Organic Maps is an offline map and navigation app built on OpenStreetMap, the volunteer-made map of the world. You download a country or region once, and from then on the app searches, plots routes and gives voice directions with no signal at all. It costs nothing, shows no adverts and does not ask you to sign up.
We like it for two specific reasons: it is one of the very few map apps whose store listings declare no data collected, and its maps carry walking paths, contour lines and hiking trails that many big-name apps leave off. Here is our Organic Maps review: what is free (all of it), what it lacks, and how it compares with OsmAnd and Google Maps.
Organic Maps Promo Code: None needed
Best deal: free for everyone, with optional donations
| Offer detail | What you get |
|---|---|
| Promo Code | None needed. There is nothing to buy |
| Welcome offer | The full app free: offline maps, search and navigation, with no account and no ads |
| Who qualifies | Anyone with an iPhone, Android phone or Linux computer |
| Key terms | No subscriptions or in-app purchases; donations are voluntary |
| How to claim | Download the app and the maps for the regions you need, ideally on Wi-Fi |
Organic Maps: key facts
- Official website: organicmaps.app
- Owner: Organic Maps OÜ (Estonian reg. code 16225385)
- Headquarters: Tallinn, Estonia
- Founded: 2021
- Support: Live chat: no
- Ratings: App Store 4.8 (1.1k ratings, UK App Store); Google Play 4.2 (21.6k reviews, Google Play UK)
- Headline offer: Completely free: no ads, no subscriptions, no account; donations optional
- Promo Code: None needed (nothing to buy)
- Price from: Free
- Free plan or trial: Yes: all features, including offline maps, search and turn-by-turn navigation
- Payment methods: Voluntary donations: cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, bank transfer, GitHub Sponsors, Patreon, OpenCollective, LiberaPay, crypto
- Best features: Every feature works offline; No data collected, no ads, no registration; Hiking trails, contour lines and elevation profiles
Organic Maps at a glance
- Owner: Organic Maps OÜ, Tallinn, Estonia
- Launched: 2021, by founders of MAPS.ME
- Platforms: iPhone, Android (Google Play, F-Droid and others), Linux desktop; CarPlay and Android Auto
- Free plan: yes, everything is free
- Paid from: nothing to pay; donations optional
- Offline use: yes, every feature works offline
- Ratings: App Store (UK) 4.8/5 from 1.1k ratings; Google Play 4.2/5 from 21.6k reviews
Our verdict
Organic Maps is the offline map we would put on any phone before a trip abroad. It is fast, light on storage and battery, honest about privacy and does not cost a penny. It is not a full Google Maps replacement: there is no live traffic, business details are only as good as OpenStreetMap volunteers make them, and its own governance has been rocky. As a free backup for city breaks, road trips and walks, it is hard to beat.
Pros
- Completely free, with no ads, subscriptions or account
- Store listings declare no data collected or shared
- Every feature works offline, including search and turn-by-turn voice directions
- Hiking and cycle paths, contour lines and elevation profiles
- Compact map downloads and fast offline search
- CarPlay and Android Auto support
Cons
- No live traffic or user reviews of restaurants and shops
- Opening hours and addresses depend on volunteer mapping, so gaps exist
- Public transport routing is new and live timetables are not ready yet
- Track recording on Android can be unreliable in the background, the app’s own FAQ admits
- A governance row in 2025 led some contributors to fork the project as CoMaps
- No Apple Watch app
What Organic Maps does and who it is for
Organic Maps does the basics of a sat nav and a paper map at once. You can search for a café, plan a walking, cycling or driving route, follow voice directions, save bookmarks and import or export GPX and KML tracks. Popular places carry Wikipedia articles you can read offline.
It suits travellers, walkers and anyone wary of being tracked. A few moments where it proves itself:
- You land in Lisbon at 23:40, your eSIM has not kicked in and the metro has stopped. With Portugal already downloaded, Organic Maps finds your hotel and walks you there street by street.
- Driving the North Coast 500, signal drops for long stretches. The downloaded Scotland map keeps the route and voice directions running.
- A day walking in the Picos de Europa: contour lines and marked trails show where the path climbs, and the elevation profile warns you about the last steep kilometre.
Is Organic Maps free? Free vs paid features
Yes, entirely. There is no premium tier, no in-app purchase and no advert. The team asks for donations and takes cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, bank transfers, GitHub Sponsors, Patreon, OpenCollective and more. Grants and sponsors have helped too: the NLnet Foundation funded search improvements, and hosting firms donate servers for map downloads.
What you get for nothing is the whole app: offline maps, search, navigation for walking, cycling and driving, contour lines, metro maps, bookmarks and track import. What you do not get is anything that depends on a live data feed, such as traffic, ratings or real-time departures.
Organic Maps price: plans and the cheapest way to pay
There are no plans, so the cheapest way to pay is not to. For comparison, here is what its closest rival charges on the UK App Store; dollar and euro figures are conversions.
| App and plan | UK price | US$ equivalent | € equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Organic Maps, everything | Free | Free | Free |
| OsmAnd Maps+, yearly | £14.99 | $19.98 | €17.79 |
| OsmAnd Pro, yearly | £39.99 | $53.29 | €47.46 |
| Google Maps offline areas | Free | Free | Free |
If you use Organic Maps a lot, a small donation is the fair way to keep it going.
Features that matter: offline, hiking and driving
Offline maps. Download by country or region. Maps are compact, and OpenStreetMap data is refreshed regularly: the August 2026 release shipped with data from 26 August, the July release with data from 14 July.
Navigation. Turn-by-turn voice directions for walking, cycling and driving, with alternative routes since mid-2026, and warnings for tolls, ferries and unpaved roads. CarPlay and Android Auto work, and iPhone users got a CarPlay dashboard in August 2026.
Hiking. Contour lines, peaks, slopes, marked trails and elevation profiles. You can record your own tracks and import GPX files from route planners such as Komoot.
Public transport. Metro maps have been there for years, and public transport routing arrived in June 2026. Live schedules are still in development, so check timetables locally.
Editing. Spot a missing bench, wrong opening hours or a new café? You can add or correct it in the app and send it to OpenStreetMap, which benefits every app that uses its data.
Privacy and safety
This is Organic Maps’ strongest suit. Both the App Store and Google Play listings declare that no data is collected, and Google Play adds that none is shared with third parties. The project says its app is checked by the Exodus Privacy Project on Android and TrackerControl on iOS, sends no push notifications and needs no registration. The code is open source under the Apache 2.0 licence.
Two episodes are on the record. In November 2023, the team added a “Details on Kayak” button for hotels that earns referral fees, which F-Droid then flagged with an “antifeature” warning; critics called it advertising, and the founders disputed that. In 2025, an open letter from contributors raised concerns about governance and how donations were reported, and a group of contributors forked the code as CoMaps, as LWN.net reported in June 2025. The app itself remained free and tracker-free throughout.
On safety, Organic Maps is a navigation aid, not a guarantee. OpenStreetMap paths can be out of date, so on serious hills carry a proper map.
What users say about Organic Maps
Organic Maps scores 4.8 out of 5 from 1,100 ratings on the UK App Store and 4.2 from about 21,600 reviews on Google Play. There is no Trustpilot profile to speak of.
On Google Play in July 2026, James C. called it a “Brilliant mapping application! Entirely free, very good quality maps and display”. On the UK App Store, Tom_199611 wrote that “It’s been extremely useful when out hiking, as regions can be downloaded and used completely offline.”
Not everyone is sold. Mungo M., on Google Play in August 2026, found it “Bit limited in some places. It’s amazing for places frequented by lots of people”. Tori, in July 2026, was unhappy with a redesign: “I don’t like the new update. it has made this app awkward and it’s hard to search for things”.
How to get started with Organic Maps
- Download Organic Maps from the App Store or Google Play (Android users can also use F-Droid).
- Open the app and, on Wi-Fi, download the maps for the countries or regions you will visit.
- Search for a place, tap Route, and pick walking, cycling, driving or public transport.
- Bookmark your hotel, station and anything else you need, so they are one tap away offline.
- If you plan walks elsewhere, import your GPX tracks before you leave.
There is no subscription to cancel. To free up space, delete downloaded maps in the app’s map download screen, or delete the app.
Organic Maps vs OsmAnd vs Google Maps
When DailyStoke compared offline map apps, the trade was simple: Organic Maps for clean and private, OsmAnd for power users, Google Maps for live information.
| Organic Maps | OsmAnd | Google Maps | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes, everything | Yes, limited downloads | Yes |
| Paid from | Free | £14.99 a year (Maps+) | Free |
| Best for | Private offline travel and walks | Detailed outdoor maps and plugins | Live traffic, reviews and transit |
| Offline | Full app | Full app | Downloaded areas, driving focus |
| App Store (UK) | 4.8 (1.1k) | 4.5 (891) | 4.7 (978k) |
Pick Organic Maps if you want an easy, private offline map for travel. Pick OsmAnd if you love settings, layers and plugins and do not mind a busier screen. Pick Google Maps if you need traffic, reviews and live transit, and download an offline area as a backup.
Organic Maps alternatives
- OsmAnd: the most powerful OpenStreetMap app, with paid upgrades for unlimited maps and extras.
- CoMaps: the 2025 community fork of Organic Maps, with a similar look and offline focus.
- Google Maps: lets you download offline areas free, but needs data for most features.
- Komoot: better for planning bike and walking routes; read our Komoot review.
- Maps.me: the app Organic Maps’ founders started, now under different owners and with adverts.
Organic Maps FAQs
Is Organic Maps really free?
Yes. There are no ads, subscriptions or in-app purchases. The project runs on donations and grants.
Does Organic Maps work without internet?
Yes. Once you have downloaded a region, search, maps and navigation all work offline.
Is Organic Maps safe and private?
Its store listings declare no data collected, it needs no account and its code is open source. A Kayak hotel button added in 2023 earns referral fees.
Is Organic Maps better than Google Maps?
For offline use and privacy, often yes. For live traffic, business reviews and live transit times, Google Maps is stronger.
Organic Maps or OsmAnd?
Organic Maps is simpler and fully free. OsmAnd has more layers and settings, but charges for unlimited downloads and extras.
Does Organic Maps have hiking trails?
Yes. It shows marked trails, paths, contour lines and elevation profiles, and can import GPX tracks.
Does Organic Maps work with CarPlay and Android Auto?
Yes, both are supported.
What is CoMaps?
A 2025 fork of Organic Maps created by contributors unhappy with the project’s governance. Both apps continue separately.
More on DailyStoke
Travel apps, reviewed · Travel eSIMs compared · AllTrails review · Atlas Obscura review
