Global Position vs Offline Maps
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Global Position
This app transforms your device into a precision navigation tool. It offers multiple coordinate formats, a compass, altimeter, speedometer, and a live world daylight map. Calculations are performed on-device, ensuring functionality even without a mobile data signal.
- Multiple coordinate and grid formats (MGRS, UTM)
- Integrated compass, altimeter, and speedometer
- Live world daylight map and Celestial View
- HUD mode for windscreen display
- On-device calculations for offline use
- Home and Lock Screen widgets
- Siri and Shortcuts integration
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Turn your iPhone into a precision navigation instrument: every major coordinate and grid format, a compass, altimeter, speedometer, HUD mode, a live world daylight map and the new Celestial View. Coordinates, grid references and astronomy are calculated on your device, so they keep working without a mobile-data signal. COORDINATES IN EVERY FORMAT - Latitude and longitude in decimal degrees, DD-MM, DMS or radians - Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) - Military Grid Reference System (MGRS) - Universal Polar Stereographic (UPS), shown automatically near the poles where UTM and MGRS are undefined Get a complete MGRS reference even on a ridge with no mobile signal. NAVIGATION TOOLS - Compass with true and magnetic headings side by side - Altimeter with a four-minute trend graph and session maximum - Speedometer in m/s, km/h, ft/s, mph or knots - HUD mode: rotate to landscape for a mirrored windscreen display that keeps the screen awake - G-force gauge with gravity excluded, plus maximum G-force and speed records - Flashlight for reading a map after dark SUN, MOON AND SKY Swipe across the astronomy card: - Solar Times: sunrise, sunset, day length and a daylight arc - World Time Zone Map: live daylight, civil, nautical and astronomical twilight and night, the points where the Sun and Moon are overhead, and the local time in 15 world cities - Celestial View (new): the Earth from space, lit by the Sun, with the Moon on its orbit and your position marked. Look down on either pole, or from the side to see the Earth's 23.4° tilt. Read the Sun's and Moon's elevation and bearing from where you stand. - Moon Status: phase, next full and new moon, distance and days into the lunar cycle WIDGETS (NEW) Position, Sun, Moon and Celestial View widgets for the Home Screen, with Position, Sun and Moon on the Lock Screen too: your coordinates and grid reference, the next sunrise or sunset with a countdown, today's moon phase, or the Earth, Sun and Moon from the viewpoint you choose. SIRI AND SHORTCUTS (NEW) Ask "Where am I in Global Position?" or "When is sunset in Global Position?". Hear your coordinates, altitude, the next sunrise or sunset, the moon phase or where the Sun and Moon are, copy your coordinates or share your location. Every action also works in the Shortcuts app. KNOW HOW GOOD YOUR FIX IS See the measured accuracy of your fix in metres, colour-coded Good, Fair or Poor, so you know whether to trust it. Choose how hard the GPS works: High, Medium or Low to save battery. SHARE YOUR POSITION One tap sends an Apple Maps link that opens on any phone or computer, with your address, coordinates, grid reference, altitude, accuracy and the local time of the fix. LOCATION AND MAP - Automatic address lookup when online - Standard, satellite and hybrid maps - Follow your location, or your location and heading MAKE IT YOURS Light, dark or system appearance; metres or feet; your choice of speed unit. AVAILABLE IN 24 LANGUAGES Arabic, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Czech, Dutch, English, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian and Vietnamese. Grid references stay in standard notation in every language, so your screen matches your paper map and everyone else's radio call. BUILT FOR THE FIELD Made for hikers, sailors, pilots, surveyors, field researchers, search-and-rescue teams, off-road drivers and travellers: anyone for whom knowing exactly where they are is not optional. On iPad, GPS positioning requires a Wi-Fi + Cellular model. Download Global Position and always know your position.
Offline Maps
Save maps to your device for offline use when mobile data is unavailable or expensive. Access a wide range of map sources, track your location with GPS, and add custom labels with notes and images. Measure distances and angles directly on the map.
- Offline map caching
- Multiple map sources
- GPS tracking
- Custom label creation
- Distance and angle measurement
- Auto-follow mode
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Offline Maps is a practical map companion for travel, hiking, cycling, field work, and any day when you want your map tools ready before the signal disappears. Open the app and start working directly on the map. Choose from Apple maps, OSM vector maps, OSM legacy maps, cycling, hiking, nautical, aeronautical, and other supported sources. Save map areas for offline use where downloads are supported, then keep exploring with your tracks, waypoints, measurements, and coordinate tools in one clean workspace. Record GPS tracks, pause and resume when needed, and keep an eye on your progress with live distance and speed statistics. Saved tracks can be searched, renamed, shown on the map, styled with solid colors or gradients, imported from common GPS formats, and exported when you need to share your route. Mark important places with waypoints, customize icons, rename them, search your waypoint list, and use waypoint tracking to see distance labels and guide lines on the map. Long-press the map or use your current position to create a new waypoint in seconds. Measure what matters in the field: lines, polylines, radius, circles, rectangles, and polygons. Drag points to adjust shapes, save measurements as map items, and export selected data when the job is done. Offline Maps also includes coordinate tools for Decimal, DMS, UTM, MGRS, Plus Code, and GeoHash formats. Copy or share individual coordinate values, open Google Maps links, and quickly search by pasted coordinates or map links. Built for modern iPhone and iPad, Offline Maps keeps the map at the center and places tracks, waypoints, and measurements together in Map Items so your important data stays easy to find. Key Features - Save supported map areas for offline use. - Browse multiple map sources, including Apple, OSM vector, OSM legacy, cycling, hiking, nautical, and aeronautical maps. - Record GPS tracks with pause, resume, background recording, recovery, and Live Activity support. - Import and export GPX, KML, KMZ, GeoJSON, TCX, and CSV track data. - Export track map images as PNG files. - Add, rename, search, show, hide, import, and export waypoints. - Track waypoint distances with guide lines and compact labels on the map. - Measure distances, radius, circles, rectangles, and polygon areas. - Manage tracks, waypoints, and measurements together in Map Items. - Work with Decimal, DMS, UTM, MGRS, Plus Code, and GeoHash coordinates. - Copy, share, and search coordinates, including supported Google Maps links. - Choose measurement units: metric, imperial, or nautical. - Keep the screen awake during navigation when needed. If you know more map sources please write us: support@lifewaresolutions.com Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
Global Position and Offline Maps both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 73% of Global Position's written reviews are positive against 17% of Offline Maps's. Global Position also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and iOS requirement (17.6 vs 26.0). Offline Maps's advantage is price (Free vs $0.99). On rating, ratings volume, 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
Offline Maps is free to download; Global Position costs $0.99 up front. Offline Maps sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per year. Global Position asks for nothing beyond the download.
Global Position holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 4 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 73% of Global Position's written reviews are positive against 17% of Offline Maps's.
Global Position ships an update every 6 weeks, Offline Maps every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Global Position | Offline Maps |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.7 (3 ratings) — better | 4.5 (4 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 72.7% of reviews — better | 16.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 3 | 4 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 12 MB | 63 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Nik Psaragathos | Sergey Vdovenko |
Customer experience
Global Position
Offline Maps
In-app purchases
Global Position
No in-app purchases
Offline Maps
- Offline Maps Premium Annual$19.991 Year
- Offline Maps Premium Lifetime$44.99
Questions
Is Global Position free?
Is Offline Maps free?
Which has better reviews, Global Position or Offline Maps?
Do Global Position or Offline Maps have ads?
Which is updated more often, Global Position or Offline Maps?
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