WiFi-based positioning) - Compass and bearing (either using GPS and movement tracking or hardware compass if available) - "Lookahead" feature when moving at > 5mph - Waypoints functionality including import and export via GPX format - OS OpenSpace-driven postcode and placename lookup (online only) - Grid reference and latitude/longitude lookup (offline) - what3words support (online only)
Maps for OSM
Explore detailed maps from OpenStreetMap with offline capabilities. Record tracks, add notes, and capture photos or videos directly on the map. This open-source application offers robust data management and backup features.
- Offline map tile preloading
- Place markers and notes
- Photo and video capture
- GPX track recording and export
- Data backup and restore
- Open source
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View maps from OpenStreetMap (app is not affiliated with OSM organization). Choose your own tile server. Preload tiles for offline use. Set place markers, take photos, video, audios. Write notes. Record, import and export tracks in gpx format. Backup and restore all your data. Free use, no ads. This app is open source. The code can be found at https://github.com/mr-elbe5/Maps-For-OSM-IOS.git Further information on https://en.elbe5.de
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Maps for OSM at 5.0 against Outside Maps's 2.0. Maps for OSM also leads on monetization model (free vs paid) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). Outside Maps's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 16.0). 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Maps for OSM holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 2.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 1 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 77% of Outside Maps's written reviews are positive against 75% of Maps for OSM's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Outside Maps ships an update every 2 months, Maps for OSM every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Outside Maps | Maps for OSM |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.0 (2 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 76.6% of reviews — better | 75.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 10 MB | 10 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Replicade Ltd. | Michael Roennau |
Customer experience
Outside Maps
Maps for OSM
Bugs and requests
Outside Maps
Reported bugs
13 issues- Text to select map source invisible (white on white)
- Tile cache unreliable when offline
- Waypoints move around map accidentally
- Map selection window not loading (iOS 8)
- App crashes consistently (iOS 8)
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- No iPhone 5 support
- Not fitting larger iPhone screens
- Help pages not mobile device friendly
- Tendency for tiles not to match up
- Tablecloth design instead of map
- Opening map shows wrong location
- Blue gridlines instead of map
- App will not open (iOS 8)
Requested features
9 requests- Add zoom function for desktop version
- Include a 1960's map
- Ability to import custom map sources
- Option for selected map source to remain default
- Reinstate 'Save Waypoint' feature
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- Add landscape view
- Improve help section for mobile devices
- Update for iPhone 5 screens
- Sort out threading to prevent locking up
Maps for OSM
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Outside Maps
No in-app purchases
Maps for OSM
No in-app purchases
