Comparison

SW Maps vs FDsidekick

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

Head to head
About

SW Maps

This app allows users to collect, present, and share geographic information. It supports recording points, lines, polygons, and associated data like photos and audio. High-accuracy GPS surveys are possible with external receivers, and data can be shared in various standard formats.

Highlights
  • Collect points, lines, and polygons
  • Attach custom attributes (text, photo, audio, video)
  • High-accuracy GPS surveys with external receivers
  • Offline map support
  • Export data in multiple formats (Shapefile, GeoPackage, CSV)
  • Create and share project templates
Features
Read full description

SW Maps is a free GIS and mobile mapping app for collecting, presenting and sharing geographic information. Whether you are conducting a full scale GNSS survey with high precision instruments, need to collect large amount of location based data using nothing but your phone, or just need to view a few shapefiles with labels over a background map on the go, SW Maps has it all covered. Record points, lines, polygons and even photos and have them displayed over your choice of background map, and attach custom attribute data to any feature. Attribute types include text, numbers, an option from a predefined set of choices, photos, audio clips and videos. Conduct high accuracy GPS surveys using external RTK capable receivers over Bluetooth LE. Draw features on the map by adding markers, and measure distance and area. Reuse the layers and attributes of a previous project for another survey, or create templates and share them with other users. Share the collected data with other users as Geopackages, KMZ or shapefiles, or export them to your device storage. Also share and export recorded data as Spreadsheets or CSV files. All data is recorded and exported in the standard WGS84 Geographic coordinate system (EPSG:4326). Features -Online Base maps: Apple Maps or Open Street Map -Support for multiple mbtiles and KML overlays -Shapefile and Geopackage layers, with attribute categorized styling. View shapefiles in any coordinate system supported by the PROJ.4 library. -Add multiple online WMTS, TMS, XYZ or WMS layers and cache tiles for offline use. -Connect to external GPS receivers using Bluetooth for high accuracy surveying using RTK with built-in NTRIP client. Also record data from external receiver for post processing. -Define multiple number of feature layers, each with a set of custom attributes Feature Types: Point, Line, Polygon Attribute Types:Text, Numeric, Drop down Options, Photos, Audio, Video Save as Template for re-use or sharing -Record GPS tracks, with distance measurement -Label features based on attribute values. -Import feature layers from templates or existing projects. -Share or export collected data as KMZ (with embedded photographs) , shapefiles, GeoJSON, Geopackage (GPKG), XLS/ODS spreadsheets or csv files. -Share templates or projects with other users -Supports use of GTX geoid files. To use custom geoids, prepare a GTX file with offsets in meters from WGS84. This product is made in Nepal and is FREE (no Ads). If you find this useful, please let your friends know that you have used a product from Nepal. Spare sometime to visit this wonderful country and know the Nepali people.

About

FDsidekick

This app offers quick access to preflight and inflight notes and utilities. It includes features for customizing notecards, viewing imported PDFs, and a specialized aviation calculator. You can also create PA scripts and jot down notes with stylus support.

Highlights
  • Customizable Notecard with Autofill
  • PDF Reference Viewer
  • Aviation Calculator
  • PA Script Creator
  • Touch/Stylus Notepad
Features
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FDsidekick provides ease-of-access for preflight and inflight notes and utilities. -Notecard: Customize and Autofill your card for easy flight plan review -References: Easily view imported PDFs -Calculator: With Aviation-related functions and memory -PA: Easily create a script for the Welcome Aboard PA -Notepad: Jot down notes via touch with support for Apple Pencil

Screenshots

SW Maps4 screens
FDsidekick4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: FDsidekick at 5.0 against SW Maps's 3.8. FDsidekick also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 months). SW Maps's advantage is ratings volume (25 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

FDsidekick holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SW Maps has 25 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SW Maps ships an update every 2 months, FDsidekick every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
SW Maps versus FDsidekick: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSW MapsFDsidekick
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.8 (25 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews30.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings25 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size17 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAviyaan TechErik Patrinostro

Customer experience

SW Maps

All ratings25 ratings
Positive60.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative20.0%
Written reviews20 reviews
Positive30.0%
Neutral35.0%
Negative35.0%

FDsidekick

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

SW Maps

No in-app purchases

None

FDsidekick

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is SW Maps free?
SW Maps is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is FDsidekick free?
FDsidekick is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, SW Maps or FDsidekick?
FDsidekick is rated higher. SW Maps averages 3.8 out of 5 from 25 ratings, while FDsidekick averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do SW Maps or FDsidekick have ads?
Neither SW Maps nor FDsidekick shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SW Maps or FDsidekick?
SW Maps ships an update every 2 months, and FDsidekick every 5 days. Most recently, SW Maps was updated on November 3, 2026 and FDsidekick on October 31, 2026.

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