Scenic Map vs MineAR
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Scenic Map
Explore the world with detailed 3D topographic maps, accessible even offline. Stream and cache global maps for use without cell service. Features include satellite overlays, customizable map styles, and GPS tracking for navigation and route replay.
- Global 3D topographic maps
- Offline map caching
- Satellite image overlays
- Customizable map styles
- GPS tracking and route replay
- GPX track import/export
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A 3D topo map with coverage of the entire world. The map is streamed directly from Apple's servers and cached on your device for use when there is no cell coverage. Use Scenic Map in a car, a boat, a plane or while hiking. It is like having the entire Earth in your pocket. Satellite image overlays add breathtaking detail and realism to the maps (tap preset 2 or 4). You can use them as you travel to see what is hidden from view at ground level. This takes moving maps to a whole new level. To get started, tap the arrow button in the toolbar to begin GPS tracking and center the map at your current location. The spinner in the status bar shows that the map is being loaded. The spinner stops when the map is fully cached at that location. You can scroll around the map or tilt the map with a two finger vertical swipe to see it in 3D. Use the two finger vertical swipe gesture to tilt the map for a 3D view. Scroll like a map or fly like a flight simulator. Enable Joystick Gestures in the Settings menu and then fly around the terrain using a virtual joystick. Prefer only 2D maps? Enable the 2D Map option in the Settings menu. Scenic Map is simply the best 3D topo map available for a mobile device. You will see incredible detail while scrolling, rotating and zooming perfectly smoothly. You will see every road even if you zoom out to the altitude of a satellite. As you zoom in, you will see every small bump and hollow of the Earth and terrain features as small as ten meters. Unlike old fashioned topo maps, Scenic Map’s roads and trails are up to date thanks to OpenStreetMap.org. It contains polygons for urban areas, shopping malls, an ever growing number of buildings and many other features, The best lake, pond, stream and rivers from the USGS and Canadian public databases are also included. Your tracks can be replayed with video like controls to speed up, slow down, pause, restart or skip to the end. You can display existing tracks while recording another if you want to retrace your route. When online, you can automatically create a route from your current GPS location to any other point on the map. Tracks can be received from or sent to other apps in GPX format. GPS recording stops automatically after you have remained stationary for some time or you can choose to manually stop tracking by tapping on the top track in the Tracks view. Never before have maps been this customizable. For example, you can turn on or off the roads. You can change the lighting direction or remove terrain shading entirely. You can display contour lines even over satellite images. There are five presets which let you quickly switch between map styles. Use Metric, English or Nautical units and choose one of four different coordinate displays including UTM. Want to learn more about a map feature? Tap the target icon and center the feature under the compass rose to display its name, type, urban area, county, state, elevation and coordinates. You will also see a bearing line back to your current GPS location or from your location to a selected waypoint. The status bar shows the bearing direction and distance along with the map and GPS elevation, the track length, and your current speed and direction of travel. In-app documentation is provided in the Help section at the top of the Settings menu. Links are provided in the documentation to detailed coverage maps, tutorial videos, installation guide and blog at ScenicMap.com Map data © OpenStreetMap and contributors under the Open Database License Scenic Map supports GPS tracking while the app is in the background. Caution: Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.
MineAR
Visualize your subsurface GIS data in 3D augmented reality directly in the field. Overlay your data with terrain and geography to identify obstructions, compare topography, and discover new exploration targets. Works offline and includes a NearMe service for points of interest.
- Augmented reality data visualization
- Overlay subsurface data with terrain
- Identify drilling obstructions
- Offline functionality
- NearMe service for points of interest
- Import CSV and GEOJSON data
- Data styling and organization
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Data you can grasp. As a geoscience professional, we know you want an easier way to see your GIS data while you’re in the field. MineAR allows you to do exactly that. Our app seamlessly allows you to upload your subsurface data and lets you see it alongside your surrounding terrain and geography. MineAR helps eliminate costly mistakes by allowing you to engage with your data, see obstructions for your drilling and exploration targets, and compare the topography with where you need to drill in real space. Discover all of this on our app. ▶ How It Works 1 - LOAD YOUR DATA Expect accurate and dependable results that are fast and responsive. 2 - VIEW IT IN THE FIELD No more frustration. Confirm your drilling and exploration targets and cross-reference your data while never leaving the job site. 3 - DISCOVER Eliminate unknowns as you locate new minerals in real-time. ▶ Free MineAR App Features • No ads • NearMe service shows the roads, rivers, points of interest, and elevation models in augmented reality of your location. This service is particularly helpful in the discovery of new mining or digging locations so you can compare the topography and the terrain. • Augmented reality and virtual reality modes • Digital elevation model • Works on and offline • Compass and GPS keep you and your data centered with the elevation model. ▶ Additional Premium Features • IMPORT common datatypes: CSV, GEOJSON (points, lines and shapes!) • ORGANIZE your data by Project • VIEW and STYLIZE your data by any of the data's attributes. ▶ Free Trial! Subscription Information Thank you for being an early adopter! A free trial gives you complete access to the app and the ability to upload and view your own data. Sample data added for you to play with. ▶ Feedback: Having a problem, or want to request new features please contact us at support@gominear.com Terms of use: https://www.gominear.com/terms-of-use
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is monetization model: Scenic Map at free against MineAR's freemium. MineAR's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.7) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.1). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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. Scenic Map sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and MineAR sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
MineAR holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 5 respectively.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Scenic Map | MineAR |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (3 ratings) | 5.0 (5 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 3 | 5 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 3 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 16.1 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 66 MB | 104 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | GrangerFX | Map Life, LLC |
Customer experience
Scenic Map
MineAR
In-app purchases
Scenic Map
- Scenic Map Features$4.99
MineAR
- Monthly Subscription7 Days trial$4.991 Month
- Yearly Subscription7 Days trial$49.991 Year









