OSM sketch vs Paper Maps
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
OSM sketch
Draw directly on OpenStreetMap maps to create annotations and memos. Save your drawings as GPX files to upload and edit on desktop OSM editors. Ideal for planning routes or marking points of interest on the go.
- Draw on OSM maps
- Save drawings as GPX
- Upload to OSM account
- Multi-touch gestures
- Display current location
- Zoom and scroll map
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For OpenStreetMap(OSM) mapping, drawing your memo on paper printed the OSM map is good solution. You can describe on the paper anything e.g. Line, words, arrow, symbol and illustration. "OSM sketch" realize such paper mapping on iPhone. You can draw on OSM map anything you want to memo anywhere, anytime without printing beforehand. Operation is easy and optimized for small screen. Multi touch operation ,scroll and zoom, can be executed also during "drawing mode" so you can pull new canvas out quickly. To display current location and zoom in/out map support your mapping and these function are difficult for paper. The drawn line exchange into GPX file and upload to your OSM account page. You can open the GPX file by PC OSM editor(iD, Potlatch2 and JOSM) and edit OSM data based on your lines when you return your home.
Paper Maps
This app allows you to view and edit digital maps with support for various file formats. You can customize maps by adding placemarks, recording tracks, and drawing shapes. It also offers real-time annotation sharing and useful tools like a theodolite.
- View PDF, TIFF, KAP, KML files
- Cloud integration (iCloud, Google Drive, Dropbox)
- Add placemarks and record tracks
- Draw lines and shapes
- Real-time annotation sharing
- Theodolite and georeferencer tools
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The best digital maps viewer and editor ever made for a mobile device! - View PDF, TIFF, KAP, KML - Integrated with iCloud, Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, - Customize your map - add placemarks, record tracks, draw lines and shapes - Share annotations with other users in real time - A lot of useful tools: theodolite, georeferencer and more!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: OSM sketch at 100% against Paper Maps's 43%. OSM sketch also leads on rating (4.5 vs 3.9) and in-app purchases (none vs 8). Paper Maps's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 4 months). On price 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. Paper Maps sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. OSM sketch asks for nothing beyond the download.
OSM sketch holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Paper Maps has 13 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of OSM sketch's written reviews are positive against 43% of Paper Maps's.
OSM sketch ships an update every 4 months, Paper Maps every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | OSM sketch | Paper Maps |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (2 ratings) — better | 3.9 (13 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 42.9% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2 | 13 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Ad-supported — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 8 MB | 59 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | +4 |
| Developer | Masaki Fujimoto | Abbro Inc |
Customer experience
OSM sketch
Paper Maps
In-app purchases
OSM sketch
No in-app purchases
Paper Maps
- Monthly Subscription$4.991 Month
- Yearly Subscription7 Days trial$9.991 Year
- Map$0.99
- Map$1.99
- Map$2.99
Show 3 moreShow fewer
- Map$3.99
- Map$4.99
- Unlock data export$4.99
