Mapapal vs GPS
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Mapapal
Easily share your real-time location or record journeys. Get instant setup without registration to share your position with friends and family. Track trip details and coordinate meetups effortlessly.
- Real-time location sharing
- Journey recording
- Instant setup, no registration
- Trip tracking (speed, distance)
- Anonymous mode for privacy
- Save and replay trips
- Add and track friends
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One link. One live map. Everyone you choose can follow along. Start a Mapapal trip in seconds and share it with friends or family. They can see your latest location and route in any browser, without installing Mapapal or creating an account. Mapapal makes live location sharing simple for walks, runs, bike rides, hikes, road trips, commutes, and everyday adventures. Your route grows on the map as you move, so the people you choose can follow along without repeatedly asking where you are. START IN YOUR OWN WAY • Use Quick Start to share without creating an account. Start the trip and send the link. • Sign in to keep a trip history, manage your profile, and connect with Pals. • Copy your trip link or share it through your favorite apps. YOU CONTROL WHO CAN FOLLOW Choose a visibility level for each trip: • Private - available only through its unique link. • Pals - shared with mutually connected Mapapal friends. • Everyone - discoverable as a public trip. BUILT FOR THE JOURNEY • See the live route and latest position on the map. • Follow direction, speed, distance, elevation and other useful trip details. • Location updates are designed to continue while Mapapal is in the background. • Set an automatic stop time for extra control over every trip. • Add comments to memorable points along your route. • Review recent trips and manage them at Mapapal.com. • Export the trip as CSV and use it in other map services. USE MAPAPAL FOR Meeting friends, sharing a family road trip, letting someone follow a run or ride, documenting a hike, or simply making your arrival easier to follow. Your location remains yours to share. You choose when a trip starts, when it ends, and who can access it. Mapapal requires location access and an internet connection to share live updates. Continued use of GPS can affect battery life. Mapapal is not an emergency or personal-safety service.
GPS
This professional-grade GPS system offers real-time tracking and route recording for various activities. It functions as a standalone app or in network mode for remote monitoring, supporting multiple map types and data export.
- Stand-Alone and Network Modes
- Real-time GPS tracking
- Track recording with photos
- Multiple map integrations (Apple, Google, OSM)
- Offline map support
- KML/GPX file import/export
- Long-term track storage
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Designed for reliable GPS tracking in real-world field operations. Record and manage GPS tracks with long-term stability and precision. Fully equipped with comprehensive GPS tracking features. Continuously developed and updated since the launch of the App Store in 2009. Compatible with the latest iOS. ==== FEATURES ==== • Reliable GPS recording for hours, days, or long journeys • Distance-based or time-based recording (Time-based is GPS-Trk exclusive feature. Intervals from 5 seconds to 1 day) • Stop and resume track recording • Add photos and notes to tracks • Low power consumption • GPS recording works even without cellular or Wi-Fi connection • Store years of tracks on device • Edit tracks (split, merge) and search • GPX / KML / KMZ import & export via iCloud, Files app, Dropbox (KMZ can contain photos.) • Auto generate track name from start location name • Multiple display formats for distance, altitude, speed, and coordinates • Apple Maps / Google Maps / OpenStreetMap • Offline map support for OpenStreetMap • Apple Maps LookAround / Google Maps StreetView • Speed and altitude chart • 3D map view (Swipe with two fingers) • Photo and note markers on maps • Display time, speed, and altitude along tracks • Track color coding by speed or altitude • Track animation • Tap the map or charts to quickly select any point along a track • Create map screenshots for sharing on social media • Window resize support. Single app optimized for both iPhone and iPad. • iPhone Mirroring (Interact with iPhone on Mac) • Dark mode • Clean, uncluttered, and easy-to-use user interface ==== USE CASES ==== • Field operations • Fleet operations • Event management • Survey & inspection work • Racing • Sailing • Expeditions • Outdoor activities • Long-distance travel ==== GPS-TRK NET INTEGRATION(OPTIONAL)==== GPS-Trk integrates with GPS-Trk Net for web-based live tracking and remote monitoring. Tracks, photos, and notes can be viewed in real time from web browsers on smartphones, tablets, and PCs. (No dedicated hardware required — only iPhone/iPad and internet connection. Check it out at https://gpstrk.hc-eng.com.) • Fleet monitoring • Race tracking • Event operations • Support teams • Remote field monitoring ==== SUBSCRIPTION ==== App purchase includes one year of usage rights. Continued use after the first year requires an annual subscription. ==== PRODUCT SITE ==== www.hc-eng.com [Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life. Payment will be charged to your Apple ID account at the confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless it is canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. You can manage and cancel your subscriptions by going to your account settings on the App Store after purchase. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://www.hc-eng.com/privacy-policy.html]
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Mapapal at 100% against GPS's 50%. Mapapal also leads on price (Free vs $9.99) and in-app purchases (none vs 3). GPS's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.3) and update cadence (weekly vs every 6 months). On ads, device support 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
Mapapal is free to download; GPS costs $9.99 up front. GPS sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per year. Mapapal asks for nothing beyond the download.
GPS holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7 and 2 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 100% of Mapapal's written reviews are positive against 50% of GPS's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Mapapal ships an update every 6 months, GPS weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 16, 2026 and September 15, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Mapapal | GPS |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $9.99 |
| Rating | 4.3 (7 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 50.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 7 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 16.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 14 MB | 23 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Jan Asmundsson | hc-eng |
Customer experience
Mapapal
GPS
In-app purchases
Mapapal
No in-app purchases
GPS
- 1 Year GPS-Trk$2.991 Year
- 1 Month GPS-Trk Net$4.99
- 1 Year GPS-Trk Net$49.99









