Comparison

GPS OS Grid Reference vs 3D Offline Maps

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

3D Offline Maps

Navigate and explore the world with detailed 2D and 3D offline maps. Record GPS tracks, save routes, and import/export GPX files. Plan adventures, mark points of interest, and share data, even without an internet signal.

Highlights
  • Offline 2D and 3D maps
  • GPS track recording
  • Route planning
  • GPX import/export
  • Unlimited offline map storage
  • Multiple map types
Features
Read full description

Detailed 2D and 3D maps for navigation, travel, hiking, and outdoor adventures all over the world. Download maps in advance, use them offline without internet access, record GPS tracks, save routes and waypoints, import and export GPX files, and keep everything important close at hand on every trip. Plan routes, build your own collection of tracks, mark interesting places on the map, share data with friends, and travel more comfortably even where there is no signal. The app supports offline maps with no time limits on storage and contains no ads. Main features: - 9 map types: satellite, vector, and 3D maps. - compatible with Apple Silicon Macs. - background track recording. - compare tracks by speed, elevation, and time at any distance, including gains and delays relative to a selected reference track. - fast and convenient map downloads. - route planner. - step counter with data for the last three months (steps, distance). - elevation for any waypoint. - address search. - coordinate search. - compass. - barometer. - track processing and optimization. - offline map downloads with unlimited storage time. - supports all available ways on your device to import and export tracks and waypoints in GPX, KML, KMZ format. - color gradient by speed and elevation for imported tracks when this data is available. - color gradient by speed and elevation for recorded tracks. - records speed and elevation in tracks. - contour lines in outdoor mode. - extended track information: average and maximum speed, duration, distance, and number of waypoints. - different units of measurement: miles, kilometers, feet, meters. - view one or multiple tracks in any app mode, including while recording another track. - create, edit, and delete waypoints in any mode and anywhere on the map. - selectable icons for waypoints. - track recording quality settings, distance filters, and power saving mode. - points to the selected waypoint and shows the distance to it. - shows the current distance covered and time on route. - quick start and stop of track recording. - several map orientation modes: by device compass, by direction of movement, centered mode, and north-up mode. - map tilt with a two-finger gesture. - quick selection and convenient viewing of saved tracks, waypoints, and downloaded maps. - speed and elevation charts with zooming and scrolling. - 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

GPS OS Grid Reference4 screens
3D Offline Maps4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: 3D Offline Maps at weekly against GPS OS Grid Reference's every 3 months. 3D Offline Maps also leads on ratings volume (643 vs 17) and iOS requirement (15.4 vs 18.0). GPS OS Grid Reference's advantage is review sentiment (90% vs 79%). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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 and 3D Offline Maps sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

3D Offline Maps holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: 3D Offline Maps has 643 ratings behind it against 17, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 90% of GPS OS Grid Reference's written reviews are positive against 79% of 3D Offline Maps's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

GPS OS Grid Reference ships an update every 3 months, 3D Offline Maps weekly. Both last shipped on September 22, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
GPS OS Grid Reference versus 3D Offline Maps: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGPS OS Grid Reference3D Offline Maps
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (17 ratings)4.6 (643 ratings) — better
Positive reviews89.9% of reviews — better79.0% of reviews
Number of ratings17643 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.015.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size11 MB70 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTomstrails.comSERGEI BEZDENEZHNYKH

Customer experience

GPS OS Grid Reference

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

3D Offline Maps

All ratings643 ratings
Positive89.0%
Neutral5.8%
Negative5.3%
Written reviews81 reviews
Positive79.0%
Neutral3.7%
Negative17.3%

User reviews

GPS OS Grid Reference

From 17 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Simple and easy to use
  • 🎯 Accurate grid references
  • 🚀 Fast and quick updates
  • 💡 Works without phone signal
  • 🗺️ Useful for navigation and backup

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Blurry satellite maps
  • 🧭 Compass not accurate
  • 📉 Accuracy dropped recently
  • 🗺️ No map data included
  • 🚫 Cannot search locations

3D Offline Maps

From 643 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🗺️ Excellent 3D mapping technology
  • 👍 Clear and colorful visualization
  • 🧭 Effective offline navigation
  • 🔄 Map rotation capability for trail viewing
  • ⛰️ Great for hiking and outdoor activities

Room to improve

  • 💰 Expensive pricing
  • 🐛 3D offline maps turn black and become grainy
  • 🗺️ Trails not clearly marked or visible
  • 🏷️ Roads not identified or labeled
  • ⏱️ Slow rendering and zoom performance

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

3D Offline Maps

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • 3D offline maps display black and grainy visuals
  • Maps require zooming out and back in to clear display
  • GPX file download compatibility issues
  • Background tracking does not work

Requested features

5 requests
  • CarPlay support integration
  • Map selection icon on main page
  • Current/real-time satellite imagery
  • Map gradients relative to pitch
  • Background tracking functionality

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
7 purchases

3D Offline Maps

Subscriptions5
  • Premium Month3 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • Premium Week2 variants$1.997 Days
  • Premium Month3 Days trial$3.991 Month
Show 2 more
  • Premium Annual3 Days trial$12.991 Year
  • Annual Sale$12.991 Year
One-time2
  • Matching to road$0.99
  • Lifetime$19.99

Questions

Is GPS OS Grid Reference free?
GPS OS Grid Reference is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is 3D Offline Maps free?
3D Offline Maps is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, GPS OS Grid Reference or 3D Offline Maps?
3D Offline Maps is rated higher. GPS OS Grid Reference averages 4.4 out of 5 from 17 ratings, while 3D Offline Maps averages 4.6 from 643 ratings.
Do GPS OS Grid Reference or 3D Offline Maps have ads?
Neither GPS OS Grid Reference nor 3D Offline Maps shows ads.
Which is updated more often, GPS OS Grid Reference or 3D Offline Maps?
GPS OS Grid Reference ships an update every 3 months, and 3D Offline Maps weekly. Most recently, GPS OS Grid Reference was updated on September 22, 2026 and 3D Offline Maps on September 22, 2026.

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