Comparison

MapGenie vs Middle Earth Explorer

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

Head to head
About

MapGenie

This fan-made map app helps players navigate a popular fantasy RPG. Discover over 3,000 locations, including gear, quests, and secrets, with a progress tracker and note-taking features. It covers all game acts and offers quick search functionality.

Highlights
  • Over 3,000 locations
  • 40+ categories
  • Quicksearch functionality
  • Progress tracker
  • Note-taking
  • All Acts covered
Features
Read full description

An unofficial fan-made map for BG3. Explore the map to track down legendary gear and discover hidden quests! FEATURES: • Over 3,000 locations - Find all Waypoints, Side Quests, Puzzles, Unique Equipment, Illithid Tadpoles & Chests! • 40+ categories - including Bosses, Inspirational Events, Companions, Soul Coins & more! • Quicksearch - just type the name of a location to instantly find what you're looking for. • Sync progress with the website: https://mapgenie.io/baldurs-gate-3 • Progress Tracker - mark locations as found and track the progress of your collectables. • Take Notes - marking places of interest by adding notes to the map. • All Acts - maps for Act 1, Act 2 & Act 3 included! If you find a bug, or have any suggestions for the app, please use the 'Send Feedback' option below to let us know! Disclaimer: MapGenie is in no way affiliated with Larian (the developers of BG3!)

About

Middle Earth Explorer

An interactive map and guide to the lands of Middle Earth, featuring over 50 locations, 90 events, and 10 quest timelines. Explore detailed lore, character journeys, and movie/book information. Works offline and supports accessibility features.

Highlights
  • Interactive Middle Earth map
  • 50+ detailed locations
  • 10 epic quest timelines
  • 26 major character profiles
  • Library of movies, books, and TV adaptations
  • Full-text search and bookmarking
  • Offline functionality
Features
Read full description

Your companion to Middle-earth, ready for Season 3. Explore an interactive map, follow every quest, catch up in the right order without spoilers, and find live concerts and screenings near you. NEW IN 3.0 - Journey Order: the films, the series and Tolkien's books in release order or in-world order, with runtimes and page counts - Spoiler Shield: tell the app how far you've read or watched, and the map, timeline and search hide what comes later - Live events: Middle-earth concerts, film screenings and fan gatherings near you, plus upcoming film releases - Daily Riddle: a new Middle-earth puzzle every day, with streaks and a spoiler-free result to share - Find your fellow traveller: a 10-question personality quiz with a result card to share - Optional reminders for the daily riddle and Season 3, only after you turn them on, scheduled on your device EXPLORE THE MAP - Browse Middle-earth on a detailed hand-drawn style map with 50+ locations - Tap any place for its lore: the Shire, Rivendell, Mordor, Minas Tirith and more - Filter by people: Elves, Dwarves, Hobbits, Men and the creatures of shadow FOLLOW THE QUESTS - 10 quest timelines and 90+ events, from The Hobbit to the end of the War of the Ring - Step through battles, departures, encounters and milestones in story order - See where each event happened on the map with a single tap MEET THE CHARACTERS - Profiles for 26 major characters, with their journeys traced across the map - Discover how characters and events connect LIBRARY - Films and series with cast, crew and ratings - Tolkien's books with cover art - Video clips in a native player TOOLS - Search across locations, events and journeys - Save places, events and clips FELLOWSHIP+ (OPTIONAL) The map, timeline, lore, character profiles, the release, chronological and reading orders, film tracking, the daily riddle, the quiz and the basic Spoiler Shield are free. Fellowship+ is an optional subscription that adds: - Live events in any city, with the full list near you - Progress tracking for every episode and book part, so you always know what's next - Curated watch orders: First-timer and Lore deep dive - Spoiler Shield precision down to the exact book you're on - Alternate app icons: 12 icons, with 3 collector's editions, Elven and 8 lands of Middle-earth - The Riddle Archive: every past daily riddle, and unlimited clues - On this day reminders for every Middle-earth anniversary - The New Zealand trip planner: the live New Zealand map, a trip planner and unlimited check-ins Fellowship+ is available as a monthly or yearly auto-renewing subscription. Eligible new subscribers get a free trial. Payment is charged to your Apple Account when you confirm the purchase, or when the free trial ends. The subscription renews automatically unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel it in your App Store account settings. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://alpozcan.github.io/middleearth-site/privacy BUILT FOR EVERYONE - Available in more than 30 languages - VoiceOver and Dynamic Type support - The map and lore work offline; events, videos and film details need a connection Unofficial fan app, not affiliated with the Tolkien Estate, Middle-earth Enterprises, Amazon or Warner Bros. Ticket links open third-party sellers, and we may earn a commission on tickets bought through them. No ads.

Screenshots

MapGenie4 screens
Middle Earth Explorer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Middle Earth Explorer at none against MapGenie's 1. Middle Earth Explorer also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 17 months) and review sentiment (75% vs 47%). MapGenie's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (161 vs 16). On price and rating 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. MapGenie sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Middle Earth Explorer asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

MapGenie holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: MapGenie has 161 ratings behind it against 16, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 47% of MapGenie's written reviews are positive against 75% of Middle Earth Explorer's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MapGenie ships an update every 17 months, Middle Earth Explorer fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
MapGenie versus Middle Earth Explorer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMapGenieMiddle Earth Explorer
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (161 ratings) — better4.6 (16 ratings)
Positive reviews46.7% of reviews75.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings161 — better16
Update frequencyEvery 17 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size55 MB72 MB
Age rating12+9+
DeveloperMagic Lamp Technologies LimitedAlp Ozcan

Customer experience

MapGenie

All ratings157 ratings
Positive93.0%
Neutral6.4%
Negative0.6%
Written reviews15 reviews
Positive46.7%
Neutral26.7%
Negative26.7%

Middle Earth Explorer

All ratings16 ratings
Positive93.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative6.3%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

MapGenie

One-time1
  • BG3 Map PRO Upgrade$9.99
None

Middle Earth Explorer

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is MapGenie free?
MapGenie is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Middle Earth Explorer free?
Middle Earth Explorer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, MapGenie or Middle Earth Explorer?
MapGenie is rated higher. MapGenie averages 4.8 out of 5 from 161 ratings, while Middle Earth Explorer averages 4.6 from 16 ratings.
Do MapGenie or Middle Earth Explorer have ads?
Middle Earth Explorer shows ads; MapGenie does not.
Which is updated more often, MapGenie or Middle Earth Explorer?
MapGenie ships an update every 17 months, and Middle Earth Explorer fortnightly. Most recently, MapGenie was updated on October 23, 2026 and Middle Earth Explorer on October 24, 2026.

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