Comparison

GPS OS Grid Reference vs GPS Locate

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

Head to head
About

GPS OS Grid Reference

This app accurately pinpoints your location on Ordnance Survey maps for Great Britain and Ireland, even without a phone signal. It offers precise grid references, waypoint creation, and navigation features. The display is designed for clarity in all lighting conditions, and it optimizes battery usage.

Highlights
  • Offline map location
  • Accurate grid references
  • Waypoint creation and management
  • High-contrast display
  • Battery optimization
  • Share waypoints
Features
Read full description

GPS OS provides a fast and accurate way to locate your position on an Ordnance Survey map, both in Great Britain and Ireland. • No phone signal required - works in the most remote locations. • OSTN15 transform data for high conversion accuracy (better than 1m). • 6, 8 and 10 figure grid references. • A large, clear, high contrast display ensures you can easily read your position in any light conditions. • Optimises the frequency of position updates depending on battery charge and speed of travel to make sure you can always make calls at the end of the day. • Create waypoints from a map, your current location or manually enter Ordnance Survey coordinates. • Explore waypoints and get directions in Apple Maps. • Share waypoints with other apps or users. • No adverts. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Includes OSTN15 transform data licensed with permission. Copyright and database rights Ordnance Survey Limited 2016, ©Crown copyright and database rights Land and Property Services 2016 and/or ©Ordnance Survey Ireland, 2016. All rights reserved.

About

GPS Locate

This app provides a quick and precise method for determining your current geographical coordinates and altitude across multiple systems. View your location within the app, on your Apple Watch, or as a watch face complication for easy access.

Highlights
  • Multiple coordinate systems (UTM, DMS, MGRS, etc.)
  • Current location and altitude display
  • Apple Watch app support
  • Watch face complication for at-a-glance viewing
  • HealthKit integration for workout tracking
Features
Read full description

GPS Locate gives you a fast and accurate way to find your current location (and altitude) in various different coordinate systems! Your location can be viewed: • Within the app • In the Apple Watch App • As an Apple Watch complication to see at a glance Supports the following coordinate systems: • Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) • British (Ordnance Survey) • Degrees Minutes Seconds (DMS) • Irish (Ordnance Survey Ireland) • Latitude and Longitude • Military Grid Reference System (MGRS) The watchOS app uses HealthKit to integrate with the Health app to offer workout tracking. Not only does this allow you to keep track of your walk but this also keeps the app open so you can locate yourself at a glance.

Screenshots

GPS OS Grid Reference4 screens
GPS Locate3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: GPS OS Grid Reference at 90% against GPS Locate's 0%. GPS OS Grid Reference also leads on price (Free vs $0.99) and rating (4.4 vs 4.0). GPS Locate's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and device support (4 vs 2). On 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

GPS OS Grid Reference is free to download; GPS Locate costs $0.99 up front. GPS OS Grid Reference sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per year. GPS Locate asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

GPS OS Grid Reference holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: GPS OS Grid Reference has 17 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 90% of GPS OS Grid Reference's written reviews are positive against 0% of GPS Locate's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
GPS OS Grid Reference versus GPS Locate: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGPS OS Grid ReferenceGPS Locate
PriceFree — better$0.99
Rating4.4 (17 ratings) — better4.0 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews89.9% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings17 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS18.014.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size13 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTomstrails.comDavid Southgate

Customer experience

GPS OS Grid Reference

All ratings17 ratings
Positive82.4%
Neutral5.9%
Negative11.8%
Written reviews99 reviews
Positive89.9%
Neutral1.0%
Negative9.1%

GPS Locate

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral100.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

GPS OS Grid Reference

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Waypoint finder satellite view is blurry
  • Compass is not accurate
  • Accuracy has dropped recently
  • Location services permanently dimmed off (iOS)
  • App does not work for users not in England

Requested features

10 requests
  • Add map data and search functionality
  • Improve satellite map clarity
  • Add ability to view location on a map
  • Enable navigation from point to point
  • Add Apple Watch equivalent app
Show 5 more
  • Display latitude and longitude
  • Add a dynamic display for accuracy improvement
  • Implement time averaging for accuracy
  • Allow copying grid reference to clipboard
  • Add facility to store and recall reference information

GPS Locate

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

GPS OS Grid Reference

Subscriptions1
  • Premium Features7 Days trial$5.991 Year
One-time1
  • Feature Pack - Compass & sharing features.Free
None

GPS Locate

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is GPS OS Grid Reference free?
GPS OS Grid Reference is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is GPS Locate free?
GPS Locate costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, GPS OS Grid Reference or GPS Locate?
GPS OS Grid Reference is rated higher. GPS OS Grid Reference averages 4.4 out of 5 from 17 ratings, while GPS Locate averages 4.0 from 2 ratings.
Do GPS OS Grid Reference or GPS Locate have ads?
Neither GPS OS Grid Reference nor GPS Locate shows ads.
Which is updated more often, GPS OS Grid Reference or GPS Locate?
GPS OS Grid Reference ships an update every 3 months, and GPS Locate every 3 months. Most recently, GPS OS Grid Reference was updated on October 14, 2026 and GPS Locate on October 5, 2026.

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