Pocket Earth PRO Reviews

by Internaut

I generally like PocketEarthPRO but its maps are not refreshed in any regularity. I understand that PocketEarthPRO pulls from other map sources - but those sources have been updated months ago and they are still not reflected in PocketEarthPRO. Emails to the developers fall into a black hole. How about some support? PocketEarthPRO is invaluable for those who want to travel off the grid but with bad data it is a risky proposition.

by OmegaHacker

When I first found PocketEarthPRO, they promised to update the data every couple weeks. A few years later and I’ve found that updates seem to come 6mo apart or worse. Given that the maps are derived from OSM, the maps are being improved *daily*. I just looked at an area that I know was updated months ago with more detail, yet even after updating the data is missing. I’ve contacted the developer in the past and when they bothered to respond they gave promises of updates that then failed to materialize. Very disappointed.

by D. Hill

Pocket Earth Pro is a great resource for those interested in traveling, adventures of those who just want to access maps for almost every location around the world. Almost any helpful information you can think of can be used for assistance. Whether individual travel guides for numerous locations, Wikipedia articles to provide information on locations, whether large maps of known and unknown areas that can be downloaded and accessed offline Pocket Earth has it. Most importantly PocketEarthPRO is easy to navigate and use which can sometimes not be true of an application brimming with information. The side bar can be used to access a category or customize your personal settings. Pocket Earth is an application well worth a download whether the free or Pro version.

by Uaramp60

PocketEarthPRO is one of the first apps I downloaded when I got my iPad. It has been extremely useful when traveling. It has got my buddies and I to are destination several times when all their cell phones could not, and I was only using the offline maps. The transportation info is always accurate (train route numbers, bus numbers, etc,) and will usually show your hotel. I am not a tech guy so I only gave it 4 stars because it is complex, otherwise I would have given it 5 stars. Any young person can use with no problem I’m sure. I was never sorry I got PocketEarthPRO. Stevo

by Fxnerd

LOVE the fact that it works offline.

I put it on my trusty iPod and not needing wifi or internet makes it an indispensable asset when I travel to remote areas.

Sometimes I disagree with its choices for fastest or shortest routes, but on the other hand that frequently reveals alternate routes I can use when my preferred ones are jammed with traffic.

I wish for the option to enter street intersections as a destination. Sometimes you don't have an address but you otherwise know exactly where you'd like to go. If its possible to do so and I missed it, my apologies. :)

by Downhill Rick

Download the maps where you’re going and you are set. No need for a data connection, and pretty simple and intuitive. I use it every time I travel, drop pins at places of interest, or even where I park my car. Five stars!

by Peas And Tea

I LOVE this map. I first used it many years ago with my iTouch and now have the Pro version on my iPhone.

You can navigate with iPhone even if you have no cell coverage; the GPS still works. I always pre-download maps when I travel. I can then navigate off line, which saves data fees as well as battery.

The ability to switch which maps are downloaded is great, and very easy. I can for example download British Columbia topo maps for a backcountry trip; then later remove it before downloading Italy for my next trip. The level of detail and the number of "points of interest" is fantastic! I’ve even used it to navigate the Paris metro system!

I d like to see more icon choices for “favorites” I save. A way to indicate a trailhead, or a picture of a car come to mind.

Another update I’d like to see is that I’d like to be able to search for routes or tracks that are “Nearby”. The only way to find them currently is to search “Groups & Filters” by name date or user. Since I have dozens if not hundreds of Tracks and Routes, this is cumbersome. I usually don’t remember the name or date, and the user is always me, so I must scroll through the entire list.

by Daytona_mac

I bought this so I would have maps when I had no cell service. We’ve used this in Europe and for some Caribbean cruises. Just download the maps you need before you leave. I also appreciate the POI data which is included.

by TrentVano

Possibly. Pretty simple to use, easy to measure distance , put markers on. Ability to download maps helps. Not always complete with trails and/or landmarks but good enough. Helps you not to lose your way and to plan your routes. I’ve used it all over the world, very helpful and functional.

by The Wave123

Sandy and I kayak oftentimes way off grid in complex waterways. The tracking feature not only helps with navigation, but also helps us keep a record of all our expeditions. We tell many people about PocketEarthPRO wherever we go. Thank you pocket earth.

by GizmoGurk

I use this for finding hiking trails during the day then a place to park when going out at night. I've not found a better offline mapping solution and I consult it constantly. All the points of interest you could hope for and travel guides to boot.

by Jmeador74

Great to use on older phones that no longer have cellular service. Load PocketEarthPRO , download the maps and just use the internal gps with the map software. For $5 you can download the topographical maps, if you know how to read them. I’ve always just wanted mapping software that didn’t rely on having data available. Now I can just download while on WiFi and go. If you are running low on memory, you can just download the states you are in or visiting individually. From time to time I have noticed that maps are deleted when PocketEarthPRO is updated. I did have to reload maps, but if I was already out and about I would just download the state and I can always restore my purchase of the topo maps and be on my way. Have fun, enjoy and get out and go explore.

by ExpatSurvivingKorea

I travel a lot around the world and use PocketEarthPRO everywhere I go. At new places, I drop pins first at the hotel, the work site, then all the restaraunts, convenient stores and other points of interest. When I walk around, I set a track to the pins so I know which direction to walk. I can get coordinates from Google Maps and use it to drop pins too.

by Serendipitron

I’ve been using PocketEarthPRO for several years now and I’m very happy to see that it continues to be updated. Don’t be lazy. Take time to understand the user interface. It’s well thought out. If you do you will find Pocket Earth great for planning travels, recording tracks and discovering places of interest at way points. Finally, you can download maps that cover your route even when you lack internet.

by Joywind

Amazing app! Way to customize the route such as avoid hill in cycling is something never seen in other apps! At any time any location you can see your moving speed and altitude. So many features am so excited about. Real masterpiece if you are all for outdoor activities! Better than any other popular and heavily advertised apps out there! Don’t get blown away by so many options initially. Once you get used to it, it’s hard to find anything else that can compete with this one!

by Arthaey

Pocket Earth is awesome for several reasons:

1) Offline maps. PocketEarthPRO was my go-to choice for a year abroad where I often would not have internet. It was amazing to download *the entire country* in one easy step (and it didn't even take up that much space!)

2) Topographic maps. Great for backpacking & cross-country skiing.

3) Configurable points of interest. I can enable banks & tourist spots while disabling other things when traveling, or enabling Wikipedia locations(!) in an area I'm curious about.

4) Easy saving & copy-pasting of recorded GPS tracks and coordinates (in many different formats!)

5) Most accurate running tracker I've used! This is an unexpected and random benefit, but it really does do a better job tracking my runs than the many other running-specific apps I tried (all other running apps had pretty bad "jitter").

Great app, thank you! :)

by Teleric

I like to plan my trips well, and that means being able to find and mark locations on map and plan routes. I have found no better tool for this. Takes a little work to figure out how best to use - but worth the investment. My top desires for future updates is to be able to turn off all Wikipedia icons and even better ability to turn off all icons other than the ones saved - I like to print off maps that show my locations of interest but map gets too cluttered with unwanted icons.

by Adventure_tense

This was one of the first vector based mapping software out there, and it’s still so vital to have. It’s one of the easiest to download huge areas right to your iPhone or iPad so you can take it with you anywhere. Never disappointed. Shows more details than others even when using the same OpenStreet Map. For example, power lines! Which can be very useful if your hiking in a rural spot.

I’m glad to see some updates lately, and I could see some need for an interface update soon, but until then, this is simply the best offline vector map out there.

by Bale Of

This is a great app for many applications. Travel on major roads, for example. However, for backroad users (hunters, fishermen, storm chasers) there is a major flaw: the minor roads disappear almost immediately when you zoom out. This makes it impossible to overview the road network of minor roads at a glance. There have been times I've been in the middle of nowhere and need to find a route 'out' to a major road. I can't easily do that, because when I zoom out, the road I'm on (and others I'm trying to find) simply disappear.

It would be a simple fix: just add a setting that says to show minor roads at a wider variety of zoom levels. Until this is implemented, backroad users might want to steer clear.

by Thejohnz

I wrote this last year and have used Pocket Earth Pro even more since then. An essential travel tool which only gets better.

“Fantastic app for any traveller. Offline maps including location based wiki articles and tons of layers to show or not. Very smooth scrolling in/out. Import POI's or add within PocketEarthPRO - and create routes for offline,voice guided driving. Even shows one-way streets in tiny Spanish towns! I never leave home without it.”

by Irk13

Very detailed maps. I love how tapping on a transit stop reveals the entire route that goes through that stop, so you can easily see where you can go from that stop.

Path tracking is a nice feature, but I wish the altitude and velocity lines could be individually toggled because sometimes the lines overlap and make the chart hard to read.

by Slocycling

I bought PocketEarthPRO to enable me to use tracks for an upcoming cycling trip in Slovenia. The ease with which I was able to load the necessary map and then the gpx tracks made available to me was remarkable. I look forward to using the navigation features on the trip.

by Puter_Guy

I use this for finding hiking trails during the day then a place to park when going out at night. I've not found a better offline mapping solution and I consult it constantly. All the points of interest you could hope for and travel guides to boot.

by Dan Philly

This might be my first app review but I felt compelled to write one because I don’t believe PocketEarthPRO gets enough recognition. I like to do a lot of hiking and of all the apps I’ve tried (All Trails, Gaia, Avenza, OffMaps, MapMyHike, etc..) this is by far the best and most feature-filled one. Downloading maps is a breeze and the amount of detail that can be seen is surprising give how little storage space the downloads occupy. It’s very easy to import and save gpx tracks and saving offline driving directions is a cool feature you don’t see in other apps. One feature I would love to see however is the ability to draw/plan routes within PocketEarthPRO (with distance and elevation gain stats). In addition to all the cool feature, this is also the cheapest solution considering that it’s a one-time payment instead of a subscription based model. I seriously can’t recommend PocketEarthPRO enough!!