Comparison

Topography Lite vs Tomstrails GPS UTM

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

Head to head
About

Topography Lite

This tool helps civil engineers, architects, and surveyors measure surface areas and convert coordinates to UTM EGSA87. It allows users to calculate polygon areas, export measurements in DXF, KML, and TXT formats, and input coordinates manually or by selecting points on a map.

Highlights
  • Convert coordinates to UTM EGSA87
  • Calculate polygon area in square meters
  • Export measurements in DXF, KML, TXT
  • Input coordinates manually
  • Select points on map for measurement
Features
Read full description

The application is very useful to Civil Engineers, Architects, Surveyors, and those interested in measuring a surface area or converting its coordinates to UTM EGSA87. This tool enables users to: 1. Convert the coordinates (x,y) to UTM EGSA87 Datum 2. Calculate the area of a polygon in square meters (m2) 3. Send the above measurements by e-mail in [dxf] file format. The dxf file can be opened in a MAC or a PC by any drawing application like Autocad. 4. Send measurements by e-mail in [kml] file format. The kml file can be opened in a MAC or a PC or iPhone by GoogleEarth application. 5. Send measurements by e-mail in [TXT] file format. The text file contains coordinates either in EGSA87 Datum or Latitude and Longitude in decimal degrees or UTM coordinates. The measurements mentioned above can be provided not only by placing the iPhone in each border of a surface area, but also from distance (when users are on their bed or their sofa). Users may also have their final measurements by entering the coordinates either in EGSA87 Datum or Latitude and Longitude in decimal degrees. *********Caution: The Free Version of the program has the additional alteration of EGSA87 coordination by 20% and reduce the measured points. For accurate results buy the full version ! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Η εφαρμογή είναι πολύ χρήσιμη για Πολιτικούς Μηχανικούς , Αρχιτέκτονες , τοπογράφους , και σε όσους ενδιαφέρονται για τη μέτρηση μιας επιφάνειας (γεωτεμαχίου, οικοπέδου κτλ) ή για την μετατροπή των συντεταγμένων της σε UTM ΕΓΣΑ87. Αυτή η εφαρμογή επιτρέπει στους χρήστες να : 1. Να μετατρέψουν τις συντεταγμένες ( x , y ) στο UTM ΕΓΣΑ87 Datum 2. Να υπολογίσουν το εμβαδόν ενός πολυγώνου σε τετραγωνικά μέτρα (m2) 3. Να στείλουν τις παραπάνω μετρήσεις μέσω e-mail σε μορφή αρχείου [dxf]. Το αρχείο DXF μπορεί να ανοίξει σε MAC ή PC από οποιαδήποτε cad εφαρμογή όπως το Autocad. 4. Να στείλουν τις παραπάνω μετρήσεις μέσω σε e-mail σε μορφή αρχείου [ΚΜL]. Το αρχείο KML μπορεί να ανοίξει σε MAC ή PC ή στο iPhone από την εφαρμογή GoogleEarth. Οι μετρήσεις που αναφέρονται παραπάνω μπορεί να προέρχονται όχι μόνο από τη τοποθέτηση του iPhone σε κάθε κορυφή της επιφάνειας που θέλουμε να μετρήσουμε, αλλά και από απόσταση, βρίσκοντας την επιφάνεια που μας ενδιαφέρει από τον χάρτη της εφαρμογής μας και επιλέγοντας τις κορυφές της. Οι χρήστες μπορούν επίσης να έχουν τελικές μετρήσεις τους, εισάγοντας τις συντεταγμένες είτε σε ΕΓΣΑ87 Datum ή το γεωγραφικό πλάτος και το γεωγραφικό μήκος σε δεκαδικούς βαθμούς *********Προσοχή: Η Free Version του προγράμματος έχει επιπρόσθετη αλλoίωση των συντεραγμένων ΕΓΣΑ87 κατα 20% καθώς και περιορισμό μετρούμενων σημείων. Για ακριβή αποτελέσματα αγοράστε την πλήρη έκδοση !

About

Tomstrails GPS UTM

This app provides precise UTM grid references and displays your location on topographic maps. It works offline, supports various regional datums, and offers multiple coordinate formats for easy sharing and use in other applications.

Highlights
  • Fast and accurate UTM grid reference
  • Locate position on topographic maps
  • Works without phone signal
  • Supports regional datums (e.g., ED50)
  • Multiple coordinate formats (1m, 10m, 100m)
  • Share coordinates with other apps
  • High contrast display for readability
Read full description

GPS UTM displays a fast and accurate UTM grid reference. Locate your position on topographic maps. GPS UTM supports many of the regional datums used around the world including ED50. ∙ No phone signal required - works in the most remote locations. ∙ 1 metre, 10 metre and 100 metre formats. ∙ Paste your coordinate into other apps or share with other people. ∙ A large, clear, high contrast display ensures you can easily read your position in any light conditions. ∙ Optimal battery use based on speed of travel and current charge level ensures all day use. ∙ No Adverts. GPS UTM - know where you are.

Screenshots

Topography Lite4 screens
Tomstrails GPS UTM3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Tomstrails GPS UTM at 84% against Topography Lite's 20%. Tomstrails GPS UTM also leads on update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 7 months). Topography Lite's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and iOS requirement (16.1 vs 18.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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

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

Topography Lite ships an update every 7 months, Tomstrails GPS UTM every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Topography Lite versus Tomstrails GPS UTM: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTopography LiteTomstrails GPS UTM
PriceFreeFree
Rating—4.8 (1.6K ratings) — better
Positive reviews20.0% of reviews83.8% of reviews — better
Number of ratings—1.6K — better
Update frequencyEvery 7 monthsEvery 6 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS16.1 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB8 MB
Age rating+44+
DeveloperGeorgios GraikousisTomstrails.com

Customer experience

Topography Lite

Written reviews5 reviews
Positive20.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative60.0%

Tomstrails GPS UTM

All ratings1,607 ratings
Positive94.3%
Neutral2.6%
Negative3.1%
Written reviews154 reviews
Positive83.8%
Neutral7.1%
Negative9.1%

Bugs and requests

Topography Lite

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Tomstrails GPS UTM

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Stopped working after iOS update
  • UTM grids were off initially, required setting changes

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add support for Morocco coordinate system
  • Add option to average readings and hold the result
  • Add option to reduce coordinate display to 6 digits for emergency use
  • Bring back previous features like degrees/minutes display and ability to edit messages

In-app purchases

None

Topography Lite

No in-app purchases

None

Tomstrails GPS UTM

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Topography Lite free?
Topography Lite is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Tomstrails GPS UTM free?
Tomstrails GPS UTM is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Topography Lite or Tomstrails GPS UTM have ads?
Neither Topography Lite nor Tomstrails GPS UTM shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Topography Lite or Tomstrails GPS UTM?
Topography Lite ships an update every 7 months, and Tomstrails GPS UTM every 6 weeks. Most recently, Topography Lite was updated on November 6, 2026 and Tomstrails GPS UTM on November 1, 2026.

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