Comparison

Topo Reader vs Topographic Maps & Trails

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

Head to head
About

Topo Reader

Access and use detailed USGS topographical maps offline, even historical versions. Import your own geospatial PDF maps for navigation, route planning, and distance measurement. Ideal for outdoor adventures and geographical exploration.

Highlights
  • Download USGS topographical maps offline
  • Import geospatial PDF maps
  • Offline GPS usage on downloaded maps
  • Dual mode ruler for distance measurement
  • Route creation and GPS track recording
  • Augmented Reality waypoints
Features
Read full description

Download all available USGS topographic maps and import Geospatial PDF maps for off-line use at full undistorted resolution. Topo Reader is designed for road trips, camping, hiking, exploration and geographical history. Map images are accurately center aligned regardless of datum and placed on top of Apple's map kit for easy referencing and intuitive touch navigation. This software utilizes the latest capabilities of IOS with a fast start up, map rotating, unbeatable full detail resolution. Map downloads dispatch in the background so you can continue using the app. Topo Reader can install for use 422,664 U.S. Geological Survey current and historical topographical maps describing the topography of every region and island territories of the United States of America. Historical versions date as far back as year 1879. Install a map quad by pressing and holding a point on the reference map and discover the maps available at that location and the unique names given to every quad by the cartographers. Import geospatial PDF maps from the web, AirDrop, Finder, iTunes and email. Even at trailheads there are QRCode for maps that copy and install onto this app! Local and national park services offer PDF maps from their web sites. Even aeronautical sectional maps with embedded geospatial metadata that you can download in installed into Topo Reader. Easy see all your installed maps by zooming out and they all become a colorful violet and partially transparent so you can spot your map. Installed maps are managed in a table format which can be sorted by name, distance, and scale. Multiple versions of the same map can be stacked on top of one another and made visible or hidden using two finger swipes. Planning a hike somewhere and want to know the distance of your jaunt. Download the map and use the dual mode ruler to measure the path distance. Select the create Route option and draw and record your planned route. Purchase a subscription for unlimited map downloading. A subscription stops ads and doesn't auto-renew. The first few map download are complementary.‡ Features: • No need for cellular service to use • Use the GPS on downloaded topo maps while offline* • Dual mode ruler with orthographic line and path measuring • Waypoints with Augmented Reality finder • Routes path creation • Tracks/bread-crumb GPS location recording* • Full app usability while maps download in the background • Displays footprint grid and quad names • Aligns map datums to WGS84 (GPS) coordinates • Dynamic map stitching • Cropping of map margins for one big map grid • Automatic USGS topographic map download for your current location • Uses GPS location service to identify your location on a topo map* • Miles, Feet, Kilometers, Meters, Nautical Miles units • MGRS, UTM, and geodetic latitude and longitude coordinates • Import geospatial PDF maps downloaded from the USGS and other sources in zip or regular file formats • Enter coordinates in decimal, minutes and second formats • Map rotation and orients map to follow your heading • Imports GPX file formats waypoints • Email, AirDrop and SMS text waypoints, tracks and routes as GPX files (one subscription purchase required to permanently enable). Not currently supported: Geo TIFF; OCG layer selection used in current USTopo USGS maps. Not all geospatial metadata formats and datums are supported for imported PDF maps. Limited KML features supported. * Not preloaded with maps. WiFi recommended. Downloading queue does cap at around 36 maps. ** Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life. Location feature may not function on iPod and wifi-only iPad devices without GPS hardware. ‡ After a subscription period expires, advertisement may resume from usage of the import features.

About

Topographic Maps & Trails

Access detailed USGS topographic maps and satellite imagery for offline use. Track your hikes with distance, elevation, and calorie data. View various data themes like trails, hydrography, and land cover.

Highlights
  • Offline USGS topographic maps
  • Satellite and topo map layers
  • Hiking activity tracker
  • Track distance, vertical, and time
  • Calorie burn estimation
  • Color-coded elevation tracks
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

DOWNLOAD ALL MAPS FOR OFFLINE USE MAIN FEATURES INCLUDE: - USGS Topographic Maps - Satellite + Topo Maps - Hiking Tracker USGS TOPO MAP USGS Topo is a tile cache base map service that combines the most current data in The National Map (TNM), and other public-domain data, into a multi-scale topographic reference map. TOPO + SATELLITE USGS Imagery Topo is a tile cache base map of orthoimagery in The National Map and US Topo vector data. Orthoimagery data are typically high resolution images that combine the visual attributes of an aerial photograph with the spatial accuracy and reliability of a planimetric map. Data themes included are Boundaries, Geographic Names, Transportation, Contours, Hydrography, Land Cover, Shaded Relief, Trails, etc. HIKING TRACKER Now you can track all of your hiking stats! - Track total distance, vertical, time - Track calories burned - Keep track of yearly stats - Color coded tracks by elevation - Backup your hike data to iCloud - iOS 14 home screen widget Have questions? Feel free to contact me at support@lwbrandsllc.com

Screenshots

Topo Reader4 screens
Topographic Maps & Trails4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Topo Reader at Free against Topographic Maps & Trails's $4.99. Topographic Maps & Trails's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and ratings volume (2.8K vs 177). On rating, review sentiment, update cadence and ads 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

Topo Reader is free to download; Topographic Maps & Trails costs $4.99 up front. Topo Reader sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Topographic Maps & Trails asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Topo Reader against 4.6 for Topographic Maps & Trails. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Topographic Maps & Trails has 2.8K ratings behind it against 177, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 50% of Topo Reader's written reviews are positive against 58% of Topographic Maps & Trails's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Topo Reader ships an update every 3 months, Topographic Maps & Trails every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Topo Reader versus Topographic Maps & Trails: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTopo ReaderTopographic Maps & Trails
PriceFree — better$4.99
Rating4.6 (177 ratings)4.6 (2.8K ratings)
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews57.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1772.8K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 months — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationSubscriptionFree — better
Best chart rank—#156 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS14.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size29 MB23 MB
Age rating9+12+
DeveloperDelcartes LLCLW Brands, LLC

Customer experience

Topo Reader

All ratings177 ratings
Positive90.4%
Neutral4.5%
Negative5.1%
Written reviews14 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral14.3%
Negative35.7%

Topographic Maps & Trails

All ratings2,819 ratings
Positive90.0%
Neutral5.1%
Negative4.9%
Written reviews73 reviews
Positive57.5%
Neutral6.8%
Negative35.6%

Bugs and requests

Topo Reader

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Topographic Maps & Trails

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Crashes on older devices
  • Offline maps not loading properly
  • Distance tracking inaccuracies
  • Disappearing map details on zoom

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add compass and GPS coordinate display
  • Improve offline map downloading process
  • Enhance zoom and elevation detail
  • Integrate with health/fitness apps
  • Allow renaming of recorded sessions

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Topo Reader

One-time3
  • 90 Day$2.99
  • 1 Year$5.99
  • Lifetime$23.99
None

Topographic Maps & Trails

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Topo Reader free?
Topo Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Topographic Maps & Trails free?
Topographic Maps & Trails costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Topo Reader or Topographic Maps & Trails?
Topo Reader and Topographic Maps & Trails are both rated 4.6 out of 5 on the App Store, from 177 and 2.8K ratings respectively.
Do Topo Reader or Topographic Maps & Trails have ads?
Neither Topo Reader nor Topographic Maps & Trails shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Topo Reader or Topographic Maps & Trails?
Topo Reader ships an update every 3 months, and Topographic Maps & Trails every 4 months. Most recently, Topo Reader was updated on October 16, 2026 and Topographic Maps & Trails on October 17, 2026.

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