Maps · head to head
onX Maps vs SW Maps
onX Maps
Maps
Land ownership and offline navigation apps sold as separate subscriptions per activity: Hunt, Offroad, Backcountry
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
SW Maps
Maps
Free Android GIS data collector that pairs with external RTK GNSS receivers
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only SW Maps has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: onX Maps hunt, Offroad and Backcountry are entirely separate subscriptions, so a user needing more than one activity pays for more than one product with no combined bundle discount.; SW Maps android only. There is no iOS version and no sign of one, which rules it out for organisations that issue iPhones and iPads to field staff.
- They diverge on capability: onX Maps covers Land ownership boundaries, SW Maps covers Custom feature layers.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which onX Maps and SW Maps actually diverge.
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Maps).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in onX Maps
- Land ownership boundaries
- Offline maps
- Waypoint and track marking
- Elite tier private land data
- 3D terrain view
- Weather overlay
Only in SW Maps
- Custom feature layers
- External GNSS support
- Offline basemaps
- Geospatial PDF layers
- Vector import
- Photo and media capture
- Export formats
- NTRIP client
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
onX Maps
- A hunter who needs to know exact private and public land boundaries before crossing onto a propertynot SW Maps
- An off-road driver planning a trail route with land ownership and access datanot SW Maps
- A backcountry skier or hiker wanting offline terrain maps without cell signalnot SW Maps
- Someone who does two or more of these activities and needs to budget for two or three separate subscriptionsnot SW Maps
SW Maps
- An NGO or municipal utility mapping water points, pipe networks or road assets on a budget that cannot absorb per-user GIS subscriptionsnot onX Maps
- A survey team pairing a low-cost RTK receiver with Android tablets to collect centimetre-accurate attributed features without buying field software seatsnot onX Maps
- A university field course teaching GNSS data collection where every student needs the tool on their own devicenot onX Maps
- A consultant doing a one-off asset inventory who needs shapefile or GeoPackage output and does not want to start an annual subscription for a three-week jobnot onX Maps
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
onX Maps
- Hunt, Offroad and Backcountry are entirely separate subscriptions, so a user needing more than one activity pays for more than one product with no combined bundle discount.
- Elite-tier pricing at roughly $99.99 a year per product is expensive if a buyer only occasionally needs the private land ownership data it adds.
- The apps are US and Canada focused, with more limited usefulness for international travel compared to a global mapping product.
- Land ownership data, while extensive, can lag real-world changes in property boundaries in fast-changing areas.
- It is not a general-purpose hiking or trail-review app in the way AllTrails or Gaia GPS are, so casual hikers without a land-boundary need may find the focus narrower than expected.
SW Maps
- Android only. There is no iOS version and no sign of one, which rules it out for organisations that issue iPhones and iPads to field staff.
- There is no back end: no user management, no central project sync, no audit trail. Data lives on the device until someone exports it, and a lost tablet is lost data.
- No commercial support contract exists, so an organisation with a compliance requirement for vendor support cannot use it for regulated work regardless of technical fit.
- It is maintained by a small consultancy as a side product of its own project work, so the roadmap follows Softwel’s needs and a feature you depend on may never be prioritised.
- Form logic is basic compared with dedicated survey platforms: no meaningful skip logic, validation or multi-user assignment, so complex questionnaires quickly outgrow it.
Pricing, plan by plan
onX Maps
On request- onX Hunt Elite$99.99/year
- Nationwide private land ownership data
- Recent satellite imagery
- Offline maps
- onX Offroad Premium$34.99/year
- Trail and land ownership maps for off-road use
- Offline maps
- onX Offroad Elite$99.99/year
- Everything in Premium plus nationwide land ownership and recent imagery
- onX Backcountry$29.99/year
- Backcountry ski and hike focused maps
- Offline maps
- Avalanche and terrain data
SW Maps
Free- SW MapsFree
- All features included
- External RTK GNSS support
- Unlimited layers and exports
Which should you pick?
Choose onX Maps if
- You need land ownership boundaries.
- You work on iOS, Android, Web.
- You also want offline maps.
Choose SW Maps if
- You need custom feature layers.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Android.
- You also want external gnss support.
Questions people ask
- Is onX Maps or SW Maps better?
- Neither clearly leads. onX Maps starts at On request and SW Maps at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, onX Maps or SW Maps?
- SW Maps has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for onX Maps and Free for SW Maps.
- Does onX Maps or SW Maps run on more platforms?
- onX Maps runs on iOS, Android, Web. SW Maps runs on Android.
- Can I use SW Maps for free?
- Yes. SW Maps has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. onX Maps starts at On request.
- What is onX Maps best used for?
- onX Maps is most often used for a hunter who needs to know exact private and public land boundaries before crossing onto a property, an off-road driver planning a trail route with land ownership and access data, a backcountry skier or hiker wanting offline terrain maps without cell signal, someone who does two or more of these activities and needs to budget for two or three separate subscriptions. Of those, a hunter who needs to know exact private and public land boundaries before crossing onto a property and an off-road driver planning a trail route with land ownership and access data are not what SW Maps is typically brought in for.
- What can onX Maps do that SW Maps cannot?
- onX Maps covers Land ownership boundaries, Offline maps, Waypoint and track marking, Elite tier private land data. SW Maps covers Custom feature layers, External GNSS support, Offline basemaps, Geospatial PDF layers.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
onX Maps: Can I use one onX subscription for both hunting and off-roading?
No, onX Hunt, onX Offroad and onX Backcountry are separate apps with separate subscriptions.
SW Maps: Is SW Maps really free?
Yes. It is free with no advertising and no paid tier. There is no subscription and no feature paywall.
onX Maps: What does the Elite tier add?
Elite tiers add nationwide private land ownership data, more recent satellite imagery and partner discounts on top of the base Premium tier.
SW Maps: Does it support RTK receivers?
Yes, over Bluetooth or USB serial, with NTRIP correction support, antenna height and per-point fix quality recording.
onX Maps: Does onX work outside the US?
Coverage is strongest in the US and Canada; usefulness elsewhere is limited.
SW Maps: Is there an iOS version?
No. Android only.
SW Maps: Who maintains it?
Softwel, an engineering consultancy in Kathmandu, Nepal, which built it for its own infrastructure projects.
SW Maps: Can we get support?
Not contractually. There is no commercial support agreement, which is the main reason organisations with compliance obligations choose a paid alternative.
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