Comparison

GPS OS Grid Reference vs MGRS Wear

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

MGRS Wear

This watch application shows your current GPS coordinates. Easily switch between MGRS, UTM, and decimal Latitude/Longitude formats with a single button. Location permissions are requested upon first launch.

Highlights
  • Displays current GPS location
  • Toggles between MGRS, UTM, and Lat/Lon
  • Requests location permissions
  • Supports Apple Watch, iPhone, and iPod
Read full description

This Apple Watch application displays your current GPS location. A button at the bottom toggles the displayed location between MGRS, UTM, and decimal Latitude, Longitude systems. The app will request location permissions at startup.

Screenshots

GPS OS Grid Reference4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: GPS OS Grid Reference at 90% against MGRS Wear's 20%. GPS OS Grid Reference also leads on rating (4.4 vs 2.4). MGRS Wear's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 18.0). On price, ratings volume, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. GPS OS Grid Reference sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per year. MGRS Wear 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 2.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 17 and 7 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 90% of GPS OS Grid Reference's written reviews are positive against 20% of MGRS Wear's.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
GPS OS Grid Reference versus MGRS Wear: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGPS OS Grid ReferenceMGRS Wear
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (17 ratings) — better2.4 (7 ratings)
Positive reviews89.9% of reviews — better20.0% of reviews
Number of ratings17 — better7
Update frequencyEvery 3 months—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, Apple WatchiPhone, iPod, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS18.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size13 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTomstrails.comJames Taylor

Customer experience

GPS OS Grid Reference

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

MGRS Wear

All ratings7 ratings
Positive28.6%
Neutral14.3%
Negative57.1%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive20.0%
Neutral40.0%
Negative40.0%

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

MGRS Wear

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

MGRS Wear

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 MGRS Wear free?
MGRS Wear is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, GPS OS Grid Reference or MGRS Wear?
GPS OS Grid Reference is rated higher. GPS OS Grid Reference averages 4.4 out of 5 from 17 ratings, while MGRS Wear averages 2.4 from 7 ratings.
Do GPS OS Grid Reference or MGRS Wear have ads?
Neither GPS OS Grid Reference nor MGRS Wear shows ads.

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