MapLayers vs OSM Maps
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
MapLayers
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MapLayers is a collection of maps for outdoor activities and more! New in Version 1.4: Compass for navigating to any point on the map New in Version 1.2: App URLs to open individual charts either in app or on the web. New in Version 1.1: GPS Track Logging. You can now record and review your travels!. Discovering and downloading maps for your adventures is easy and fast. Multiple types of maps are available and multiple maps can be viewed at the same time. Custom maps can be imported as GeoPDF and we are adding more maps constantly. Featuring maps from the USGS, Bureau of Land Management and more! Each map is viewable on our custom, spherical based map engine and can be overlaid with various base maps. Your current location can also be shown on the map. SUPPORT We can help! Email team@cartolake.com LEGAL End User License Agreement: https://www.cartolake.com/about/terms Privacy Policy: https://www.cartolake.com/about/privacy
OSM Maps
View OSM maps from various sources, create notes, and add multimedia like photos, audio, and video. Record and manage routes and tracks in GPX format, with iCloud synchronization and desktop backup options.
- View OSM maps from multiple sources
- Create and edit notes with multimedia
- Record and manage GPX routes and tracks
- iCloud synchronization
- Desktop backup functionality
- Open Source
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This app shows OSM maps from a various sources (OSM, Elbe5, etc). You can create notes add and edit photos, audios, videos, routes and tracks in GPX format, take photos, add record own audios, videos, routes and tracks. It has list views of all attached items. It can synchronize all of this via iCloud or backup files with the desktop app. This app is the successor of 'Maps for OSM' by this author. It has a different data structure and different features, so it had to become a new app. But you can import data from older backup files. This app is not affiliated with OpenStreetMap, but the use of this name has been approved. This app is Open Source, the code is published at https://github.com/mr-elbe5/OSM-Maps. If you find any problems or missing features, please let me know!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: OSM Maps at none against MapLayers's 1. OSM Maps also leads on ads (none vs shown). MapLayers's advantage is iOS requirement (14.0 vs 17.6). On price, update cadence 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. MapLayers sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $24.99 per year. OSM Maps asks for nothing beyond the download.
MapLayers ships an update every 3 weeks, OSM Maps every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | MapLayers | OSM Maps |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | — | 1 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 11 days — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | — | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 24 MB | 9 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | CartoLake, LLC | Michael Roennau |
In-app purchases
MapLayers
- Basic Yearly7 Days trial$24.991 Year
OSM Maps
No in-app purchases








