Coverage? Lite vs Cell Towers
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Coverage? Lite
Overlay and compare cellular carrier coverage maps directly on your device. Research signal availability across the USA and Canada to plan your travels and stay connected.
- Overlay carrier coverage maps
- Compare coverage head-to-head
- Offline map access
- Supports USA and Canada
- View 5G, LTE, and roaming areas
- Includes major US and Canadian carriers
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Directly overlay and compare cellular carrier coverage maps! Perfect for travelers - research where you're covered across the USA (and now Canada!!) ** Follow our Facebook page to get update alerts: http://www.facebook.com/CoverageMapApp, or check our support page** Coverage? focuses on helping mobile bandwidth junkies find cell signal as they roam. Save time looking up coverage on the carrier's websites, compare their claims head to head and better plan your travels to stay connected. ** The carrier's maps in your pocket: This app contains regional level maps based off of each major carrier's data map - as of our last update. Quickly overlay the carriers you use to create your own personalized coverage map on your device. ** No internet needed: Our proprietary compressed coverage maps are stored within the app on your device - no downloading needed! Quickly access where you're supposed to get a signal, even when you have none. ** Urban and rural areas: Maps are at a regional level, and cover the entire continental USA, Canada, Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. ** Carriers included: AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Dish/Boost, US Cellular. ** Canadian Carriers: Bell, Telus, Rogers (optional unlock) ** Know where to roam: view 5G, LTE, and roaming areas as overlays, focus on finding the coverage type you desire. Check http://www.twostepsbeyond.com/apps/coverage for a quick video demo. We created this app because we are full time 'technomads' ourselves who rely on mobile data to work remotely. Keeping this app updated is a priority for us, as we depend on it ourselves! -------------- Coverage FAQ: Q: Why aren't the maps more detailed or released more often? A: Our map updates require a lot of meticulous labor intensive processing. The optional HD maps are updated quarterly. Q: What makes 'Coverage?' unique? A: There are great apps out there that collect user submitted signal reports - we recommend them and use them ourselves. However, those apps are only useful in markets with an active user base. We took a different approach with Coverage? - we needed a tool to at least give us an idea of where signal should be - urban, rural, and out in the boonies. -------------- Named 'Essential Tool' by Wired Magazine ** Winner - 'Most Useful App' - iOSDevCamp "this app can be indispensable" - Lifehacker.com -------------- The maps in 'Coverage?' are provided in partnership with Ookla, and represent proprietary interpretations of the coverage reported by each carrier. You should not rely on the maps in Coverage to be perfectly precise or absolutely timely. Ongoing map updates have been free - but to support the ongoing development costs, we now allow customers to subscribe to higher resolution maps that will be updated more frequently. Coverage does not report or predict signal strength (there are great apps out there for that!). We can make no promises as to where you'll *actually* get signal.. there are too many variables - towers, device, terrain, weather, etc. So… Got Coverage? Additional information about The HD Maps Subscription: This is an auto-renewable subscription, with a duration of one year. The subscription fee will be charged to your iTunes account upon confirmation of purchase, and will automatically renew each year unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours prior to the end of the current subscription period. Current subscriptions may not be canceled during the active subscription period; however, you can manage your subscription and/or turn off auto-renewal by visiting your iTunes Account Settings after purchase. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy: http://www.twostepsbeyond.com/privacy/
Cell Towers
Discover the locations of nearby cell towers to troubleshoot poor signal reception. This app utilizes open data from various government and community sources to map tower locations worldwide.
- Locate nearest cell towers
- Troubleshoot bad signal/reception
- Global cell tower coverage
- Data from government sources
- Data from OpenCellId
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Cell Towers shows every cellular antenna and tower around you on a clear, interactive map. See exactly where your carrier's antennas are, understand why your signal is weak, and find the closest tower for better reception. WHY YOU'LL LOVE IT • Find the nearest cell towers and antennas to your location in seconds • Understand bad signal, dead zones and coverage gaps • See which operator owns each antenna and how far away it is • Tap any tower for details: operator, technology, MCC/MNC and address • See the band and frequency of every antenna: 5G on 3500 MHz, 4G on 1900 MHz, and more • Filter by carrier to focus on your own network • Auto-detects your country and the best data source from your location SEEING THE TOWERS IS FREE The full map, the carriers, the distances and each antenna's band cost nothing and need no sign-up. The subscription only removes the ads and supports development. ACCURATE, OFFICIAL DATA For the United States (FCC), Brazil (Anatel), Spain, Poland (UKE), France (ANFR), Germany (BNetzA), Australia (ACMA), the Netherlands (Antenneregister), Canada (ISED), Chile (Subtel), Belgium (BIPT), Switzerland (BAKOM), Austria (Senderkataster), Ireland (ComReg), Denmark (Mastedatabasen), Colombia (ANE) and Belarus (beCloud) we use complete, official per-operator databases. Everywhere else in the world, antennas come from the OpenCellId community project. PERFECT FOR Troubleshooting mobile reception, comparing 4G/5G carrier coverage, choosing where to live or work, or simply being curious about the network around you. REMOVE ADS (OPTIONAL SUBSCRIPTION) Love the app? Subscribe to remove ads and support ongoing development. • "Remove ads" is a monthly auto-renewable subscription. • Payment is charged to your store account when you confirm the purchase. • The subscription renews automatically unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. • Your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours before the end of the current period. • You can manage or cancel your subscription anytime from your account settings after purchase. Terms of Use: https://www.birdie.cl/terms-of-service/ Privacy Policy: https://www.birdie.cl/software/privacy/ Questions or feedback? Contact us — we'd love to hear from you.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Coverage? Lite at 4.1 against Cell Towers's 2.3. Coverage? Lite also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (112 vs 31). Cell Towers's advantage is update cadence (every 8 days vs every 5 months). On price, review sentiment, 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
Both are free to download. Coverage? Lite sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per year and Cell Towers sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.49 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Coverage? Lite holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 2.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 112 and 31 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 31% of Coverage? Lite's written reviews are positive against 26% of Cell Towers's.
Coverage? Lite ships an update every 5 months, Cell Towers every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on September 6, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Coverage? Lite | Cell Towers |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.1 (112 ratings) — better | 2.3 (31 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 31.4% of reviews — better | 26.4% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 112 — better | 31 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | Every 8 days — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 34 MB | 183 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Two Steps Beyond | Birdie |
Customer experience
Coverage? Lite
Cell Towers
In-app purchases
Coverage? Lite
- HD Carrier Maps and Satellite.$5.991 Year
- HD Carrier Maps and Satellite.$6.991 Year
- HD Canada Maps and Satellite$6.991 Year
- Unlock Canadian Carrier Maps$3.99
- Unlock US Carrier Maps$4.99
- Unlock U.S. and Canadian Maps$8.99
Cell Towers
- Remove Ads$0.491 Month
- Antenas Premium7 Days trial$1.991 Month
- Antenas Premium7 Days trial$14.991 Year
Questions
Is Coverage? Lite free?
Is Cell Towers free?
Which has better reviews, Coverage? Lite or Cell Towers?
Do Coverage? Lite or Cell Towers have ads?
Which is updated more often, Coverage? Lite or Cell Towers?
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