Comparison

Back in Time vs OldMapsOnline

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

Head to head
About

Back in Time

Explore the history of the Universe, Earth, Life, and Civilization through an immersive, interactive journey. This app uses custom animations, timelines, and interesting facts to bring historical events to life. It's designed to help users understand the connections between events and see the bigger picture.

Highlights
  • Interactive timeline of events
  • Custom animations and videos
  • Over 350 remarkable images
  • Little-known interesting facts
  • Offline access
  • Multilingual support
Features
Read full description

• "The coolest history textbook you’ll find on the iPad" - The New York Times • Winner of the WSA Mobile Award • Top1 iPad Book in US, UK, FR, ES, China… and 34 more Countries • Featured by The New York Times (Top10 iPad Apps of the year) • Featured by the American Photo Magazine (Top 10 Photo eBooks of the year) For iPhone/iPod touch download - Back in Time for iPhone Back in Time will take you on a stunning exploration of the history of our Universe, Earth, Life and Civilization. A journey through time where each event is documented with social and historical context, several images, an illustrative timeline and little-known interesting facts. Custom made animations bring those events to life, creating an interesting, immersive learning experience. An imaginary clock will guide you through this quest, proposing a simple analogy: the entire Universe started 24 hours ago. The Big Bang, the source of time and space, is the first event in our journey – the clock reads 0:00 hours. Today, 13.7 billion years later, the clock reads midnight. In between is a sequence of key events that has brought us to where we are today. Explore them, place them in perspective, see how they relate and understand the connections. We invite you to take a step back and see the whole picture. :::: REVIEWS :::: “...a beautifully executed lesson on the history of the universe and the evolution of life on earth. Great for high school students or parents who’d like to tutor younger children and enjoy a first-rate experience of their own...” - Bob Tedeschi, The New York Times “The iPad could use more apps like this one.” - The Daily “...the best iPad apps are those that combine coffee table-styled books with the fluid nature of the iPad’s interface. Back in Time is just that, it’s the story of the entire history of our universe made interactive on the iPad.” - Casey Chan, Gizmodo (App of the Day) “Back in Time is utterly gorgeous in its presentation. (...) The app is so easy to navigate that it is a delight to explore. Landka could scarcely have done a better job in putting everything together.” - Gwen Phua, Appmodo :::: FEATURES :::: Designed for iPad; 47 chapters; Over 350 remarkable images; 60+ amazing animations and videos; 40+ illustrated timelines; More than 200 little-known interesting facts; Music by the composer Rodrigo Leão; Developed in 7 different languages (English, Spanish, German, French, Portuguese, Japanese and Chinese); No internet connection required.

About

OldMapsOnline

Explore a vast collection of historical maps to visualize how the world has changed. Overlay old maps with modern views, use an interactive timeline, and access integrated historical information. Contribute to a growing community database of cartographic history.

Highlights
  • Vast collection of historical maps
  • Interactive map with timeline
  • Overlay and compare maps
  • Community-driven collection
  • Wikipedia integration
  • Search by location and year
  • Browser extension for map collection
Features
Read full description

Step into the past with OldMapsOnline, the ultimate iOS app for history enthusiasts and curious minds. Discover a treasure trove of historical maps that reveal the stories of our world like never before. Key Features: Vast Collection of Historical Maps: Access over 500,000 high-resolution scanned maps from prestigious cultural institutions. Explore detailed maps from various eras and see how geographical and political landscapes have changed over time. Interactive Map with Timeline: Dive deep into history with an interactive map that features a dynamic timeline. Select any year and watch the map transform to reflect historical data, showcasing the evolution of political boundaries and significant events. Overlay and Compare Maps: Gain a unique perspective by overlaying historical maps onto modern maps. Use our compare tool to see the transformation of cities, regions, and landscapes across centuries. Community-Driven Collection: Join a growing community of history enthusiasts who contribute to the largest online collection of old maps. Share your discoveries and help uncover the hidden stories within these maps. Seamless Wikipedia Integration: For those eager to learn more, our app offers integrated information from Wikipedia, providing a gateway to extensive historical content and deeper research. Intuitive Search by Location: Effortlessly find old maps by zooming and panning on a world map, or simply type in a place name. Utilize the timeline to explore different years and watch the map update with historical boundaries. Convenient Browser Extension: Easily add historical maps found on the web to the OldMapsOnline collection with our browser extension, expanding the richness of our database. Embark on a Journey Through Time OldMapsOnline offers powerful tools to visualize history, including a 3D terrain view, augmented reality features, and advanced catalog search. Whether you're a historian, student, or an explorer of the past, our app makes it easy to delve into the rich history of any location. About OldMapsOnline Created by a dedicated team of cartographers, historians, and volunteers, OldMapsOnline is a collaborative project that harnesses the latest technology to make historical maps accessible to everyone. Our partners include renowned institutions like the British Library, ETH Zurich, and the David Rumsey Collection at Stanford. Download OldMapsOnline today and start your journey through the world's history, one map at a time!

Screenshots

OldMapsOnline4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Back in Time at 84% against OldMapsOnline's 26%. Back in Time also leads on rating (4.7 vs 3.2) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). OldMapsOnline's advantage is price (Free vs $7.99). On ratings volume, update cadence, device support and iOS requirement 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

OldMapsOnline is free to download; Back in Time costs $7.99 up front. OldMapsOnline sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Back in Time asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Back in Time holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 27 and 27 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 84% of Back in Time's written reviews are positive against 26% of OldMapsOnline's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Back in Time ships an update every 7 months, OldMapsOnline every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Back in Time versus OldMapsOnline: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBack in TimeOldMapsOnline
Price$7.99Free — better
Rating4.7 (27 ratings) — better3.2 (27 ratings)
Positive reviews83.7% of reviews — better25.6% of reviews
Number of ratings2727
Update frequencyEvery 7 monthsEvery 4 months — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.2
Further details — not scored
Size836 MB11 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperLandkaKlokan Technologies

Customer experience

Back in Time

All ratings25 ratings
Positive92.0%
Neutral4.0%
Negative4.0%
Written reviews43 reviews
Positive83.7%
Neutral7.0%
Negative9.3%

OldMapsOnline

All ratings23 ratings
Positive52.2%
Neutral13.0%
Negative34.8%
Written reviews168 reviews
Positive25.6%
Neutral9.5%
Negative64.9%

Bugs and requests

Back in Time

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

OldMapsOnline

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Maps not loading properly
  • Constant crashes and freezes
  • Inaccurate GPS and location data

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to overlay maps and see current location
  • Option to download maps for offline use
  • Improved search and filtering capabilities
  • Easier map sharing and exporting

In-app purchases

None

Back in Time

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

OldMapsOnline

One-time1
  • Ad free version$1.99

Questions

Is Back in Time free?
Back in Time costs $7.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is OldMapsOnline free?
OldMapsOnline is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Back in Time or OldMapsOnline?
Back in Time is rated higher. Back in Time averages 4.7 out of 5 from 27 ratings, while OldMapsOnline averages 3.2 from 27 ratings.
Do Back in Time or OldMapsOnline have ads?
OldMapsOnline shows ads; Back in Time does not.
Which is updated more often, Back in Time or OldMapsOnline?
Back in Time ships an update every 7 months, and OldMapsOnline every 4 months. Most recently, Back in Time was updated on October 24, 2026 and OldMapsOnline on October 29, 2026.

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