Scenic Map vs Cartograph Maps 3
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.
Cartograph Maps 3
View and record offline vector maps with advanced features like custom themes, hill shading, and multiple layer stacking. Plan routes offline, measure distances, and sync data across devices. Supports various map formats and coordinate systems.
- View Mapsforge offline vector maps
- Support for OpenAndroMaps render themes
- Offline route calculation with BRouter
- Track recording in background
- Measurement tools
- Cloud sync across devices
- Multiple map layer stacking
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# Cartograph Maps View Mapsforge offline vector maps and record tracks. Includes OpenAndroMaps render themes, MBTiles support, hill shading, multi-layer stacking, offline BRouter routing, measurement tools, cloud sync, search, and offline overlays. Questions, problems, or feature requests: https://www.cartograph.eu/v3/contact/ **NEW** The app now ships with a companion Apple Watch app: https://youtu.be/mMjO9Ngfak0 ## Map features - View Mapsforge offline vector maps (including OpenAndroMaps.org). - OpenAndroMaps render themes (Elevate, Elements) for hiking, mountainbiking, running, and more. - Other offline formats: MBTiles (raster/vector), TwoWays RMAP, Locus SQLite, Oruxmaps SQLite, Garmin IMG (non-NT). - Online types: Mapbox MVT, Bing quadkey, OSM slippy tiles, raster WMS, MapLibre. - Offline hillshading and slope mapping (*). - Mapsforge multi-maps (*). - Classic Mapsforge and Mapsforge VTM rendering. - Stack multiple map layers, including transparency (*). - 3D buildings (*). - Create custom Mapsforge maps (**). - Grid overlays: WGS84, UTM, MGRS, and local projections (*). - Coordinate display: WGS84, UTM, MGRS, and local (proj4) projections. - Online map tile downloader (*). - Image-to-map calibration tool (*). - Zoom lock. ## Tracks and routing - Background track recording (*). - Custom track drawing tool (*). - Photo, video, and audio waypoints (*). - BRouter offline route calculation (*). - OSRM routing. - Google Directions (**). - Offline navigation with voice/custom audio instructions (*). - Waypoint alerts (*). - Live route elevation profile (*). - Import/export GPX, KML, KMZ (import only). - Import EXIF JPEG photos and Google Takeout as bookmarks (*). - Garmin icon support (*). - Live friend tracking (*). ## Other features - Measurement tools: distance, elevation profile, circular distance (*). - Workspaces for managing maps/overlays/tracks (*). - Cloud sync via OneDrive, DropBox, or your own server (*). - "What's here" reverse geocoding. - Built-in offline overlays: drinking water, supermarkets, hostels, restaurants. - Search: Google Places, Nominatim (**). - WunderLINQ and Carpe-Iter-Control support. - Translations: Czech, English, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Traditional Chinese (add your own: https://www.cartograph.eu/v3/add-ons/translations/). - Bluetooth heart rate, cadence, and speed sensors. (*) Full version, via in-app purchase. (**) Requires credits, obtainable in-app. ## In-app purchases Unlock all features and access third-party services (e.g. Google Directions). Details and Terms of Use: https://www.cartograph.eu/v3/in-app-purchase-info/ ## Disclaimer Background track recording uses location services and may significantly increase battery usage.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Scenic Map at none against Cartograph Maps 3's 10. Scenic Map also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.3). Cartograph Maps 3's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 months) and review sentiment (76% vs 67%). On price, ratings volume, ads 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
Both are free to download. Cartograph Maps 3 sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $2.49 per month. Scenic Map asks for nothing beyond the download.
Scenic Map holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 3 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 67% of Scenic Map's written reviews are positive against 76% of Cartograph Maps 3's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Scenic Map ships an update every 3 months, Cartograph Maps 3 every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Scenic Map | Cartograph Maps 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (3 ratings) — better | 4.3 (3 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews | 76.2% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 3 | 3 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.1 — better | 16.2 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 66 MB | 133 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | GrangerFX | Harald Meyer |
Customer experience
Scenic Map
Cartograph Maps 3
In-app purchases
Scenic Map
No in-app purchases
Cartograph Maps 3
- Add 100 3rd party credits$2.491 Month
- Full version (monthly)$2.991 Month
- Cloud synchronization7 Days trial$2.991 Month
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- Full version (6 months)$4.996 Months
- Monthly subscription$4.991 Month
- Full version (yearly)$8.491 Year
- Yearly subscription$17.991 Year
- Add 100 3rd party credits$1.99
- Cartograph for Apple Watch$3.99
- Full version (life-time)$29.99
Questions
Is Scenic Map free?
Is Cartograph Maps 3 free?
Which has better reviews, Scenic Map or Cartograph Maps 3?
Do Scenic Map or Cartograph Maps 3 have ads?
Which is updated more often, Scenic Map or Cartograph Maps 3?
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