Comparison

Simple TOPO vs Topo Maps US

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

Head to head
About

Simple TOPO

This app provides offline outdoor navigation with detailed topographic maps and route planning. It allows users to track their location, share itineraries, and find friends, ensuring safety and ease of use in remote areas.

Highlights
  • High-resolution USGS 24k Topographic charts
  • Easy Waypoint and Route creation
  • Buddy-tracking feature
  • Itinerary sharing for safety
  • Offline chart viewing
  • Real-time track recording
  • Point of Interest database
Features
Read full description

Simple TOPO is a powerful, yet easy-to-use outdoor navigation solution. No matter your outdoor pursuit Simple TOPO will get you there and back home safely – with nothing more than your iPhone or iPad. The free evaluation version displays standard satellite, road, and hybrid maps. An in-app subscription purchase of $2.99/mo or $29.99/yr includes USGS 24k Topo charts, navigational features, and frequent app upgrades. Key Features: • High-resolution USGS 24k Topographic charts • Easy one-touch Waypoint and Route creation. Pre-plan your routes at home or create them in the field with equal ease. Just touch the screen to create new waypoints and routes. • Find your friends outdoors. With our new Buddy-tracking feature, you can see and meet up with your friends while you’re out on the water. If you’re on your secret spot and don’t want to be seen, you can hide your location with the touch of a button. • Stay safe. Easily create and send an itinerary of your trip to a friend or family member. Your itinerary and location history can be forwarded to search and rescue personnel in case of an emergency. • Easy-to-use point-to-point navigation. The red heading bug on the large on-screen compass always directs you to the next point on your route. Navigation is as easy as pointing yourself at the heading bug to stay on course. • No Network. No Problem. Simple TOPO is designed so no internet connection is required to view your charts while in the field. You simply download in advance any charts you’ll need in the field with the touch of a button. • Record your tracks. Track your position in real-time and later view your track history. • Fully indexed point of interest (POI) database including weather, tides, currents, your buddies, and more. -------------------- Subscription prices: One year - $29.99 Monthly - $2.99 -Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. -Your subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current subscription period. -You will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period, for the same duration and at the current subscription rate for that product. -You can manage your subscriptions and turn off auto-renewal by going to your Account Settings in the Apple Settings app after purchase. -No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during active subscription period. This does not affect your statutory rights. -Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when you purchase a subscription. -We will be collecting information about your use of the app both when you are online and offline. To find out more please see our privacy policy. -------------------- By purchasing a subscription or downloading an app you agree that you have read and accept our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. http://www.redskyengineering.com/terms-of-use/ http://www.redskyengineering.com/privacy-policy/ NOTE: Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life. Though Simple TOPO will function without a GPS as a chart reader, a GPS-enabled device is required for point-to-point navigation. Third-party Bluetooth GPS units are available to enable GPS for iOS devices such as WiFi-only iPads that do not include a GPS receiver. For offline use where no Internet connection is available, charts must be pre-cached while still on-line and connected, any charts downloaded while online will be available for offline use.

About

Topo Maps US

Access and download detailed topographic maps of the United States for offline use. Track your location, mark waypoints, and record your routes for outdoor activities. Navigate with direction arrows and measure distances on the map.

Highlights
  • Download US topographic maps
  • Offline map viewing
  • GPS location tracking
  • Add and import waypoints (flags)
  • Import and share GPX/LOC files
  • Record and share trails
  • Elevation profile charts
Features
Read full description

Download USGS topographic maps of the United States and use them offline, with no account and no subscription. Topo Maps US is built for people who go where cell service doesn't: hikers, backpackers, hunters, anglers, paddlers, mountain bikers, geocachers, and anyone who wants a real topographic map in their pocket. MAPS Choose from three USGS map layers: standard topographic, aerial imagery with a topographic overlay, or plain aerial imagery. OFFLINE Tap the map squares you want and download them before you leave. Downloaded maps work with no Internet connection and use no cell data in the field. TRAILS AND POINTS OF INTEREST BUILT IN Every map download includes the trails, summits, lakes, campsites, and other named places in that area from OpenStreetMap, so you can search them by name while you're offline. TRAIL RECORDING Record where you go. Recorded trails show your path on the map with distance, elapsed time, and average speed. Recording stops automatically when you start driving, and any drive at the start or end of a trail is trimmed off. ELEVATION PROFILES Every recorded or imported trail gets an elevation profile with distance labels and color-coded grade shading. Drag along the chart to see the matching point on the map, its elevation, and the time you passed it. FLAGS Mark your current location or any spot on the map. Flags record coordinates and elevation, and you can add notes and organize them by color: geocaches, trailheads, summits, camps, and so on. NAVIGATION Pick a flag and follow the direction arrow, driven by your compass heading, with the distance remaining. Handy for geocaching and for finding your way back to camp or the car. LOCATION See where you are on the map, your elevation, speed, and the accuracy of the GPS fix. MEASURE Trace a route on the map to measure its distance, then save it as a trail to follow later. IMPORT AND SHARE Import trails and waypoints from GPX files and geocache LOC files. Share your flags and trails by email, Messages, or AirDrop as standard GPX files that work with any GPS unit or mapping software. Back up your maps and data to a computer over Wi-Fi. Designed for iPhone and iPad. Note: Continued use of GPS in the background can noticeably reduce battery life.

Screenshots

Simple TOPO4 screens
Topo Maps US4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Simple TOPO at 5.0 against Topo Maps US's 4.4. Simple TOPO also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 88%) and iOS requirement (7.0 vs 15.0). Topo Maps US's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 51 months). On price, ads and device support 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

Both are free to download. Simple TOPO sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Topo Maps US asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Simple TOPO holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Topo Maps US has 213 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Simple TOPO's written reviews are positive against 88% of Topo Maps US's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Simple TOPO ships an update every 51 months, Topo Maps US every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 18, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Simple TOPO versus Topo Maps US: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSimple TOPOTopo Maps US
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better4.4 (213 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better87.5% of reviews
Number of ratings1213 — better
Update frequencyEvery 51 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS7.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size41 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRed Sky Engineering, LLCDC Cloud Apps, LLC

Customer experience

Simple TOPO

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Topo Maps US

All ratings213 ratings
Positive86.9%
Neutral1.4%
Negative11.7%
Written reviews80 reviews
Positive87.5%
Neutral2.5%
Negative10.0%

Bugs and requests

Simple TOPO

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Topo Maps US

Reported bugs

8 issues
  • White and gray blocks appearing on downloaded offline maps
  • Route recording stops unexpectedly mid-hike
  • High battery drain during route tracking
  • GPX file import issues in iOS 13+
  • Map display issues near borders
Show 3 more
  • Flags cluttering the view
  • Inconsistent zoom functionality
  • Route tracking drops without saving

Requested features

18 requests
  • Pause/resume tracking during hikes
  • Search feature for trails and landmarks
  • Apple Watch app support
  • CarPlay integration
  • Slope shading visualization
Show 13 more
  • Ability to select and download multiple tiles at once
  • Background map downloading
  • Map transfer between devices
  • iCloud backup for GPS tracks
  • Older USGS topographic map versions
  • Time stamps in GPX export for fitness tracking
  • Quadrangle identification display
  • Built-in compass with map orientation
  • Laptop map manager for easier updates
  • Community Q&A section
  • Multiple color options for waypoints
  • Auto-save feature for long recordings
  • Larger downloadable map areas

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Simple TOPO

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly$2.991 Month
  • Simple Topo - 12 Month$29.991 Year
None

Topo Maps US

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Simple TOPO free?
Simple TOPO is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Topo Maps US free?
Topo Maps US is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Simple TOPO or Topo Maps US?
Simple TOPO is rated higher. Simple TOPO averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Topo Maps US averages 4.4 from 213 ratings.
Do Simple TOPO or Topo Maps US have ads?
Neither Simple TOPO nor Topo Maps US shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Simple TOPO or Topo Maps US?
Simple TOPO ships an update every 51 months, and Topo Maps US every 2 months. Most recently, Simple TOPO was updated on September 18, 2026 and Topo Maps US on October 15, 2026.

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