Simple TOPO vs Topography Lite
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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.
Topography Lite
This tool helps civil engineers, architects, and surveyors measure surface areas and convert coordinates to UTM EGSA87. It allows users to calculate polygon areas, export measurements in DXF, KML, and TXT formats, and input coordinates manually or by selecting points on a map.
- Convert coordinates to UTM EGSA87
- Calculate polygon area in square meters
- Export measurements in DXF, KML, TXT
- Input coordinates manually
- Select points on map for measurement
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The application is very useful to Civil Engineers, Architects, Surveyors, and those interested in measuring a surface area or converting its coordinates to UTM EGSA87. This tool enables users to: 1. Convert the coordinates (x,y) to UTM EGSA87 Datum 2. Calculate the area of a polygon in square meters (m2) 3. Send the above measurements by e-mail in [dxf] file format. The dxf file can be opened in a MAC or a PC by any drawing application like Autocad. 4. Send measurements by e-mail in [kml] file format. The kml file can be opened in a MAC or a PC or iPhone by GoogleEarth application. 5. Send measurements by e-mail in [TXT] file format. The text file contains coordinates either in EGSA87 Datum or Latitude and Longitude in decimal degrees or UTM coordinates. The measurements mentioned above can be provided not only by placing the iPhone in each border of a surface area, but also from distance (when users are on their bed or their sofa). Users may also have their final measurements by entering the coordinates either in EGSA87 Datum or Latitude and Longitude in decimal degrees. *********Caution: The Free Version of the program has the additional alteration of EGSA87 coordination by 20% and reduce the measured points. For accurate results buy the full version ! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Η εφαρμογή είναι πολύ χρήσιμη για Πολιτικούς Μηχανικούς , Αρχιτέκτονες , τοπογράφους , και σε όσους ενδιαφέρονται για τη μέτρηση μιας επιφάνειας (γεωτεμαχίου, οικοπέδου κτλ) ή για την μετατροπή των συντεταγμένων της σε UTM ΕΓΣΑ87. Αυτή η εφαρμογή επιτρέπει στους χρήστες να : 1. Να μετατρέψουν τις συντεταγμένες ( x , y ) στο UTM ΕΓΣΑ87 Datum 2. Να υπολογίσουν το εμβαδόν ενός πολυγώνου σε τετραγωνικά μέτρα (m2) 3. Να στείλουν τις παραπάνω μετρήσεις μέσω e-mail σε μορφή αρχείου [dxf]. Το αρχείο DXF μπορεί να ανοίξει σε MAC ή PC από οποιαδήποτε cad εφαρμογή όπως το Autocad. 4. Να στείλουν τις παραπάνω μετρήσεις μέσω σε e-mail σε μορφή αρχείου [ΚΜL]. Το αρχείο KML μπορεί να ανοίξει σε MAC ή PC ή στο iPhone από την εφαρμογή GoogleEarth. Οι μετρήσεις που αναφέρονται παραπάνω μπορεί να προέρχονται όχι μόνο από τη τοποθέτηση του iPhone σε κάθε κορυφή της επιφάνειας που θέλουμε να μετρήσουμε, αλλά και από απόσταση, βρίσκοντας την επιφάνεια που μας ενδιαφέρει από τον χάρτη της εφαρμογής μας και επιλέγοντας τις κορυφές της. Οι χρήστες μπορούν επίσης να έχουν τελικές μετρήσεις τους, εισάγοντας τις συντεταγμένες είτε σε ΕΓΣΑ87 Datum ή το γεωγραφικό πλάτος και το γεωγραφικό μήκος σε δεκαδικούς βαθμούς *********Προσοχή: Η Free Version του προγράμματος έχει επιπρόσθετη αλλoίωση των συντεραγμένων ΕΓΣΑ87 κατα 20% καθώς και περιορισμό μετρούμενων σημείων. Για ακριβή αποτελέσματα αγοράστε την πλήρη έκδοση !
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Simple TOPO at 100% against Topography Lite's 20%. Simple TOPO also leads on iOS requirement (7.0 vs 16.1). Topography Lite's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and update cadence (every 7 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
Both are free to download. Simple TOPO sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Topography Lite asks for nothing beyond the download.
Simple TOPO ships an update every 51 months, Topography Lite every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Simple TOPO | Topography Lite |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 20.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 51 months | Every 7 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 7.0 — better | 16.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 41 MB | 5 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | +4 |
| Developer | Red Sky Engineering, LLC | Georgios Graikousis |
Customer experience
Simple TOPO
Topography Lite
In-app purchases
Simple TOPO
- Monthly$2.991 Month
- Simple Topo - 12 Month$29.991 Year
Topography Lite
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Simple TOPO free?
Is Topography Lite free?
Do Simple TOPO or Topography Lite have ads?
Which is updated more often, Simple TOPO or Topography Lite?
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