4 Best Offline Maps for Android and iPhone

Anoop is a tech nerd at heart with a focus on preparing guides surrounding Android and Windows devices primarily. His work has been featured in many publications, including iGeeksBlog, TechPP, and 91mobiles. When he’s not writing, you can find him on X (formerly Twitter), where he shares the latest updates on tech, science, and more.

Arshmeet has been a tech tinkerer since childhood, but she realized her love for technology and writing about 5 years ago. Since then, she has been honing her skills and helping people figure out how things work, troubleshoot problems, choose the right app and products, and dig deep into the new and old concepts of technology. She is a self-professed Apple Enthusiast who loves debating what’s good and what’s not. It is her passion for finding techniques, hacks, apps, and products that make everyday life simpler.

1. Google Maps – Sync Across Devices

When it comes to navigation, Google Maps is one of the most popular map apps for Android and iPhone. Over the years, Google has ensured to add updates that bring new features and make the platform smoother. While most of these features are online, you can also use Google Maps offline.

The app has a minimal and easy-to-use interface, a common design language in Google apps. Despite packing all sorts of information and features, Google has ensured that the app is intuitive and beautiful. The icons are easy to navigate, and so are the options.

Google Maps is available in over 220 countries. You can search for places and get turn-by-turn driving directions while being offline. The offline maps are updated with necessary information when you get online. Besides, with the help of the sync feature, you can access all your previous routes and saved places on any device, including Android, Windows, iPhone, Mac, and even Apple CarPlay.

Once you search and open a place in Maps, tap the three dots at the top right corner and select ‘Download offline map.’ Select the area to download and hit Download. Once downloaded, you can start searching within the offline map. You can download up to 2GB of maps or around 200 x 120 miles area. The downloaded maps will be automatically deleted after 30 days.

Above all, Google always pushes updates to iron out bugs while adding features and improving user experience. However, Google is one of the biggest advertisers, meaning it can always track you to push ads based on your activity. Hence, if you are a privacy freak, consider other options.

Pros

Cons

Average app rating:4.4

Price:Free

Get Google Maps for Android

Get Google Maps for iPhone

Visit Google Maps online

2. Maps.Me – Apple Maps for Everyone

If you don’t want Google to track you wherever you go, Maps.Me is a great option to consider. It is based on OpenStreet Maps data, a map service updated by millions of users worldwide. Because of this huge community, Maps.Me has data from more than 345 nations.

Maps.Me offers a great UI. Some might find it a little inspired by Apple Maps. However, once you use it, you will understand that it’s not entirely a rip-off; it has taken practical UI and design cues from industry experts.

You can download the map of an area or a route. Once downloaded, you can use features such as search, turn-by-turn navigation, and even get information about your altitude. This is an excellent feature for hikers. However, you must be online to get live updates on a location.

Despite being offline, you can still get information about where to eat, hotels, groceries, sights, and even Wi-Fi information. Other features like public transport updates, taxi availability, and hotel bookings, make it a perfect option.

Pros

Cons

Average app rating:4.4

Price:Free;In-App Purchases: $0.99 onwards

Get Map.Me for Android

Get Map.Me for iPhone

3. Organic Maps: Hike Bike Drive – Open Source Offline Map

Organic Maps is an excellent option if you don’t want ads or trackers. The app has ensured the best experience with the best offline maps. This is an open-source app licensed under the Apache License 2.0. Moreover, the app has been tested by Exodus Privacy Project and TrackerControl for Android and iOS, respectively.

Like Maps.Me, Organic Maps also uses the data from OpenStreetMap and is curated by MapsWithMe founders. Upon opening the app, it will download the areas around it. Organic Maps is the only 100% free offline GPS app. While the UI is not the best, it still comprises all the required features, including bookmarks, search places directly, or services based on various categories.

Above all, there are features such as power saving mode and various privacy options to customize the app to suit your needs. In our testing, the app was easy to navigate offline compared to other options on this list. There is a dedicated mention of altitude for navigation options such as walking and cycling. However, there is no option for taxis or public transport.

Since the app doesn’t track you or run in the background (unless you keep navigation in the background), you don’t need to worry about your devices’ battery drain. It is the best option for travelers, tourists, hikers, cyclists, and privacy-focused individuals who don’t want ads and are okay with the average UI.

The app is maintained based on contributions from the community. If you find the app useful, you can also make contributions.

Pros

Cons

Average app rating:4.4

Price:Free

Install Organic Maps for Android

Install Organic Maps for iPhone

4. Apple Maps – Exclusive to Apple Users

You might be surprised to know this, but despite being one of the biggest competitors to Google Maps, Apple had only introduced offline maps with iOS 17. Like Google Maps, you can download parts of the maps to get turn-by-turn navigation, find places nearby, and access much more information.

Unlike Google, Apple currently has fewer areas that support offline maps, with hopes for expansion soon. You can search for a specific area and download it for offline viewing. At the time of writing this article, Apple’s offline map support is limited to a few locations.

To save the place, tap your profile picture and choose Offline Maps from the list of options. Select ‘Download New Map’ to search and download the location of your choice. With offline maps, you will get information such as ratings of places, turn-by-turn directions for various ways of transportation, and estimated arrival times.

Pros

Cons

Average app rating:2.6

The app is available by default on Apple devices

Criteria to Select Free Offline GPS Apps

The apps on the list have been selected and ranked according to the following criteria.

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Last updated on 15 April, 2024

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