Compare · Topo Maps+

Cartahaven vs Topo Maps+

Topo Maps+ is a polished topo map app, on sale since 2013^[3], with its own base maps, printing and native apps on many devices; it imports GeoPDFs too. Cartahaven is built around GeoPDF maps: yours with no import limit, publishers’ maps from its store, and free USGS and Forest Service maps, offline on any device. Here is how the two compare.

Topo Maps+ facts are from its own pages, checked November 1, 2026; numbers in brackets link to the source. Its pages disagree in places about which plan includes offline downloads and printing, so we say “a paid plan” there. Prices change: check its site for the latest. Something wrong? Email support@cartahaven.com and we’ll fix it.

Cartahaven vs Topo Maps+
Feature	Cartahaven	Topo Maps+
Open your own GeoPDF maps	CartahavenFree, as many as your device holds, on the phone or the computer; they work offline straight away.	Topo Maps+“You can import up to 10 maps on each device for free”; unlimited with Pro or Elite. GeoTIFF and MBTiles too, and they must be georeferenced^[8]. The web app takes GeoPDFs^[9]. Imported maps stay on the device^[8].
Place a scan or plain image on the map	CartahavenFree, in the app: tap three or more matching spots on your map and a world map.	Topo Maps+“The file must be geo-referenced”^[8]; placing an unreferenced scan: not found.
Price	CartahavenThe map app, GPS and offline use are free. Optional Cartahaven Plus: $9.99 a year or $2.49 a month, per account: one subscription works on every device you sign in on.	Topo Maps+Free tier with “core maps and tracking”^[6]; Pro $59.99/year, Elite $79.99/year, 7-day trial^[5]. The App Store also sells Essentials ($29.99) and map passes^[1].
Base maps offline	CartahavenFree: a background map, elevation and US public land saved around each map you open; the store has 65,000+ free USGS and Forest Service maps.	Topo Maps+A large library (its own Glacier Topo, USGS, USFS, NRCan, Ordnance Survey and more)^[7]; downloading regions for offline needs a paid plan^[5]^[10].
Satellite imagery offline	CartahavenPlus: USGS aerial imagery (US) around each map. Viewing it online is free.	Topo Maps+Esri and Mapbox satellite^[7]; “All Maps and Overlays are downloadable”, Mapbox satellite with Elite^[1].
Public land and hunting units	CartahavenFree, offline: who manages the land (USGS PAD-US), game management units for 36 states, legal shooting light. Plus: parcels with owner names in 9 states.	Topo Maps+Public land, private land and hunting units (US and Canada) with Elite^[16]^[17]^[6].
Motor vehicle use (MVUM)	CartahavenFree: the Forest Service MVUM GeoPDFs themselves, in the store.	Topo Maps+An Offroad style that adds MVUM or Forest Service roads to any map, US only; Pro on most base maps^[18].
Weather	CartahavenFree: National Weather Service forecast and alerts (US), sun and moon times. Plus: live weather radar (US), rain and snow amounts for each day, and an hour-by-hour forecast for the next 48 hours.	Topo Maps+NEXRAD radar overlays with Pro, not yet on Android^[19]. Forecasts: not found.
Wildfires and avalanche danger	CartahavenFree (US): current wildfire perimeters and incidents (NIFC), a warning when an active fire is on your map and near you, and links to the national forest and state pages where fire restrictions are posted. Links only: never a restriction status. Free (US): today’s danger rating for each avalanche forecast zone (avalanche.org), with a link to the full forecast; a rating is never shown after it expires.	Topo Maps+A wildfire or avalanche forecast layer: not found; a slope angle overlay^[27].
River gauges and snow depth	CartahavenPlus: USGS river gauges (flow, gage height, rising or falling) and SNOTEL snow depth and water equivalent, online, with the last copy kept for offline.	Topo Maps+A SNOTEL overlay with “each station’s current snow depth”, updated daily^[24]^[19]; the plan it needs isn’t stated. River gauges: not found.
Solunar, wind and scent	CartahavenPlus: solunar times (a traditional prediction, not proven science) and a scent cone drawn downwind from the forecast wind, also from the last saved forecast with no signal. Sun and moon times and the wind forecast are free.	Topo Maps+Not found in Topo Maps+’s documentation.
Spoken alerts	CartahavenFree: off-route, turnaround, boundary and area alerts and bearing turns read out loud (Settings, Display, “Voice cues”).	Topo Maps+Off-trail notifications with Pro^[26]; spoken alerts: not found.
Landowner permission notes	CartahavenPlus: private landowner permission notes on a parcel (contact, dates, conditions, a photo of the written permission), with expiry reminders.	Topo Maps+Private land with the owner and mailing address on a parcel, with Elite^[25]^[6]; notes or permission tracking on a parcel: not found.
Print with your tracks on it	CartahavenFree: one page (Letter, A4 or the map’s size) with your tracks and placemarks, still a GeoPDF. Plus: several pages or paper up to 36 × 48 in, at a set scale, with a grid and a declination diagram.	Topo Maps+Multi-page prints at a fixed scale, with collars, grids and a QR code, or exported as a Geospatial PDF; a paid plan^[11]^[5].
Map store for publishers	CartahavenYes: publishers sell their maps and keep 80% of each sale (the fee is at least $0.50 a sale), paid by Stripe.	Topo Maps+No store of its own found. Linked accounts: maps bought from CartoTracks appear in the app^[7]^[12].
Live positions	CartahavenFree while you have signal: start a group, share a code. Teams: members’ Garmin inReach positions on the team’s live map, from their public MapShare feeds.	Topo Maps+Live location sharing within a team, with Pro; can share from a ZOLEO device^[22].
Team plans	CartahavenCartahaven Teams: Team $199/year (10 seats) or $19/month; Organization $999/year (50 seats); Agency from $2,499/year. Extra seats $20/year. Teams.	Topo Maps+“Teams are free to create, and team subscriptions go through sales”^[13].
Import tracks and placemarks	CartahavenFree: GPX, KML, KMZ, GeoJSON, CSV, shapefiles.	Topo Maps+GPX, KML and KMZ; GeoJSON with Elite^[15].
Coordinate grid on the map	CartahavenFree: UTM, MGRS or latitude/longitude grid lines over any map with location data, labeled, closer as you zoom in.	Topo Maps+Lat/Lon, UTM, MGRS and distance grids^[20]; “Coordinate Grid — Pro”^[5].
Compass and declination	CartahavenFree: walk a bearing, magnetic or true, with the declination worked out offline (World Magnetic Model). A line from where you stand shows how far you have drifted off it.	Topo Maps+Compass, “Guide Me” to a waypoint^[5], and a magnetic north setting for bearings^[21].
Night mode	CartahavenFree: a red-light mode that turns the whole screen, map included, dim red to keep your night vision.	Topo Maps+“Dark Mode Dims Map”^[21]; a red-light mode: not found.
Trip check-in if you are overdue	CartahavenFree: Trip check-in emails a contact your trip plan (with a safe return plan: your planned route as a GPX file and your turnaround time), and your last position if you chose to share it, when you haven’t checked in by your deadline. On Teams the admins can be told too. It is not an emergency or rescue service.	Topo Maps+Not found in Topo Maps+’s documentation.
Devices	CartahavenAny phone, tablet or computer from the browser; it installs to the home screen and works offline. The Android app is built and coming to Google Play, and an iPhone app is on the way: neither is in the app stores yet.	Topo Maps+iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac, Apple Watch, CarPlay, Vision Pro and the web^[4]; iOS 17 or later^[1].

Where Topo Maps+ is ahead

Native apps today on iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac, Apple Watch, CarPlay and Vision Pro^[4]. Cartahaven’s Android and iPhone apps are on the way.
A large built-in library of base maps worldwide, downloadable by region^[7], and maps that keep downloading with the phone locked^[10].
Printing: multiple pages, fixed scales, collars and a QR code on every print^[11].
Hunting units in Canada as well as the US, and private land parcels with ownership in the US, with Elite^[14]^[7].
Bluetooth GPS receivers, including on a Wi-Fi-only iPad^[23], and location sharing from a ZOLEO satellite device^[22].

Using both

Already use Topo Maps+? Keep it for its base maps and prints, and open the GeoPDFs past its free ten in Cartahaven, free and offline, including maps from the Cartahaven store. Tracks move between them as GPX or KML.

Open the map app Find maps Other comparisons

Sources

All checked November 1, 2026.

Topo Maps+ is a product of Glacier Peak Studios LLC. Cartahaven is not affiliated with Glacier Peak Studios.