Comparison

FA Glass vs Ascend Maps

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

Head to head
About

FA Glass

Features
Read full description

- Has Map & Navigation. - Record Routes. - Open and See Routes.

About

Ascend Maps

This app provides customizable outdoor maps with offline capabilities. It features 3D terrain, track recording, saved places management, and the ability to save map tiles for offline use. Explore the outdoors with detailed, personalized navigation tools.

Highlights
  • Offline search
  • 3D terrain
  • Track recording and editing
  • Saved places management
  • Customizable map styles
  • Offline map tile saving
Features
Read full description

Ascend is an open source app for vector and raster maps. Features include 3D terrain, offline search, track recording and editing, managing saved places, saving map tiles for offline use, and more. CUSTOMIZABLE * Includes a simple, customizable style for OpenStreetMap vector tiles with modes for hiking, biking, and transit. * Overlay customizable hillshading, shaded relief, contour lines, and slope angle shading calculated in real-time over any base map. * Supports plugins for search, routing, map sources and more. * Add new online map sources and combine layers to create new maps. * Generate and import your own vector tiles. COMPREHENSIVE * Offline search * Wikipedia search * Manage saved places * Show geotagged photos from your Photo Library. * Create and edit routes * Record and edit tracks for hiking, fitness, and more * Save map tiles for offline use Learn more at https://github.com/styluslabs/maps

Screenshots

FA Glass4 screens
Ascend Maps4 screens

Verdict

The call

FA Glass and Ascend Maps are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

FA Glass ships an update every 10 months, Ascend Maps every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on September 10, 2026 and August 26, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
FA Glass versus Ascend Maps: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFA GlassAscend Maps
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 10 monthsEvery 6 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.012.0
Further details — not scored
Size46 MB11 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperFG GlassMatthew White

In-app purchases

None

FA Glass

No in-app purchases

None

Ascend Maps

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is FA Glass free?
FA Glass is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Ascend Maps free?
Ascend Maps is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do FA Glass or Ascend Maps have ads?
Neither FA Glass nor Ascend Maps shows ads.
Which is updated more often, FA Glass or Ascend Maps?
FA Glass ships an update every 10 months, and Ascend Maps every 6 months. Most recently, FA Glass was updated on September 10, 2026 and Ascend Maps on August 26, 2026.

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