Crowsflight vs Open GPX Tracker
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Crowsflight
This app offers intuitive, mapless navigation using GPS and a compass. It displays distance and heading, allowing you to drop markers, search for destinations by address or what3words, and view saved locations on a map. It works offline for navigation and supports iCloud sync.
- Mapless GPS navigation
- Heading pointer
- Drop location markers
- Search by address or what3words
- Offline navigation
- iCloud location sync
- Apple Watch support
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Crowsflight is a GPS compass that simply points. No instructions, maps to read or paths to follow. When we ask for directions on the street, a friendly finger pointing towards the destination is often more than enough. By combining location data (GPS) with the compass, Crowsflight provides mapless navigation in an intuitive, glance-at-it kind of way. It uses only GPS to navigate, so once you’ve loaded your destination/s, you don’t need a data connection to navigate. Crowsflight is perfect for wandering around foreign cities. MAIN VIEW -Displays distance in metric or imperial units -Drop a marker at your current position (if you have a data connection, Crowsflight will attempt to autoname your location) -Heading pointer changes width as the compass/GPS accuracy increases or decreases LIST VIEW -Search for a new destination by address or placename -Input latitude and longitude manually (e.g. open search, enter 40.692,-73.944) -search for what3words (offline) -Location list view shows your relative distance to each location, so you can see how places compare (distances are scaled logarithmically, so shorter distances show greater difference) -Rearrange your location list by long-pressing the row -Share your current location via email -Launch Maps to get turn-by-turn directions MAP VIEW -Map view shows and allows you to select all your saved locations. It’s another way to see what is around you. -Drag and drop pins in map view to pinpoint and adjust locations -Longpress in map view to save a new location on your map. (if you have a data connection, Crowsflight will attempt to autoname your location) OTHER FEATURES -Works offline (searching is the only function that requires an internet connection) -Opens custom url schemes (e.g. crowsflight://&ll=42.923580,-78.793953&q=BUFFALO). You can send Crowsflight destinations to yourself and friends via email. To get the browser bookmarklet for easy sharing, go to http://cwandt.com/#crowsflight -Backup your locations to your computer through iTunes file sharing -save and sync locations to iCloud APPLE WATCH - same pointing interface as iPhone app - swipe to select from locations that you've add on your phone. -pro tip: If your running app keeps taking over as frontmost app, you can double press the crown to switch back to the last app. *Crowsflight is not meant for driving. Most cars have too much magnetic interference to show the compass reliably in the car anyways. You probably want turn by turn directions if you’re driving, but just in case you were thinking about it...we don’t recommend it.
Open GPX Tracker
Record GPS tracks with waypoints and offline maps. This app offers privacy, no ads, and no in-app purchases. Ideal for travel, hiking, biking, and creating GPX data for mapping or app development.
- Create GPS traces with waypoints
- Offline map support
- Apple Watch App support
- Share and send GPX files
- Multiple map sources
- Add and edit waypoints
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Create GPS traces with waypoints. Offline map support, no time restrictions, no ads, no in-app-purchases, and all the data is private. Open GPX Tracker is ideal for: * Traveling and vacation (offline map app) * Collecting and sharing track and waypoints data. * Use it as your Camera GPS companion. * Keeping track of your hiking explorations and bike routes. * Creating routes and waypoints for editing Open Street Map. * Publishing Open Street Map Traces. * Creating real GPX files for testing your iOS apps in Xcode. Main Features: * Apple Watch App support * Offline maps of browsed areas * Load saved sessions and continue tracking * Auto recovery last session after crash or closing the app * Display tracking information in a map * Display speed, distance, coordinates and time * Use multiple map sources (Apple Maps, Open Street Maps, CartoDB, OpenTopoMaps, OpenSeaMaps) * Pause / Resume tracking * Add waypoint to user location * Add waypoint to any place in the map with a long press * Edit waypoint name * Drag & Drop waypoint pin * Remove waypoints * Share and send GPX files * Custom file naming All the tracked data is kept 100% private in your phone. No data is collected (Indeed, I don't want it at all). For all the details, please check the privacy policy link. Please note: Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is monetization model: Open GPX Tracker at free against Crowsflight's paid. Open GPX Tracker also leads on ratings volume (131 vs 33) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 14.0). Crowsflight's advantage is rating (4.6 vs 4.3). On price, review sentiment, update cadence 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.
Crowsflight holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 33 and 131 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 72% of Crowsflight's written reviews are positive against 67% of Open GPX Tracker's.
Crowsflight ships an update every 3 months, Open GPX Tracker every 5 months. Both last shipped on October 8, 2026.
| Parameter | Crowsflight | Open GPX Tracker |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (33 ratings) — better | 4.3 (131 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 72.2% of reviews — better | 67.1% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 33 | 131 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months — better | Every 5 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 8 MB | 13 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | CW&T | Juan Manuel Merlos |
Customer experience
Crowsflight
Open GPX Tracker
User reviews
Crowsflight
From 33 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Simple, intuitive interface design
- 🧭 Accurate directional compass pointing to destinations
- 📍 Offline functionality without requiring data/WiFi
- 🚶 Excellent for walking and urban exploration
- 💡 Innovative concept - shows direction and distance instead of turn-by-turn
Room to improve
- 🐛 Compass calibration issues and inaccurate readings
- 🔍 Search function returns incorrect or distant locations
- 📱 Small font sizes difficult to read
- 🎯 Inconsistent location accuracy
- ⚠️ Persistent warning messages that can't be dismissed
Open GPX Tracker
From 131 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Simple, intuitive, and clean user interface
- 💰 Completely free with no ads or in-app purchases
- 📍 Accurate GPS tracking and waypoint creation
- ⌚ Apple Watch integration for convenient tracking
- 🔋 Lightweight and battery-efficient operation
Room to improve
- 🐛 Files fail to save without error notification
- 🐛 App crashes when opening saved files folder
- 🐛 Data loss after app updates or crashes
- 🐛 Gaps in GPS recording data
- 🐛 App crashes when opening GPX files after inactivity
Bugs and requests
Crowsflight
Reported bugs
13 issues- Compass won't calibrate properly
- Directional readings off by 90+ degrees
- App freezes at instruction screen
- App opens spontaneously after unlocking phone
- Search function returns locations in wrong countries
Show 8 moreShow fewer
- What3Words integration no longer works
- Location name disappears when tapped, preventing copy/paste
- Pop-up info bubbles won't disappear and block navigation
- App thinks user is in wrong location (e.g., New York when elsewhere)
- Distance calculations wildly inaccurate (e.g., 1.26 miles when at saved location)
- Yellow compass arc doesn't move/respond
- Search buttons disappear from bottom of screen
- App stopped tracking after updates
Requested features
18 requests- Apple Watch support
- Gyroscope-based active pointer for hands-free navigation
- Metric kilometers display option
- Ability to organize locations into groups/categories
- GPS-based accuracy instead of compass-only
Show 13 moreShow fewer
- Larger, configurable font sizes
- Dark mode or color theme options
- Help/tutorial menu for new users
- Elevation information for destinations
- LED light option for night navigation
- Search by intersection (e.g., 6th Ave & 3rd St)
- Sort search results by proximity
- SMS sharing of locations in addition to email
- Integration with What3Words addresses
- Multiple location list organization
- Ability to enter GPS coordinates in DMS format
- Alias/naming system for GPS coordinates
- Train transit option in addition to walk/bike/car/plane
Open GPX Tracker
Reported bugs
13 issues- File save fails silently with long filenames or filepaths
- App crashes when accessing files folder from main screen
- GPX files lost after app updates or reinstallation
- Inconsistent file saving (fails approximately 1/3 of the time)
- App crashes when trying to open GPX files after period of inactivity
Show 8 moreShow fewer
- Duplicate or false track entries generated in exported files
- Decimal point missing in longitude coordinates
- App crashes when exporting via email
- GPX files not displaying on map after import
- App crashes or resets journey when returning to app
- Watch complication displays inconsistently
- Map does not follow user location during tracking
- App quits when phone is locked or closed
Requested features
18 requests- Auto-save functionality for tracking sessions
- Persistent notification when recording is active
- Ability to edit tracks before exporting
- Import custom geo-referenced map images
- Adjustable route color and line thickness
Show 13 moreShow fewer
- Topographical map layer option
- Offline cached maps for specific areas
- Bulk copy and delete operations for tracks
- Confirmation dialog for file deletion
- Customizable date/time format for filenames
- Automatic track upload to cloud services (Dropbox, iCloud)
- Jump-to feature for entering latitude/longitude coordinates
- Street names and speed limits on satellite maps
- Adjustable GPS data collection frequency
- Text-only display mode to save battery
- Progress bar for map loading
- Watch app map view for offline navigation
- Adjustable units (miles vs kilometers) based on region
In-app purchases
Crowsflight
No in-app purchases
Open GPX Tracker
No in-app purchases









