Comparison

SW Maps vs GeoLibre

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

GeoLibre

Visualize, explore, and analyze geospatial data across multiple platforms. Supports various data formats and includes advanced analysis tools, 3D globe capabilities, and field data collection. Enables sharing and collaboration with others.

Highlights
  • Geospatial data visualization
  • Support for multiple data formats
  • Advanced vector and geoprocessing tools
  • 3D globe and planetary mapping
  • Field data collection (GPS, photos, attributes)
  • Live collaboration sessions
  • Extensible with plugins
Features
Read full description

GeoLibre is a lightweight, cloud-native GIS platform for visualizing, exploring, and analyzing geospatial data. It runs in the web browser, on the desktop, on mobile, and inside Jupyter notebooks. MAPS AND DATA • Add data from GeoJSON, Shapefile, GeoParquet, KML/KMZ, CSV, PMTiles, COG, and more • Connect to tile services, WMS/WMTS, and ArcGIS services • Browse open cloud catalogs including Microsoft Planetary Computer and Google Earth Engine • Beautiful vector basemaps, satellite imagery, and a true 3D globe BEYOND EARTH Planetary basemaps cover the Moon, Mars, Mercury, Venus, the Galilean moons, Titan, Pluto, and Charon, each with the correct ellipsoid, so distance and area measurements match the body you are mapping. ANALYSIS ON DEVICE • Vector tools: buffer, clip, dissolve, intersect, spatial joins, and more • Geoprocessing tools: Run 1000+ free and open-source tools in the browser engine • Statistics and charts driven by your attribute data STYLING AND 3D • Full cartographic control with graduated and categorized symbology, labels, expressions, and legends • Extrude buildings, render point clouds and 3D tiles, and animate time-series data with the Time Slider IN THE FIELD Capture GPS points with photos and attributes using Field Collection, or record GPS tracks as you move. Location is used only while the app is open. There is no background tracking. SHARE AND COLLABORATE Build story maps, print layouts, and dashboards. Invite others into a live collaboration session by sharing a private session code. OPEN AND EXTENSIBLE GeoLibre is MIT-licensed and built on MapLibre GL JS, DuckDB, and deck.gl. The same workspace runs on iPhone and iPad, on the desktop, in your browser, and inside Jupyter notebooks. Extend it with plugins. PRIVACY GeoLibre does not require an account and collects no analytics. Optional online features such as basemaps, place search, the AI assistant, cloud catalogs, and live collaboration send requests directly to those services when you choose to use them.

Screenshots

SW Maps4 screens
GeoLibre4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: GeoLibre at 100% against SW Maps's 30%. GeoLibre also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.8) and update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months). SW Maps's advantage is ratings volume (25 vs 5). 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

GeoLibre 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 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 30% of SW Maps's written reviews are positive against 100% of GeoLibre's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SW Maps ships an update every 2 months, GeoLibre weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
SW Maps versus GeoLibre: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSW MapsGeoLibre
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.8 (25 ratings)5.0 (5 ratings) — better
Positive reviews30.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings25 — better5
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size17 MB54 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAviyaan TechQiusheng Wu

Customer experience

SW Maps

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

GeoLibre

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

SW Maps

No in-app purchases

None

GeoLibre

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is SW Maps free?
SW Maps is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is GeoLibre free?
GeoLibre is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, SW Maps or GeoLibre?
GeoLibre is rated higher. SW Maps averages 3.8 out of 5 from 25 ratings, while GeoLibre averages 5.0 from 5 ratings.
Do SW Maps or GeoLibre have ads?
Neither SW Maps nor GeoLibre shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SW Maps or GeoLibre?
SW Maps ships an update every 2 months, and GeoLibre weekly. Most recently, SW Maps was updated on October 30, 2026 and GeoLibre on October 29, 2026.

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