Comparison

Marine Debris Tracker vs Touch GIS

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

Head to head
About

Marine Debris Tracker

Contribute to a global citizen science movement by reporting litter and plastic pollution. Your data helps build a comprehensive understanding of environmental issues, informing research and policy.

Highlights
  • Report litter and debris
  • Contribute to citizen science
  • Track inland and marine pollution
  • Access open-data platform
  • Generate scientific findings
  • Inform policy decisions
Features
Read full description

Debris Tracker is an open data citizen science movement, powered by Morgan Stanley. Join us in creating a bigger picture of the plastic pollution crisis by using the app to report litter wherever you find it, from our oceans to your backyard. Every day, dedicated educational, non-profit, and scientific organizations and passionate citizen scientists from all around the world use the Debris Tracker app to record GPS data on inland and marine debris. To date, Debris Tracker users have contributed 2 million items to our open-data platform, hosted at the University of Georgia and accessible to researchers and curious citizens everywhere. Together we can create a more comprehensive understanding of marine debris and plastic pollution by collecting and sharing data, generating scientific findings, informing policy, and inspiring upstream solutions. See our website for more information on how to get started or to download data: http://www.marinedebris.engr.uga.edu/. Debris Tracker is a joint effort of the NOAA Marine Debris Program and the Southeast Atlantic Marine Debris Initiative (SEA-MDI) out of the University of Georgia College of Engineering. Continued use of GPS in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.

About

Touch GIS

This professional tool simplifies field data collection and mapping. It allows users to create and customize data forms, collect various data types offline, and export them to standard GIS formats. Professionals across diverse fields utilize it to enhance their fieldwork.

Highlights
  • Create Points, Lines, Polygons, Circles
  • Customizable attribute forms
  • Offline map tile saving
  • Export to industry standard formats
  • Attach photos to locations
  • Clinometer tool for orientation
  • Add custom base maps and overlays
Read full description

Touch GIS is the most intuitive professional field data collection and mapping tool. It's a super-powered field notebook enabling you to collect any kind of data, in any environment, online or offline, and transfer it easily to your preferred desktop GIS. We believe your data collection tools should amplify your capabilities, not limit them, which is why we focus on keeping your forms and attributes totally customizable in the field. Join thousands of professionals utilizing Touch GIS as their mobile GIS app to enhance their field work in geologic mapping, ecological mapping, civil engineering, mineral exploration and mining, natural resource management, landscape architecture, and more. FEATURES - Easily capture new Points, Lines, Polygons, and Circles in the field. - Quickly and accurately draw new lines and polygons with free draw mode and vertex snapping. - Adjust feature class attribute forms in the field at any time. - Get multiple perspectives by switching between basemaps in the field. - Download basemaps for offline use. - Export to many industry standard formats. - Snap, mark up, and attach photos to locations. - Measure planar and linear feature orientation using our clinometer tool with strike/dip, dip/dip direction, or trend/plunge formats. - Add custom base maps with WMS/WMTS. - Add raster images like Geospatial PDFS or GeoTiffs and other overlays to your map to see your location in context. - Add team members so your whole team has access. Supported file types: - Shapefiles - KML and KMZ - Geospatial PDF / GeoPDF - GeoPackage (GPKG) - GeoJSON - GPX - CSV - World File - Geotiff - JPG - PNG Customizable attribute types: - Description - Date & Time - Photos - List Of Values - Checkbox - Address - Number - Website - Phone Number - Attitude / Orientation for Geologic features Pre-loaded feature classes supporting many different use-cases: - Forestry - Geology - Real Estate - Stream Surveys - Water Infrastructure - Wetlands management - Create your own fully customizable data attribute forms, and update them in the field as needed. Terms of Service: https://www.touchgis.app/terms-of-service Privacy Policy: https://www.touchgis.app/privacy

Screenshots

Marine Debris Tracker4 screens
Touch GIS4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Marine Debris Tracker at 5.0 against Touch GIS's 4.0. Marine Debris Tracker also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and iOS requirement (12.4 vs 15.6). Touch GIS's advantage is ratings volume (32 vs 1) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, 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

Both are free to download. Touch GIS sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $29.99 per month. Marine Debris Tracker asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Marine Debris Tracker holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Touch GIS has 32 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 39% of Marine Debris Tracker's written reviews are positive against 50% of Touch GIS's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Marine Debris Tracker ships an update every 2 months, Touch GIS every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 23, 2026.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Marine Debris Tracker versus Touch GIS: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMarine Debris TrackerTouch GIS
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better4.0 (32 ratings)
Positive reviews38.9% of reviews50.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings132 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.4 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size29 MB79 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKyle JohnsenTouchGIS

Customer experience

Marine Debris Tracker

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews18 reviews
Positive38.9%
Neutral11.1%
Negative50.0%

Touch GIS

All ratings32 ratings
Positive68.8%
Neutral9.4%
Negative21.9%
Written reviews30 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral13.3%
Negative36.7%

In-app purchases

None

Marine Debris Tracker

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Touch GIS

Subscriptions2
  • Pro Subscription (Monthly)$29.991 Month
  • Pro License (Annual)$299.991 Year

Questions

Is Marine Debris Tracker free?
Marine Debris Tracker is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Touch GIS free?
Touch GIS is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Marine Debris Tracker or Touch GIS?
Marine Debris Tracker is rated higher. Marine Debris Tracker averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Touch GIS averages 4.0 from 32 ratings.
Do Marine Debris Tracker or Touch GIS have ads?
Neither Marine Debris Tracker nor Touch GIS shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Marine Debris Tracker or Touch GIS?
Marine Debris Tracker ships an update every 2 months, and Touch GIS every 3 weeks. Most recently, Marine Debris Tracker was updated on October 23, 2026 and Touch GIS on October 23, 2026.

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