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.
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.
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.
- Offline 2D and 3D maps
- GPS track recording
- Route planning
- GPX import/export
- Unlimited offline map storage
- Multiple map types
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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
Verdict
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
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.
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.
GPS OS Grid Reference ships an update every 3 months, 3D Offline Maps weekly. Both last shipped on September 22, 2026.
| Parameter | GPS OS Grid Reference | 3D Offline Maps |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (17 ratings) | 4.6 (643 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 89.9% of reviews — better | 79.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 17 | 643 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 15.4 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 11 MB | 70 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Tomstrails.com | SERGEI BEZDENEZHNYKH |
Customer experience
GPS OS Grid Reference
3D Offline Maps
User reviews
GPS OS Grid Reference
From 17 App Store ratingsWhat 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 ratingsWhat 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
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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
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
GPS OS Grid Reference
- Premium Features7 Days trial$5.991 Year
- Feature Pack - Compass & sharing features.Free
3D Offline Maps
- Premium Month3 Days trial$1.991 Month
- Premium Week2 variants$1.997 Days
- Premium Month3 Days trial$3.991 Month
Show 2 moreShow fewer
- Premium Annual3 Days trial$12.991 Year
- Annual Sale$12.991 Year
- Matching to road$0.99
- Lifetime$19.99
Questions
Is GPS OS Grid Reference free?
Is 3D Offline Maps free?
Which has better reviews, GPS OS Grid Reference or 3D Offline Maps?
Do GPS OS Grid Reference or 3D Offline Maps have ads?
Which is updated more often, GPS OS Grid Reference or 3D Offline Maps?
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