Smart Maps vs Sidewalk
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Smart Maps
Visualize detailed US Census data, including population density, home prices, and salaries, down to the street level. Discover upcoming events and explore hundreds of measures. An optional upgrade unlocks additional data layers for deeper insights.
- Street-level US Census data visualization
- Population density mapping
- Home price and salary data
- Commute time analysis
- Upcoming Ticketmaster events
- Customizable information layers
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- Create your own maps using AI and toolkits - Share your maps with others - Experience CarPlay and Navigation like never before - Explore maps that others have created - Explore our proprietary layers, including hundreds derived from U.S. Census data
Sidewalk
This app helps you explore New York City by tracking the blocks you walk on an interactive map. It allows you to import past walks and compete with others on a leaderboard. Enjoy detailed stats and history of your explorations.
- Interactive block tracking map
- Import walks from other apps
- Leaderboard for New Yorkers
- Background walking detection
- Detailed walk history and stats
- Privacy-focused with no sign-up
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Walk every block in New York City. Sidewalk checks off each block as you walk it on an interactive map across all five boroughs. Set goals by borough, watch your coverage grow, and see how you stack up against other New Yorkers on the leaderboard. BACKGROUND TRACKING Sidewalk marks off your blocks without you opening the app. GPS only turns on when your pedometer detects you're walking, so battery use stays low (less than 3% per day). IMPORT YOUR EXISTING WALKS Already walked a lot of the city? Import your history from Apple Health, Strava, Google Timeline, and more to fill in the blocks you've already covered. Imported walks do not affect your leaderboard position. PRIVACY Your walks stay on your device. Servers only ever see aggregate stats: total blocks, total distance, walking time. GPS coordinates never leave your phone. There's no sign-up, no account, no name unless you choose to set one for the leaderboard. LEADERBOARD See how you stack up against other New Yorkers by blocks — today, this week, this month, this year, or all time. WALK HISTORY Every walk is saved with its full path, timestamps, distance, and walking time. Open one to replay it on the map. STATS Daily, weekly, and monthly charts for distance, walking time, new blocks, and steps. FREE No accounts, no subscriptions, no ads, no in-app purchases.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Sidewalk at none against Smart Maps's 1. Sidewalk also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs monthly) and ratings volume (928 vs 11). On price, review sentiment, ads 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. Smart Maps sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $0.99 per month. Sidewalk asks for nothing beyond the download.
Sidewalk holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sidewalk has 928 ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of Smart Maps's written reviews are positive against 74% of Sidewalk's.
Smart Maps ships an update monthly, Sidewalk every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Smart Maps | Sidewalk |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.3 (11 ratings) | 4.6 (928 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews | 73.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 11 | 928 — better |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 163 MB | 18 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Lucas Rugar | Joe Puccio |
Customer experience
Smart Maps
Sidewalk
In-app purchases
Smart Maps
- Smart Maps Plus$0.991 Month
Sidewalk
No in-app purchases








