Mapcha vs GPS Tracker
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Mapcha
Overlay your paper maps onto your device's screen to see your current location, even offline. Simply calibrate by matching points on your paper map to digital maps.
- Overlay paper maps on digital maps
- See current location on paper maps
- Offline map usage
- Calibrate maps using known points
- Use device camera or photo library
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Mapcha allows you to easily navigate paper based maps on your iOS device, even without an internet connection*. Perfect for walking, trekking or just navigating an unfamiliar city, Mapcha allows you to see your current location on your paper map. Mapcha uses an intuitive mechanism to overlay images of maps on to the standard Apple Maps: - Take a picture of your paper map using your device's camera or choose an image from your photo library - Choose two known points on the paper map and locate those points on Apple Maps - From those points Mapcha calculates the map's scale and positions your image on top of Apple Maps * An active internet connection may be required in order to load Apple Map data to assist in calibrating a map, however once a map has been calibrated it can be used offline. Note - Mapcha does not cache Apple Map data; however your map images will be available offline and you will still be able to see your current location. - Mapcha does not come with any preloaded maps.
GPS Tracker
Record, create, and import GPX tracks and waypoints with offline maps and a compass. Features background recording, GPS noise filtering, and a step counter. Ideal for everyday trips and expeditions.
- Background track recording
- Offline map downloads
- GPX track import/export
- Route planning
- Step counter
- Compass and barometer
- Topographic contour lines
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Create, record, import, and export GPX, KML, KMZ tracks and waypoints. The app supports offline maps, background track recording, contains no ads, and is suitable for everything from everyday trips to long journeys and expeditions. Control track recording, save waypoints, and check your direction of travel right from your Apple Watch. Main features: - background track recording - support for Apple Watch: start and stop track recording, monitor distance, time, speed, pace, and elevation, save waypoints, and navigate to a selected point using the map or direction indicator - support for Macs with Apple Silicon - a fast and modern Mapbox-powered map engine - quick and convenient offline map downloads - support for the UTM coordinate system - route planning - an improved track recording engine with GPS noise filtering and smoothing - compare tracks by speed, elevation, and time at any distance, including gains and delays relative to a selected reference track - a step counter with access to the last three months of data: steps and distance - coordinate and elevation lookup for any point - address search - coordinate search - compass - barometer - track processing and optimization - download and keep offline maps for your travel area with no time limits - import and export of GPX, KML, KMZ tracks and waypoints using any method available on your device - speed and elevation color gradients for imported tracks when that data is available - speed and elevation color gradients for recorded tracks - recording of speed and elevation data in tracks - topographic contour lines in Outdoor mode - detailed track information: average and maximum speed, duration, route length, and number of waypoints - support for different units of measurement: kilometers, miles, meters, and feet - view one or multiple tracks in any app mode, including while recording another track - create, edit, and delete waypoints in any app mode and at any location - track recording quality settings, distance filtering, and battery-saving mode - a pointer to the selected destination waypoint with distance shown on screen - additional on-screen information: map scale, coordinates, elevation, speed, and step count - display of current track distance and travel time - multiple map styles: satellite, streets, hybrid, and dark - dark theme support - easy start and stop of track recording - multiple map orientation modes: compass heading, direction of travel, centered, and north-up - map tilt with a two-finger pinch gesture - quick access to saved tracks, waypoints, and downloaded maps - zoomable and scrollable speed and elevation charts - a link to the user guide in Settings - waypoint photos: take photos, store them, open the waypoint on the map from the photo, and share your shots - photo geotagging: coordinates and shooting data are saved in the text caption and in EXIF/GPS metadata - Terms of service: https://appsupport.store/terms/ - Privacy policy: https://appsupport.store/privacy/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Mapcha at none against GPS Tracker's 4. Mapcha also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.6) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 15.4). GPS Tracker's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 11 months) and ratings volume (631 vs 1). On price, 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. GPS Tracker sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Mapcha asks for nothing beyond the download.
Mapcha holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: GPS Tracker has 631 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 50% of Mapcha's written reviews are positive against 71% of GPS Tracker's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Mapcha ships an update every 11 months, GPS Tracker every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Mapcha | GPS Tracker |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | 4.6 (631 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | 71.2% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 631 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 11 months | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 8.0 — better | 15.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 31 MB | 65 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Marc Baldwin | SERGEI BEZDENEZHNYKH |
Customer experience
Mapcha
GPS Tracker
Bugs and requests
Mapcha
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
GPS Tracker
Reported bugs
3 issues- Crashes after iOS 17.4 update
- Subscription paywall blocks access to basic features
- Offline maps not loading
Requested features
4 requests- Add option to manually enter GPS coordinates
- Improve map accuracy and update frequency
- Provide more offline map storage
- Add distance measurement tool
In-app purchases
Mapcha
No in-app purchases
GPS Tracker
- Premium Week$1.997 Days
- Premium Month3 Days trial$3.991 Month
- Premium Subscriptions3 Days trial$12.991 Year
- Lifetime$24.99
Questions
Is Mapcha free?
Is GPS Tracker free?
Which has better reviews, Mapcha or GPS Tracker?
Do Mapcha or GPS Tracker have ads?
Which is updated more often, Mapcha or GPS Tracker?
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