The article contains a list with free (not necessarily open source) software[1][2] for a range of devices (PC, laptop, tablet PC, mobile phone, handheld PC (Pocket Pc, Palm)). Some of the free software mentioned here does not have detailed maps (or maps at all) nor the ability to follow streets or type in street names (no geocoding). However, in many cases, it is also that which makes the program free (and sometimes open source[3]), avoid the need of an internet connection,[4][5][6] and make it very lightweight (allowing use on small portable devices as Palm or PocketPC). Very basic programs like this may not be suitable for road navigation in cars, but serve their purpose for navigation while walking/trekking, and for use at sea. To determine the GPS coordinates of your destination, you can use sites like GPScoordinates.eu and GPS visualizer

Note that some software presented here is free, but maps need to be payed for. In this instance, and in the instance that some maps (of specific countries) are not standardly available, Mobile Atlas Creator (MOBAC) can be used (i.e. on OruxMaps, Maverick, Sports Tracker, Maplorer, ...).

It should also be noted that some of the software mentioned can also be run on different devices than what they are intented for. A particular case-in-point is the Android software which can often be run on laptops/PC (running linux, windows or mac os x) as well .This can be done using emulators.

Also notable is that some of the software mentioned here may run only on devices that are no longer commercially sold. However, these devices are often still obtainable via 2nd-hand websites.

(Acknowledgement: original version of this content sourced directly from Wikipedia:Comparison of free off-line GPS software).

Name Company Type of device[7] Operating system 3rdP GPS-able ?[8] software with maps ? follows streets ? Open-source ? Remarks
Aqua Map[9][10][11] ? Tablet Smartphone Android, iOS ? yes (Openstreetmap maps), ? ? ?
Maverick[12][13] ? Tablet PC Android ? yes (Openstreetmap maps), ? ? ?
gvSIG Mini[14][15] Prodevelop Tablet PC Android ? yes (Openstreetmap maps), ? ? ?
Navionics Boating App[16] ? Tablet PC Android ? yes (Openstreetmap maps), ? ? Intended for marine navigation
OpenSatNav[17] Kieran Fleming et al. Tablet PC Android, OpenMoko ? yes (OpenStreetmap maps), ? ? ?
Minimap[18] ? Tablet PC Android ? yes (Openstreetmap maps), ? ? ?
MapDroyd[19] CloudMade Deutschland GmbH Tablet PC Android ? yes (Openstreetmap maps), ? ? ?
OsmAnd[20] ? Tablet PC Android ? yes (Openstreetmap maps), ? ? ?
OruxMaps[21] ? Tablet PC Android ? yes (Openstreetmap maps), ? ? ?
MapFactor[22] ? Tablet PC Android ? yes (Openstreetmap maps), ? ? ?
NavFree[23][24] ? Tablet PC Android ? yes (Openstreetmap maps), ? ? ?
Skobbler GPS Navigation 2[25][26] ? Tablet PC Android ? yes (Openstreetmap maps), ? ? Program is free and can be used without limitations online, offline maps need to be payed for
AlpineQuest GPS Hiking (Lite)[27] ? Tablet PC, Android ? yes (?), ? ? ?
AndNav 2[28] ? Tablet PC, Android ? yes (?), ? ? ?
Big Planet Tracks[29] ? Tablet PC, Android ? yes (?), ? ? ?
Sports Tracker[30] Sports Tracking Technologies Tablet PC Android ? yes (?), ? ? Does not allow navigation to specific points, only tracking
osmdroid[31] ? Tablet PC Android ? yes (?), ? ? may not allow actual navigation from point-to-point, only showing the current position on a map
RMaps[32][33] ? tablet PC Android ? yes (?), ? ? may not provide actual navigation, only marking of GPS points, and the current position
AFTrack[34] ? Tablet PC, handheld PC (Symbian) Android, Symbian OS series 60 ? yes (?), ? ? ?
CacheBox[35] ? Tablet PC, PC, handheld PC (pocket PC) Android, Windows Mobile, Windows for PC ? yes (?), ? ? initially intented for geocaching
Mapopolis[36] ? Handheld PC (Palm) PalmOS ? yes (black and white maps), ? ? only has maps for USA
SailPalm[37] ? handheld PC (Palm) PalmOS ? yes (black and white maps), ? ? Free program, but maps need to be payed for (hence called "shareware" at Tucows), intented for marine navigation (sailing)
HandMap[38][39] ? handheld PC (Palm) PalmOS ? yes (color maps, basic), ? ? May be a free program, but maps need to be payed for (hence called "shareware" at Tucows) ?
Magellan Nav Companion[40] ? handheld PC (Palm) PalmOS ? yes (Openstreetmap maps), ? ? ?
FieldNote[41] Mobile Computing handheld PC (pocket PC) Windows CE ? no, ? ? mainly intented to mark specific points without a map, not intented for actual navigation
TZGPS[42] ? handheld PC (Palm) PalmOS ? yes (Openstreetmap maps), ? ? ?
Trax[43][44] Luke Klein-Berndt handheld PC (Palm) PalmOS ? ? (?), ? ? ?
SoaringPilot[45] ? handheld PC (Palm, some PocketPC/WinCE devices), PalmOS ? yes (Openstreetmap maps), ? ? Originally intented for use in sailplanes
CotoGPS[46] ? handheld PC (Palm) PalmOS ? ? (?), ? ? Originally intented for geocaching
GpsPilot[47] ? handheld PC (Symbian One) Symbian ? no (?), ? ? ?
Maplorer[48] ? handheld PC (pocket PC) Windows CE, Mobile ? yes (?), ? ? ?
OSMtracker[49] ? handheld PC (pocket PC), smartphone Android, Windows Mobile ? yes (?), ? ? ?
gpsVP[50] ? handheld PC, certain smartphones Windows Mobile 5,6, 2003 ? yes (Openstreetmap maps), ? ? ?
CacheWolf[51] ? Laptop, PC Windows, Mac OS X, Linux ? yes (?), ? ? ?
Glopus[52] ? Laptop, PC, handheld PC (Pocket PC) Windows, ? ? yes (?), ? ? ?
TrekBuddy[53][54] ? PC, laptop, handheld PC (Palm, Symbian, BlackBerry), Windows Phone Windows XP, Vista, Windows Mobile, PalmOS, Symbian ? yes (?), ? ? Runs on Java, hence cross-platform
gvSIG 2.0[55] ? PC, laptop, Windows XP, Vista, Linux, OS X ? yes (?), ? ? cross-platform; originally intented as a GIS however can be fitted with GPS receiver and has support for it[56] and also allows to easily download maps from any location from an online database as Openstreetmaps, and many others[57][58]
LuckyGPS[59] ? Laptop, PC, smartphone Windows, Linux, OpenMoko, ? yes (?), ? ? ?
Mumpot[60] ? Laptop, PC, smartphone Linux, OpenMoko, GPE ? yes (?), ? ? ?
Navit[61][62] ? Laptop, PC, tablet PC, smartphone Windows for PC, Linux, Android, OpenMoko, ? yes (?), ? ? intented for car navigation, quite popular
Pyroute[63] Ojw Laptop, PC, smartphone Windows XP, Linux, OpenMoko ? yes (?), ? ? ?
TangoGPS[64] Marcus Bauer Laptop, PC, smartphone Linux, OpenMoko ? yes (?), ? ? ?
Rana[65] Ojw smartphone OpenMoko, Neo Freerunner ? yes (?), ? ? runs on Python, so possibly cross-platform
BikeAtor[66][67] ? smartphone (OpenMoko, Symbian), tablet PC Android, OpenMoko, Symbian ? yes (?), ? ? ?
OpenCPN[68] ? Laptop, PC Windows XP SP3, Vista, 7, 8, IntelMac, Linux (Fedora, Ubuntu, CentOS) ? yes (?), ? ? Intented for maritime navigation
Osmarender[69] ? laptop, PC Windows, OS X, Linux ? yes (Openstreetmap maps), ? ? Not intuitive
Mobile Trail Explorer[70] ? smartphone, ? Symbian, multiple OS's ? yes (?), ? ? Runs on Java, so a cross-platform GPS navigation software
Open Citymap[71] ? smartphone (Qt) Windows CE, OpenMoko ? yes (?), ? ? ?
NaviComputer[72] ? Windows Phone Windows Mobile ? yes (?), ? ? works with NaviMapper to store maps and transfer them to the phone
Mappero ? Nokia N810 Maemo[73] ? yes (Openstreetmap maps), ? ? ?
NaviPOWM[74] ? handheld PC, Laptop, PC Windows for PC, Windows Mobile 5/6/2003 SE, Linux ? yes (Openstreetmap maps), ? ? ?
NaVisu ? Laptop, PC Windows, OS X, Linux ? yes (Openstreetmap maps), ? ? Developed for marine applications, not intuitive, build around NASA WorldWind
Cetus GPS[75] Cetus software embedded system (Garmin) OS 5 ? yes (?), ? ? ?
GPS interpreter[76] Marcel Durieux, Christian Tavernier[77][78] Embedded system (purpose-build PCB)[79] ? ? yes, ? ? ?
Andrew Holme's GPS software Andrew Holme[80] Embedded system (several custom PCB's + Raspberry Pi)[81] Raspbian Linux ? ?, ? ? ?

See also[edit | edit source]

  • List of GPS software for mobile phones

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ cGPS mapper: open-source yet payed, not included
  2. ↑ Chaeron GPS: open-source yet payed, not included
  3. ↑ Having open-source GPS programs available for different devices also allows people to expand on this software for certain projects, like automated or semi-automated steering systems for vehicles
  4. ↑ Programs like Google maps require an internet connection as the maps are not available offline, in part because this would also make the program very large in terms of filesize
  5. ↑ GPS software without internet connection ref 1
  6. ↑ GPS software without internet connection ref 2
  7. ↑ Tablet PC's have touchscreen, laptops do not
  8. ↑ support of add-on GPS receiver, rather than say the imbedded GPS receiver of the device the software was initially designed for
  9. ↑ [1]
  10. ↑ [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gec.MarineApp.WorldViewerLite Android Download
  11. ↑ iOS Download
  12. ↑ Maverick
  13. ↑ Maverick download site
  14. ↑ gvSIG Mini download site
  15. ↑ gvSIG Mini main site
  16. ↑ Navionics Boating App
  17. ↑ OpenSatNav
  18. ↑ Minimap main download site
  19. ↑ MapDroyd
  20. ↑ OsmAnd
  21. ↑ OruxMaps
  22. ↑ MapFactor
  23. ↑ NavFree
  24. ↑ NavFree download site
  25. ↑ Skobbler GPS download site
  26. ↑ Skobbler GPS main site
  27. ↑ AlpineQuest
  28. ↑ AndNav2
  29. ↑ Big Planet Tracks
  30. ↑ Sports Tracker
  31. ↑ osmdroid
  32. ↑ Maps SQLite
  33. ↑ Rmaps download site
  34. ↑ AFTrack
  35. ↑ CacheBox
  36. ↑ Mapopolis
  37. ↑ SailPalm
  38. ↑ HandMap
  39. ↑ HandMap GPS plugin
  40. ↑ List of free GPS software for Palm
  41. ↑ Mobile Computing
  42. ↑ TZGPS
  43. ↑ Trax main site
  44. ↑ Trax old Tucows site
  45. ↑ SoarPilot main page
  46. ↑ CotoGPS main site
  47. ↑ GpsPilot
  48. ↑ Maplorer
  49. ↑ Osmtracker
  50. ↑ gpsVP
  51. ↑ CacheWolf
  52. ↑ Glopus
  53. ↑ TrekBuddy
  54. ↑ TrekBuddy versions
  55. ↑ gvSIG
  56. ↑ gvSIG having GPS receiver support
  57. ↑ gvSIG allowing to download OSM maps
  58. ↑ gvSIG video showing how to load maps from OSM
  59. ↑ LuckyGPS
  60. ↑ Mumpot
  61. ↑ Navit
  62. ↑ Navit
  63. ↑ Pyroute
  64. ↑ TangoGPS
  65. ↑ Rana
  66. ↑ BikeAtor
  67. ↑ BikeAtor
  68. ↑ OpenCPN
  69. ↑ Osmarender
  70. ↑ Mobile Trail Explorer
  71. ↑ Open Citymap
  72. ↑ NaviComputer
  73. ↑ Maemo
  74. ↑ NaviPOWM
  75. ↑ Cetus GPS
  76. ↑ GPS interpreter download site
  77. ↑ Original program from Marcel Durieux on Mikroelektronika Forum
  78. ↑ Modification by Christian Tavernier for the EM-406A GPS Receiver, mentioned in GPSElektorElektronicsWorldWide.txt file in 070309-11 zip file from http://web.archive.org/web/20140407104044/http://www.elektor-magazine.com/en/magazine-contents/previous-issues.html?tx_elektorarticle_listissues[article]=18921&tx_elektorarticle_listissues[action]=show&cHash=15557dd0aaa057b844b945af27d6960d
  79. ↑ GPS receiver PCB
  80. ↑ A Holme's homemade GPS page
  81. ↑ Raspberry Pi's site on Holme's project
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Keywords global positioning system, gps navigation devices, comparisons, open source
Authors KVDP
License CC-BY-SA-3.0
Language English (en)
Related 0 subpages, 0 pages link here
Aliases Comparison of off-line GPS software
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Created April 13, 2014 by KVDP
Modified March 8, 2024 by Kathy Nativi
Cite as KVDP (2014–2024). "Comparison of free off-line GPS software". Appropedia. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
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