Comparison

Theodolite HD vs Garmin Explore™

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Theodolite HD

This app combines a compass, inclinometer, rangefinder, GPS, and map for augmented reality navigation. It allows users to capture data-overlay photos and videos, view positions on a map with offline options, and share location data with others. It's designed for professional use and outdoor activities.

Highlights
  • Augmented reality viewfinder
  • Compass and inclinometer
  • GPS and map with offline options
  • Data-overlay photo/video camera
  • Rangefinder and nav calculator
  • Location sharing and team tracking
Read full description

Theodolite HD is a multi-function viewfinder that combines a compass, two-axis inclinometer, rangefinder, GPS, map, nav calculator, and geo-overlay photo/movie camera into one indispensable app. Theodolite was one of the very first augmented reality (AR) apps when it was released in 2009, and it’s been downloaded and used by millions of customers since then. Uses are endless, and the app is great for land measurements, outdoor sports, sightseeing, navigation, and finding your way around. Theodolite is a pro grade app and is used extensively by surveyors, geologists, architects, engineers, competitive sportsmen, first responders, military personnel, and search and rescue workers around the world. Theodolite lets you take data-overlay photos and movies with 2X-8X zoom. Overlay geographical data, angle markings, date/time, author/company info, and project notes directly on photos and movies for later reference. The same data is written into the metadata record of images, making image files self-contained data records. Third-party apps can tap into Theodolite's advanced camera functions with a camera sharing feature. View current position on the built-in map with optional offline Outdoors maps that include topo contours, roads, trails, landmarks, campgrounds, ski lifts, and more. Live map markers continually update distance/heading relative to the current location and also show wayfinding info in the main viewfinder. Draw polygons on the map to mark things like property boundaries and trails, and import/export polygon data via KML. Share map markers and nav calculator points with other users of Theodolite via text messages or e-mail. This powerful capability opens up a wide range of collaborative uses including team land surveying, accident investigations, spotting wild fires, triangulation of landmarks, and advanced tactical observation and targeting. With an optional in-app purchase to enable team tracking, you can share location with up to 20 people on Theodolite's map. Theodolite includes features for serious users like a reference angle mode, nav calculator, map marker import/export, manual and automatic data logging with CSV and KML export, clipboard integration, %grade display, mil compass readout, optical rangefinders (including a mil-based reticle, sniper-style stadiametric graphs, and a variable 4X-24X scope), and night filters to improve use in dark conditions. Theodolite can provide location in military grid reference system (MGRS) coordinates, Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) coordinates, British/Irish National Grids, US National Grid, Maidenhead locator system, Map Grid of Australia, and six latitude/longitude formats. Optional US State Plane coordinates include SPCS27 and SPCS83 zones covering all US States. The optional Datum Pack adds over 230 geodetic datums to the app to improve position computation from GPS data, covering regions and countries on all continents around the world. AR Layers include navigational aids like the sun, moon, planets, and Polaris (North star), and the optional US Mountain Summits layer that shows over 70,000 US mountain summits in the viewfinder. Theodolite has been shown in Apple Keynotes, featured on the App Store, and has been a #1 selling Navigation app in App Stores around the world. Since its introduction in 2009, Theodolite has defined augmented reality navigation. The app continually introduces new technologies, pushing the limits of iOS app development and taking advantage of new hardware capabilities. Find out why Apple named Theodolite one of the most amazing apps available and showed it being used to explore the Great Wall of China. Where will you take it on your next adventure? Note: Theodolite HD is an iPad app -- see the regular “Theodolite” app for use on an iPhone or iPod Touch. And be sure to check out the all-new "Theodolite for Watch" and put Theodolite on your wrist!

About

Garmin Explore™

Navigate off-grid with this app, which pairs with a compatible Garmin device for trip planning, mapping, and navigation even without Wi-Fi or cellular service. Plan routes, download maps for offline use, and sync data to the cloud.

Highlights
  • Off-grid navigation
  • Trip planning
  • Offline map downloads
  • Pair and sync with Garmin device
  • Activity library
  • Cloud storage
  • LiveTrack location sharing
Currently charting
Read full description

OFF-GRID NAVIGATION When paired with your compatible Garmin device(1), the Garmin Explore app lets you use your mobile device for outdoor navigation, trip planning, mapping and more — with or without Wi-Fi® connectivity or cellular service. SEARCH TOOL Easily locate geographic points — such as trailheads or mountain summits — associated with your adventure. STREAMING MAPS For pre-trip planning, you can use the Garmin Explore app to stream maps when you’re within cellular or Wi-Fi range — saving valuable time as well as storage space on your mobile device. Download maps for offline use when venturing outside cellular range. PAIR, SYNC AND SHARE With Garmin Explore, you can pair your smartphone or tablet with your compatible Garmin device to sync and share data for off-grid adventures. Use downloadable maps for navigation anywhere. EASY TRIP PLANNING Plan your next trip by downloading maps and creating courses. Specify your start and finish points, and automatically create a course you can sync with your compatible Garmin device. ACTIVITY LIBRARY Under the Saved tab, review and edit your organized data, including your saved waypoints, tracks, courses and activities. See map thumbnails to easily recognize your trips. SAVED COLLECTIONS The collections list allows you to quickly find all data related to any trip — making it easy to sort and locate the course or location you’re looking for. CLOUD STORAGE The waypoints, courses and activities you’ve created will automatically sync to your Garmin Explore web account when you’re within cellular or Wi-Fi range, preserving your activity data with cloud storage. A Garmin account is required for storing your data in the cloud. LIVETRACK™ With the use of the LiveTrack™ feature, loved ones can follow your location in real time(2) and see data such as distance, time and elevation. What You Get with Garmin Explore • Unlimited map downloads; access topographic maps, USGS quad sheets and more • Aerial imagery • Waypoints, tracking and route navigation • High-detail GPS trip logging and location sharing • Unlimited cloud storage of routes, waypoints, tracks, and activities • Online trip planning 1. https://explore.garmin.com/appcompatibility 2. When used with your compatible smartphone, the Garmin Explore® app and your compatible inReach® technology-enabled Garmin device. The Bluetooth word mark and logos are registered trademarks owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of such marks by Garmin is under license.

Screenshots

Garmin Explore™4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Theodolite HD at 91% against Garmin Explore™'s 46%. Theodolite HD also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.2) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 18.4). Garmin Explore™'s advantage is price (Free vs $8.99) and in-app purchases (none vs 8). On 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Garmin Explore™ is free to download; Theodolite HD costs $8.99 up front. Theodolite HD sells 8 one-off in-app purchases. Garmin Explore™ asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Theodolite HD holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Garmin Explore™ has 1.1K ratings behind it against 136, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 91% of Theodolite HD's written reviews are positive against 46% of Garmin Explore™'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Theodolite HD ships an update every 4 months, Garmin Explore™ monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard9 real differences · 2 level
Theodolite HD versus Garmin Explore™: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTheodolite HDGarmin Explore™
Price$8.99Free — better
Rating4.7 (136 ratings) — better4.2 (1.1K ratings)
Positive reviews91.4% of reviews — better45.8% of reviews
Number of ratings1361.1K — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank—#106 — better
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS15.6 — better18.4
Further details — not scored
Size30 MB452 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperCraig HunterGarmin

Customer experience

Theodolite HD

All ratings136 ratings
Positive94.1%
Neutral2.2%
Negative3.7%
Written reviews185 reviews
Positive91.4%
Neutral3.2%
Negative5.4%

Garmin Explore™

All ratings1,046 ratings
Positive77.5%
Neutral5.8%
Negative16.6%
Written reviews958 reviews
Positive45.8%
Neutral11.3%
Negative42.9%

User reviews

Theodolite HD

From 136 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Intuitive and easy to use
  • 🔍 Accurate measurements and data
  • 📷 Useful photo documentation features
  • 🧭 Versatile for various applications
  • 🏫 Great for educational and teaching purposes

Room to improve

  • 🔍 Occasional compass/sensor accuracy issues
  • 💰 Expensive in-app purchases for maps and features
  • 📱 Separate iPhone and iPad versions require double purchase
  • 🔄 Lack of screen rotation support on some devices

Garmin Explore™

From 1.1K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🚀 Excellent for planning routes and activities
  • 💡 Great for offline navigation with downloaded maps
  • 👍 Seamless integration with Garmin devices
  • 👍 Useful for tracking and sharing adventures

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Sync issues with Garmin devices
  • 🔍 Lacking detailed map options in some regions
  • 🔍 Confusing interface and terminology
  • 🐛 Crashes and performance issues
  • 🔒 Requires login and internet connection for full functionality

Bugs and requests

Theodolite HD

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Occasional crashes or freezes, especially on older devices
  • Camera orientation issues on some devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add option to set elevation angle to 0 degrees horizontal
  • Implement cross-device sync and data sharing
  • Expand map coverage and reduce in-app purchase costs
  • Add support for more camera features like video recording

Garmin Explore™

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Sync failures between app and Garmin devices
  • Disappearing or corrupted user data
  • Compatibility issues with newer iOS/Android versions
  • Unreliable offline map downloads

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to edit waypoint coordinates
  • More customization options for map layers and displays
  • Improved route planning and navigation features
  • Better syncing and data management between app and devices
  • Support for more Garmin device models

In-app purchases

8 purchases

Theodolite HD

One-time8
  • 1,000 Outdoors Map Tiles$0.99
  • Team Tracking$1.99
  • World Datum Pack$2.99
Show 5 more
  • US Mountain Summits AR Layer$2.99
  • 5,000 Outdoors Map Tiles$4.99
  • 10,000 Outdoors Map Tiles$8.99
  • 20,000 Outdoors Map Tiles$17.99
  • US State Plane Coordinates$24.99
None

Garmin Explore™

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Theodolite HD free?
Theodolite HD costs $8.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Garmin Explore™ free?
Garmin Explore™ is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Theodolite HD or Garmin Explore™?
Theodolite HD is rated higher. Theodolite HD averages 4.7 out of 5 from 136 ratings, while Garmin Explore™ averages 4.2 from 1.1K ratings.
Do Theodolite HD or Garmin Explore™ have ads?
Neither Theodolite HD nor Garmin Explore™ shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Theodolite HD or Garmin Explore™?
Theodolite HD ships an update every 4 months, and Garmin Explore™ monthly. Most recently, Theodolite HD was updated on October 15, 2026 and Garmin Explore™ on October 20, 2026.

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