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.
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.
- Offline map location
- Accurate grid references
- Waypoint creation and management
- High-contrast display
- Battery optimization
- Share waypoints
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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.
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.
- Displays current GPS location
- Toggles between MGRS, UTM, and Lat/Lon
- Requests location permissions
- Supports Apple Watch, iPhone, and iPod
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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
Verdict
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
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.
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.
| Parameter | GPS OS Grid Reference | MGRS Wear |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (17 ratings) — better | 2.4 (7 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 89.9% of reviews — better | 20.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 17 — better | 7 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPod, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 13 MB | 1 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Tomstrails.com | James Taylor |
Customer experience
GPS OS Grid Reference
MGRS Wear
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
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- 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
GPS OS Grid Reference
- Premium Features7 Days trial$5.991 Year
- Feature Pack - Compass & sharing features.Free
MGRS Wear
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is GPS OS Grid Reference free?
Is MGRS Wear free?
Which has better reviews, GPS OS Grid Reference or MGRS Wear?
Do GPS OS Grid Reference or MGRS Wear have ads?
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