Comparison

Scenic Map vs Route3D 3.0

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Global 3D topographic maps
  • Offline map caching
  • Satellite image overlays
  • Customizable map styles
  • GPS tracking and route replay
  • GPX track import/export
Features
Read full description

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.

About

Route3D 3.0

This app offers a 3D topographic map for outdoor activities, displaying terrain in perspective with hills. It allows users to playback routes like a movie, view elevation profiles, and switch between maps and aerial photography. Maps can be cached for offline access and GPS tracking is supported.

Highlights
  • 3D topographic maps
  • Route playback
  • Elevation profiles
  • Map and aerial view switching
  • Offline map caching
  • GPS tracking
  • GPX import/export
Features
Read full description

Route3D is a three dimensional map for outdoor activities. Maps are displayed in perspective and with hills. You can play back routes like a movie, showing each turn. Elevation profile shows the ups and downs of the route. Switch between maps and aerial photography. USGS topographic maps cover the continental USA. Cache maps in internal storage for offline access. Track your position with GPS. Import and export GPX files from other GPS applications.

Screenshots

Scenic Map4 screens
Route3D 3.02 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Scenic Map at 4.7 against Route3D 3.0's 2.8. Scenic Map also leads on update cadence (every 3 months vs every 11 months) and review sentiment (67% vs 50%). Route3D 3.0's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1). On price, ratings volume, ads and monetization model 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. Scenic Map sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Route3D 3.0 asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Scenic Map holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 2.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 4 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of Scenic Map's written reviews are positive against 50% of Route3D 3.0's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Scenic Map ships an update every 3 months, Route3D 3.0 every 11 months. The most recent releases landed on August 28, 2026 and July 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Scenic Map versus Route3D 3.0: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterScenic MapRoute3D 3.0
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (3 ratings) — better2.8 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings34 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 months — betterEvery 11 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.1 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size66 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGrangerFXEastridge Technology

Customer experience

Scenic Map

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

Route3D 3.0

All ratings3 ratings
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Scenic Map

One-time1
  • Scenic Map Features$4.99
None

Route3D 3.0

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Scenic Map free?
Scenic Map is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Route3D 3.0 free?
Route3D 3.0 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Scenic Map or Route3D 3.0?
Scenic Map is rated higher. Scenic Map averages 4.7 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while Route3D 3.0 averages 2.8 from 4 ratings.
Do Scenic Map or Route3D 3.0 have ads?
Neither Scenic Map nor Route3D 3.0 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Scenic Map or Route3D 3.0?
Scenic Map ships an update every 3 months, and Route3D 3.0 every 11 months. Most recently, Scenic Map was updated on August 28, 2026 and Route3D 3.0 on July 7, 2026.

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