# Mancos vs GMDE Lite

The clearest difference is price: GMDE Lite at Free against Mancos's $2.99. GMDE Lite also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 4 months) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). Mancos's advantage is ratings volume (13 vs 2). On rating, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

GMDE Lite is free to download; Mancos costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Mancos against 5.0 for GMDE Lite. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Mancos has 13 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Mancos ships an update every 4 months, GMDE Lite every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Mancos | GMDE Lite |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $2.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [5.0 (13 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mancos/id541570878/reviews) | [5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gmde-lite/id1557325241/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **13** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 70.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free** |
| Size | 10 MB | 48 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Hunt Mountain Software](https://appshunter.io/developer/328710008) | [Richard Allmendinger](https://appshunter.io/developer/1194772609) |

## What reviewers say

### Mancos

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mancos/id541570878)

Explore the geology of the United States and other regions with this app. Access state geological maps, formation data, and stratigraphic columns. Discover local fossil collections directly from your device.

**Highlights:** Interactive geological maps, Searchable by name or GPS, State-level geological data, Geological formation information, Regional stratigraphic columns, Fossil collection discovery

**Features:** Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### GMDE Lite

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gmde-lite/id1557325241)

This app allows users to record geological data, including points of interest, orientations, and contacts, with detailed annotations and photos. It offers multiple methods for orientation input and data visualization, with seamless integration for data exchange across devices and platforms.

**Highlights:** Record points of interest with photos and descriptions, Annotate photos and create digital sketches, Multiple methods for orientation input, Data import/export from various sources, Visualize orientation data on equal area projection, Use device as a rangefinder for distance calculation

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Mancos free?

Mancos costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is GMDE Lite free?

GMDE Lite is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Mancos or GMDE Lite?

Mancos and GMDE Lite are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 13 and 2 ratings respectively.

### Do Mancos or GMDE Lite have ads?

Neither Mancos nor GMDE Lite shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Mancos or GMDE Lite?

Mancos ships an update every 4 months, and GMDE Lite every 3 weeks. Most recently, Mancos was updated on October 6, 2026 and GMDE Lite on October 9, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*