MyGIS PRO vs Forest Watcher
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
MyGIS PRO
Create and customize your own maps with annotations, lines, and symbols. Save and share your custom maps as .kmz files via email or social media. Edit and manage map elements with intuitive tools.
- Custom map creation
- Add annotations and lines
- Variety of symbols
- Edit and move map elements
- Share maps via email/Twitter
- Save maps as .kmz files
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Create your own custom map with annotations and lines and share it via email or twitter. A real GIS, with maps and database. You can drag items from the sliding bar at the top (if it is not displayed, click on the icon at the top right). There are a variety of symbols to choose from. The item is initially inserted without any data. To change the title and/or subtitle associated with an annotation, you must select it in the map and then click in the window that appears. To move an annotation you must first put the map in edit mode by clicking on the icon at the top right. At this point, you can select an annotation on the map and drag it. By bringing it over the trash can at the bottom right (which appears only after putting the map in edit status), the annotation is deleted. To return the map to its default state and finish moving, click on the edit icon again. Deleting an annotation can be done in two ways. Through the "View and edit data" functionality, selecting the delete button. Or through the placemark move functionality, by dragging it over the trash can. To insert lines, select the "draw" icon in the top right (below the edit icon), and then start drawing lines on the map. Viewing and editing Linea data click to collapse contents To change the title and/or subtitle associated with a placemark, you need to select it in the map and then click in the window that appears. To edit a line you must first bring the map into edit mode by clicking on the pencil icon at the top right. At this point, the movable vertices of the lines are highlighted with red squares. If the vertices are far enough apart, a fictitious intermediate vertex is also displayed to be used for actually inserting a new vertex. To return the map to its default state and finish moving, click on the pencil icon again. Deleting a line is done by deleting all its vertices (that is, dragging them onto the trash can). You can completely delete a line using the "View and edit data" functionality by selecting the delete button. You can share the portion of the map currently displayed via Twitter or via email by clicking on one of the two icons at the bottom left. By sharing the map via email, a .kmz file is also attached. MyGIS has the ability to save a MyGIS.kmz file that can be opened in other applications (for example, dropbox, to be able to save it). By also selecting a file with the kmzMyGIS extension, you can choose to open it with MyGIS, in which case the contents of the file replace the map with the contents.
Forest Watcher
Access global forest change data and alerts offline. Identify areas for investigation, collect field evidence with customizable forms, and make informed conservation decisions. Share data and manage teams for effective forest monitoring.
- Offline forest change data access
- Designate areas of interest
- Collect field data with forms
- Overlay contextual layers
- Route tracking for investigations
- Share alerts and data
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Forest Watcher is a mobile application designed to bring the dynamic online forest monitoring and alert systems of Global Forest Watch (GFW) offline and into the field. Forest Watcher allows users to easily access GFW’s forest change data on any mobile device, navigate to areas of detected change, and collect information about what they find, regardless of connectivity. This app provides an affordable and easy-to-use solution to quickly identify areas for patrols or field investigations, collect evidence about forest changes from the field, use the data that’s collected to make evidence-based management and conservation decisions, and investigate remote sensing products in the field. Features: * Designate areas of interest to monitor, up to 20,000 sq km * Store various satellite-based forest change data, such as near-real-time deforestation alerts on your mobile device * Overlay contextual layers, such as Protected Areas and Timber Concessions, or upload other custom datasets * Investigate alerts in the field and collect information (including GPS points and photos) through built-in and customizable forms * Review, analyze, and download data collected with the app * Route tracking to investigate a deforestation alert * Share alerts, areas, routes, reports, contextual layers and basemap tiles or all app content at once. * Manage a team and more through the supplementary desktop application at forestwatcher.globalforestwatch.org If you have any issues downloading or using the app, please reference our “how-to” materials. If the issues persist, please contact us at forestwatcher@wri.org. Any other questions or feedback, please contact us at forestwatcher@wri.org. Full terms and conditions can be found at http://www.globalforestwatch.org/terms.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Forest Watcher at 80% against MyGIS PRO's 0%. Forest Watcher also leads on price (Free vs $1.99) and rating (5.0 vs 3.0). MyGIS PRO's advantage is device support (3 vs 1). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases 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
Forest Watcher is free to download; MyGIS PRO costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Forest Watcher holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Forest Watcher has 8 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of MyGIS PRO's written reviews are positive against 80% of Forest Watcher's.
MyGIS PRO ships an update every 4 months, Forest Watcher every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 4, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | MyGIS PRO | Forest Watcher |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 3.0 (1 ratings) | 5.0 (8 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | 80.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 8 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 3 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 20 MB | 79 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | 3B Soft srls | World Resources Institute |
Customer experience
MyGIS PRO
Forest Watcher
In-app purchases
MyGIS PRO
No in-app purchases
Forest Watcher
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is MyGIS PRO free?
Is Forest Watcher free?
Which has better reviews, MyGIS PRO or Forest Watcher?
Do MyGIS PRO or Forest Watcher have ads?
Which is updated more often, MyGIS PRO or Forest Watcher?
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