Comparison

GPS Tracks vs what3words

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

Head to head
About

GPS Tracks

Track outdoor activities like hiking, biking, and running with detailed route recording and waypoint navigation. Explore offline with downloadable maps and various map layers. Share your real-time location with friends and access advanced measurement tools.

Highlights
  • Route tracking for outdoor activities
  • Offline map downloads
  • Waypoint navigation and storage
  • Real-time track sharing
  • Map measurement tools
  • GPX/KML export
Features
Read full description

"One of the better GPS apps for sporting enthusiasts for the iPhone..." - Bryan Wolfe, AppAdvice.com Do you want to track your hiking, biking, walking, running? Do you want to track your outdoor activities? Do you need to navigate to waypoints? Do you want to store your favorite destinations? Explore anywhere, without limits with GPS Tracks. It is an ideal app for offline hiking, running, walking, cycling, and any other route tracking activity. It is a perfect companion for traveling, hunting, fishing, and other navigational activities where you need to store specific waypoints. Use Applications - • Great for hiking offline, running, walking, and biking to track your route! • Great for photographers who need to track location data for their pictures! • Great for hunters and fishermen who need to store specific locations! • Great for golfing to find the distance to the pin! • Great for military navigational applications! Features Upgrade to GPS Tracks Pro & Premium (requires subscription) • Download maps for offline use • Use Street, Terrain, Topo, Satellite, USGS, NOAA nautical charts, FAA charts, and many other alternate map sources • Add map overlays of local trails or area boundaries from images, files, or directly from your camera • Use custom Map Tile Server URLs • Export tracks and waypoints to GPX, KML, KMZ, or CSV • Print Maps in PDF • GPS Tracks Live - real-time track sharing with friends which allows you to see your friends tracks live on the map • Use the Range Finder • Create a track pacesetter or goal to improve your time on a given track • Weather at waypoints • Elevation profiles for tracks • Create routes manually by tracing the map or dropping pins • GPS Tracks uses WGS84 datum, over 220 datums available with the subscription • Subscription syncs via iCloud to other devices Track • Record your track for any activity • Save your favorite waypoints • Take GPS static observations to average current location for more accurate waypoints • Easily navigate to waypoints with the waypoint guide on the compass • Add a vector as a waypoint with angle and distance • Convert between four sets of coordinates (Decimal, DMS, MGRS, UTM) anytime Measure (requires subscription) • The Range Finder allows you to measure distance, elevation and angle between any two points on the map • Map measuring tools allow you to measure area and distance on the map • Draw or drop pins to measure Apple Watch App • Track your activity directly with your Apple Watch without your iPhone • Will save your workouts to the Health app from the watch (only the watch app uses HealthKit) Connect • iCloud syncing (will sync between Mac, iPad, and iPhone version) • Import from Dropbox, iCloud Drive, or the local device storage • Send a waypoint to the Apple, Google, or Waze app for driving directions • Import tracks and coordinates in a GPX, KML, BIN, CSV, or NMEA format Live Activities & Widgets • Live Activity for tracking and navigating waypoints • Lock Screen & Home Screen widget for distance today and current location • Home Screen widget for last track and add new waypoint There are many other great features. Privacy Policy and Terms of Use - http://www.dmsoftwaresolutions.com/privacyPolicyTermsOfUse.html Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.

About

what3words

This app assigns a unique three-word address to every 10-foot square on Earth. Easily find, share, and navigate to precise locations worldwide using simple word combinations. It's ideal for pinpointing exact meeting spots, deliveries, or even emergency services.

Highlights
  • Navigate using three-word addresses
  • Share precise locations
  • Find current address offline
  • Compatible with navigation apps
  • Save and categorize favorite locations
  • Offline navigation with compass mode
  • Supports over 60 languages
Features
Read full description

what3words is an easy way to identify precise locations. Every 10 foot square has been given a unique combination of three words: a what3words address. Now you can find, share and navigate to precise locations using three simple words. Use what3words to: - Find your way anywhere in the world using just three words - Plan exact meet-up locations - Help people find your apartment, business or Airbnb - Always find your way back to your parking space - Save key locations, from incident reporting to delivery entrances - Save your favorite memorable spots – a sunset, a waterfall, proposal location - Guide people to accessible entrances - Help emergency services find you You can find what3words addresses in travel guides, website contact pages, invitations, travel booking confirmations and more – anywhere you would normally find location information. If you’re invited to a friend’s home, ask them to share their what3words address. Popular features: - Find your current what3words address offline - Compatible with navigation apps, including Apple Maps and Google Maps - Save your favourite locations, categorise and share them as lists - AutoSuggest prompts you with intelligent suggestions - Available in over 60 languages - Navigate offline with compass mode - Add a what3words address to a photo If you experience any problems or have any questions, email us at support@what3words.com EULA: https://what3words.com/terms

Screenshots

GPS Tracks4 screens
what3words4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: GPS Tracks at none against what3words's shown. GPS Tracks also leads on review sentiment (85% vs 55%) and device support (5 vs 3). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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

Both are free to download. GPS Tracks sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $29.99 per year and what3words sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.69 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for GPS Tracks against 4.8 for what3words. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 18K and 44K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 85% of GPS Tracks's written reviews are positive against 55% of what3words's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on November 11, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
GPS Tracks versus what3words: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGPS Trackswhat3words
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (18K ratings)4.8 (44K ratings) — better
Positive reviews85.5% of reviews — better55.3% of reviews
Number of ratings18K44K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 2 weeks
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#69 — better#110
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Vision Pro — betteriPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS17.016.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size120 MB311 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDavid Morneaultwhat3words Ltd.

Customer experience

GPS Tracks

All ratings17,808 ratings
Positive93.7%
Neutral3.4%
Negative2.8%
Written reviews1,437 reviews
Positive85.5%
Neutral3.7%
Negative10.9%

what3words

All ratings44,067 ratings
Positive95.3%
Neutral3.1%
Negative1.6%
Written reviews897 reviews
Positive55.3%
Neutral6.2%
Negative38.5%

User reviews

GPS Tracks

From 18K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Accurate GPS tracking
  • 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
  • 💡 Versatile features for various activities
  • 🚀 Responsive customer support
  • 👍 Reliable and consistent performance

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes or glitches
  • 🔋 Battery drain issues
  • 🔒 Concerns about privacy and data security
  • 👎 Offline maps not fully functional

what3words

From 44K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Accurate location tracking
  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🚑 Potentially life-saving in emergencies
  • 🗺️ Precise location sharing
  • 🤝 Helpful for meeting up with friends/family

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Inconsistent location accuracy
  • 🤔 Confusing/not well-explained
  • 📱 Requires data/cellular connectivity
  • 🗺️ Outdated map data
  • 🔍 Difficult to find/search saved locations

Bugs and requests

GPS Tracks

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Tracks disappearing after updates
  • GPS coordinates not always accurate
  • Difficulty deleting unwanted waypoints

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to edit waypoint names
  • Improved map synchronization across devices
  • Integration with popular fitness apps
  • Landscape map view option
  • Automatic activity tracking without user interaction

what3words

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Location changes unexpectedly
  • App crashes on launch
  • Unable to select country/language

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add ability to sort/organize saved locations
  • Integrate with contacts/address book
  • Provide voice output for location names
  • Offer offline map downloads
  • Develop a version for seniors/accessibility
Show 1 more
  • Integrate with popular navigation apps

In-app purchases

3 purchases

GPS Tracks

Subscriptions2
  • GPS Tracks Pro7 Days trial$29.991 Year
  • GPS Tracks Premium$49.991 Year
One-time1
  • Datum Add-On Pack$2.99
2 purchases

what3words

Subscriptions2
  • what3words Pro$4.691 Month
  • what3words Pro7 Days trial$39.991 Year

Questions

Is GPS Tracks free?
GPS Tracks is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is what3words free?
what3words is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, GPS Tracks or what3words?
what3words is rated higher. GPS Tracks averages 4.7 out of 5 from 18K ratings, while what3words averages 4.8 from 44K ratings.
Do GPS Tracks or what3words have ads?
what3words shows ads; GPS Tracks does not.
Which is updated more often, GPS Tracks or what3words?
GPS Tracks ships an update every 2 weeks, and what3words every 2 weeks. Most recently, GPS Tracks was updated on November 11, 2026 and what3words on November 11, 2026.
Which is more popular, GPS Tracks or what3words?
GPS Tracks currently peaks at #69 in the App Store charts, and what3words at #110. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

Other comparisons