mapnow vs Photon
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
mapnow
Easily share unfiltered photos and videos pinned to their exact locations on a global map. Connect with friends and family by mapping your journeys and experiences. Engage with others' content through reactions and comments.
- Pin photos and videos to map locations
- Share unfiltered, time-stamped content
- Create groups for specific sharing
- React to and comment on posts
- Follow other users' adventures
- Control profile privacy
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mapnow is the easiest way to share unfiltered photos and videos on a global map with your friends. Your pictures are effortlessly pinned to their precise locations on the map based on their geolocation. Every photo and video you share is unfiltered, time-stamped, and geotagged, ensuring an unparalleled and authentic experience. - Effortlessly map your journeys, travels, and life experiences - Share your globe to friends & family - Create groups and share your content to specific individuals - Engage with other mappers' contributions using reactions and comments - Follow mappers and stay in the loop of their adventures AUTHENTICITY We exclusively feature unedited and unfiltered content, promoting authenticity and trust within mapnow's community. REAL-TIME PHOTOS & VIDEOS Capture and share moments as they happen, providing an authentic and immediate way to share experiences with your friends and followers. PRIVACY Enjoy privacy by controlling who can see your profile. Download mapnow !
Photon
Easily share videos from your phone and transform them into immersive 3D experiences. Watch your creations in compatible headsets for a new dimension of viewing.
- Share phone videos
- Convert videos to 3D
- Watch in VR headsets
- Spatial media platform
- AI 2D to 3D conversion
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Photon is a social app for sharing and discovering immersive spatial videos. Upload compatible videos from your iPhone, explore creations from the community, and enjoy immersive playback across supported devices.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: mapnow at 100% against Photon's 38%. mapnow also leads on rating (4.6 vs 2.9) and ratings volume (264 vs 9). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
mapnow holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 2.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: mapnow has 264 ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of mapnow's written reviews are positive against 38% of Photon's.
mapnow ships an update every 5 days, Photon weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | mapnow | Photon |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (264 ratings) — better | 2.9 (9 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 37.5% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 264 — better | 9 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days — better | Weekly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Vision Pro — better | iPhone, Vision Pro |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 18.5 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 87 MB | 9 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | NOERDEN | Interdime, Inc. |
Customer experience
mapnow
Photon
In-app purchases
mapnow
No in-app purchases
Photon
No in-app purchases
