Smart Maps vs Sidewalk
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Smart Maps
Create, explore, and share custom maps with unique data layers. Experience enhanced navigation with CarPlay integration. Discover maps made by a community of users.
- Create custom maps
- Explore proprietary data layers
- Share maps with others
- CarPlay integration
- Community map discovery
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- Explore our proprietary layers, including hundreds derived from U.S. Census data - Create your own maps - Share your maps with others - Experience CarPlay and Navigation like never before - Explore maps that others have created
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 rating: Sidewalk at 4.5 against Smart Maps's 4.0. Sidewalk also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and review sentiment (73% vs 45%). Smart Maps's advantage is chart position (#180 vs unranked). On price, update cadence, 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 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Sidewalk asks for nothing beyond the download.
Sidewalk holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sidewalk has 1K ratings behind it against 20, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 45% of Smart Maps's written reviews are positive against 73% of Sidewalk's.
Smart Maps ships an update every 6 days, Sidewalk every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 12, 2026 and November 13, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Smart Maps | Sidewalk |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (20 ratings) | 4.5 (1K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 45.5% of reviews | 72.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 20 | 1K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 6 days | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #180 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 171 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$9.991 Month
- Smart Maps Plus Annual$59.991 Year
Sidewalk
No in-app purchases
