Comparison

MapLayers vs OSM Maps

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

Head to head
About

MapLayers

Access a wide variety of maps for outdoor activities, including USGS and Bureau of Land Management charts. Import custom GeoPDF maps and overlay them with different base layers. Track your GPS location and record your travels for review.

Highlights
  • GPS tracking and logging
  • Multiple map types
  • Custom GeoPDF import
  • Map overlays
  • Compass navigation
  • View current location
Features
Read full description

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

About

OSM Maps

View OSM maps from various sources and create detailed notes with multimedia attachments like photos, audio, and video. Record routes and tracks in GPX format, synchronize data via iCloud, or back it up to a desktop app. This open-source application is a successor to a previous version, allowing data import.

Highlights
  • View OSM maps from multiple sources
  • Create and edit multimedia notes (photos, audio, video)
  • Record and export routes/tracks in GPX format
  • iCloud synchronization
  • Open Source
  • Data import from older backups
Features
Read full description

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

MapLayers4 screens
OSM Maps4 screens

Verdict

The call

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, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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. MapLayers sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $24.99 per year. OSM Maps asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for MapLayers against 5.0 for OSM Maps. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MapLayers ships an update every 3 weeks, OSM Maps every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
MapLayers versus OSM Maps: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMapLayersOSM Maps
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings11
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 11 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS14.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size24 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCartoLake, LLCMichael Roennau

In-app purchases

1 purchases

MapLayers

Subscriptions1
  • Basic Yearly7 Days trial$24.991 Year
None

OSM Maps

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is MapLayers free?
MapLayers is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is OSM Maps free?
OSM Maps is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, MapLayers or OSM Maps?
MapLayers and OSM Maps are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do MapLayers or OSM Maps have ads?
MapLayers shows ads; OSM Maps does not.
Which is updated more often, MapLayers or OSM Maps?
MapLayers ships an update every 3 weeks, and OSM Maps every 11 days. Most recently, MapLayers was updated on November 3, 2026 and OSM Maps on November 8, 2026.

Other comparisons