Scenic Map vs Topo Maps 2
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.
Topo Maps 2
Access detailed topographic maps and satellite imagery for the US and Canada, usable offline. Record and share tracks, plan routes with 2D/3D visualization, and view geolocated photos. Offers hybrid map modes and offline search capabilities.
- Offline topographic maps
- 2D and 3D map views
- Track recording and sharing
- Route planning and visualization
- Hybrid map mode
- Offline search
- Geolocated photo display
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Topographic maps and satellite imagery for the United States and Canada from the US Geological Survey, US Forest Service and Natural Resources Canada in 2D and 3D. No network connection needed once maps are installed. Record your track, and share GPX files with other apps and devices. Hybrid map mode combines topo with imagery. Panorama mode shows silhouette of what's visible from anywhere on the map. Draw routes on the map; plot graphs of speed and altitude. "Fly" along routes in 3D. Offline search. Show your geolocated photos on the map. If you have our original Topo Maps or Topo Maps for iPad app installed, its maps will be shared with this app. End User License Agreement: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Scenic Map at 4.7 against Topo Maps 2's 4.1. Scenic Map also leads on review sentiment (67% vs 38%) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). Topo Maps 2's advantage is ratings volume (35 vs 3) and update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 3 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Scenic Map sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Topo Maps 2 sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Scenic Map holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Topo Maps 2 has 35 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of Scenic Map's written reviews are positive against 38% of Topo Maps 2's.
Scenic Map ships an update every 3 months, Topo Maps 2 every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Scenic Map | Topo Maps 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (3 ratings) — better | 4.1 (35 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews — better | 37.5% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 3 | 35 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 5 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.1 — better | 17.2 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 66 MB | 223 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | GrangerFX | Mappendix Limited |
Customer experience
Scenic Map
Topo Maps 2
In-app purchases
Scenic Map
- Scenic Map Features$4.99
Topo Maps 2
- Detailed Maps - 1 year3 Days trial$4.991 Year








