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Where to Open Your GeoPDF Maps Now (After the Avenza Changes)

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For years the default answer to “how do I use this GeoPDF on my phone?” was Avenza Maps. In 2026 the free version of Avenza stopped opening maps you add yourself, so a lot of people are asking the question again. GeoPDF is an open format, and several apps read it. Here are the honest options, what each one costs for your own maps, and how to pick.

What changed at Avenza

  • Avenza’s changes FAQ says “The free version of Avenza Maps no longer supports custom map imports”, and that previously imported custom maps “have been marked inactive”. Maps bought from the Avenza Map Store are not affected (Avenza changes FAQ, checked November 10, 2026).
  • Avenza Systems combined with Blue Marble Geographics on April 7, 2026 (Blue Marble announcement). Since then the Avenza Map Store has stopped taking new publishers and new map uploads, and Avenza says the publisher portal will end “when the Map Store closes”. No closing date has been announced (publisher FAQ, checked November 10, 2026).

If your maps already show as inactive, why your Avenza maps became inactive walks through getting the files and your placemarks out first.

What to look for in a GeoPDF app

  • Opens the PDF directly. Some apps need the map converted to another format first. That works, but it’s an extra step every time a map is updated.
  • Works with no signal. The map has to be saved on the phone. GPS itself doesn’t need cell service.
  • How many of your own maps you can keep, and on which plan.
  • Your placemarks and tracks. If you have years of points in Avenza, check the app can import a KML or GPX export.

The options

Avenza Maps, paid

If Avenza already works for you, a subscription brings imports back. Avenza lists Plus at $34.99 a year per device for up to 20 of your own maps, and Pro from $169.99 a year per device for an unlimited number; Pro is the plan for commercial, professional, government and academic use (Avenza pricing, checked November 10, 2026). Subscriptions are per device.

CalTopo

CalTopo calls your own maps “map sheets”. Adding one needs a Pro plan or higher: “This feature is only available for pro, desktop or team accounts.” A geospatial PDF or GeoTIFF lines up on its own (CalTopo: map sheets). CalTopo lists Free at $0, Mobile at $20 a year, Pro at $50 a year and Desktop at $100 a year, and offline use needs a paid plan (CalTopo plans, checked November 10, 2026). It’s strongest as a planning tool on a computer.

Gaia GPS

Gaia’s help documents importing GeoTIFF and MBTiles files for Premium members, with a 104.9 MB limit for GeoTIFFs on iPhone and up to 1 GB on Android (Gaia: iOS import, Gaia: Android import, checked November 10, 2026). We found no help article for importing a GeoPDF directly, so plan on converting it to a GeoTIFF first (see QGIS below).

Locus Map and Locus GIS

Locus Map’s list of supported map files doesn’t include PDF, and its docs say it is “not able to handle geotiff format”, so maps need converting, for example to MBTiles (Locus: external maps, Locus: conversion). Locus GIS, its Android field app, says it “doesn’t support direct import of GeoTIFF or GeoPDF at this moment” and suggests converting to MBTiles (Locus GIS help, checked November 10, 2026). Worth it if you already use Locus for its other strengths.

Esri Field Maps and QField

Two field-data apps now open GeoPDFs too. Esri’s March 2026 Field Maps update added “Offline support for geospatial PDFs” (Esri: what’s new in Field Maps), and QField, which is open source, lists “Geospatial PDF (.pdf)” among the raster files it opens (QField docs, checked November 10, 2026). Both are built for collecting data, so they take a little more setup than a map viewer.

QGIS, on a computer

QGIS is free desktop GIS software. It reads files through GDAL, which “supports reading Geospatial PDF documents” (GDAL PDF driver, checked November 10, 2026), so you can open a GeoPDF as a map layer, check where it lands, and convert it (Raster, Conversion, Translate) to a GeoTIFF for apps that need one. It isn’t a phone app, but it’s the tool for converting and for making your own GeoPDFs.

Cartahaven

We make Cartahaven, so weigh this one accordingly. It opens any GeoPDF or GeoTIFF directly and shows your GPS position on it with no signal. Imported maps are free on the free plan, with no limit beyond your phone’s storage, and you don’t need an account to import one. It also imports Avenza placemark, track and area exports (KMZ with photos, KML, GPX or CSV); see moving from Avenza Maps. For where Avenza is still ahead, see Cartahaven vs Avenza Maps.

Cartahaven is a web app today: open app.cartahaven.com in your phone’s browser and add it to your home screen. The Android and iPhone apps are on the way, so it isn’t in the app stores yet.

How to pick

  • A handful of your own maps, and you like Avenza: Avenza Plus.
  • You plan trips on a computer and print maps: CalTopo, with Pro for your own map sheets.
  • You already pay for Gaia or Locus: convert your GeoPDFs once in QGIS and keep using that app.
  • You collect data for work or a volunteer group: Field Maps or QField.
  • You want to open many GeoPDFs free, with no conversion: Cartahaven.

Before you rely on any of them

  1. Not sure your file is a GeoPDF? The free GeoPDF checker tells you, in your browser.
  2. Open the map in the app you chose, then turn on airplane mode and open it again. If you still see the map and your dot, it’s really on the phone.
  3. Keep the original PDF somewhere outside the app, such as your phone’s files or a cloud drive, so you can switch apps later.

No dot on the map? Why a GeoPDF won’t show your position covers the usual causes. More on carrying maps offline: using GeoPDF maps offline on your phone.