Offline Maps vs Ascend Maps
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Offline Maps
Save maps to your device for offline use when mobile data is unavailable or expensive. Access a wide range of map sources, track your location with GPS, and add custom labels with notes and images. Measure distances and angles directly on the map.
- Offline map caching
- Multiple map sources
- GPS tracking
- Custom label creation
- Distance and angle measurement
- Auto-follow mode
Read full descriptionHide full description
Offline Maps is a practical map companion for travel, hiking, cycling, field work, and any day when you want your map tools ready before the signal disappears. Open the app and start working directly on the map. Choose from Apple maps, OSM vector maps, OSM legacy maps, cycling, hiking, nautical, aeronautical, and other supported sources. Save map areas for offline use where downloads are supported, then keep exploring with your tracks, waypoints, measurements, and coordinate tools in one clean workspace. Record GPS tracks, pause and resume when needed, and keep an eye on your progress with live distance and speed statistics. Saved tracks can be searched, renamed, shown on the map, styled with solid colors or gradients, imported from common GPS formats, and exported when you need to share your route. Mark important places with waypoints, customize icons, rename them, search your waypoint list, and use waypoint tracking to see distance labels and guide lines on the map. Long-press the map or use your current position to create a new waypoint in seconds. Measure what matters in the field: lines, polylines, radius, circles, rectangles, and polygons. Drag points to adjust shapes, save measurements as map items, and export selected data when the job is done. Offline Maps also includes coordinate tools for Decimal, DMS, UTM, MGRS, Plus Code, and GeoHash formats. Copy or share individual coordinate values, open Google Maps links, and quickly search by pasted coordinates or map links. Built for modern iPhone and iPad, Offline Maps keeps the map at the center and places tracks, waypoints, and measurements together in Map Items so your important data stays easy to find. Key Features - Save supported map areas for offline use. - Browse multiple map sources, including Apple, OSM vector, OSM legacy, cycling, hiking, nautical, and aeronautical maps. - Record GPS tracks with pause, resume, background recording, recovery, and Live Activity support. - Import and export GPX, KML, KMZ, GeoJSON, TCX, and CSV track data. - Export track map images as PNG files. - Add, rename, search, show, hide, import, and export waypoints. - Track waypoint distances with guide lines and compact labels on the map. - Measure distances, radius, circles, rectangles, and polygon areas. - Manage tracks, waypoints, and measurements together in Map Items. - Work with Decimal, DMS, UTM, MGRS, Plus Code, and GeoHash coordinates. - Copy, share, and search coordinates, including supported Google Maps links. - Choose measurement units: metric, imperial, or nautical. - Keep the screen awake during navigation when needed. If you know more map sources please write us: support@lifewaresolutions.com
Ascend Maps
This app provides customizable outdoor maps with offline capabilities. It features 3D terrain, track recording, saved places management, and the ability to save map tiles for offline use. Explore the outdoors with detailed, personalized navigation tools.
- Offline search
- 3D terrain
- Track recording and editing
- Saved places management
- Customizable map styles
- Offline map tile saving
Read full descriptionHide full description
Ascend is an open source app for vector and raster maps. Features include 3D terrain, offline search, track recording and editing, managing saved places, saving map tiles for offline use, and more. CUSTOMIZABLE * Includes a simple, customizable style for OpenStreetMap vector tiles with modes for hiking, biking, and transit. * Overlay customizable hillshading, shaded relief, contour lines, and slope angle shading calculated in real-time over any base map. * Supports plugins for search, routing, map sources and more. * Add new online map sources and combine layers to create new maps. * Generate and import your own vector tiles. COMPREHENSIVE * Offline search * Wikipedia search * Manage saved places * Show geotagged photos from your Photo Library. * Create and edit routes * Record and edit tracks for hiking, fitness, and more * Save map tiles for offline use Learn more at https://github.com/styluslabs/maps
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is monetization model: Ascend Maps at free against Offline Maps's paid. Ascend Maps also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.5) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 26.0). Offline Maps's advantage is update cadence (every 3 months vs every 6 months) and ratings volume (4 vs 1). 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Ascend Maps holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 1 respectively.
Offline Maps ships an update every 3 months, Ascend Maps every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on August 26, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Offline Maps | Ascend Maps |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (4 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 16.7% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 4 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months — better | Every 6 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 16 MB | 11 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Sergey Vdovenko | Matthew White |
Customer experience
Offline Maps
Ascend Maps
In-app purchases
Offline Maps
No in-app purchases
Ascend Maps
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Offline Maps free?
Is Ascend Maps free?
Which has better reviews, Offline Maps or Ascend Maps?
Do Offline Maps or Ascend Maps have ads?
Which is updated more often, Offline Maps or Ascend Maps?
Other comparisons















