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I need a way (possibly a third-party application) that allows me to use maps and GPS without an Internet connection.

I don't use it by car, just for walking in cities. It would be nice if I could just copy all data relative to a particular city before going there for tourism.

The Google Maps app does not store maps reliably, so it is risky to rely on it without an Internet connection.

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  • Edit on 2016/10/30: On 2016/10/30, Mapdroyd's website indicated its cessation of operation.
    – user183893
    Commented Oct 30, 2016 at 15:01

11 Answers 11

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ⓘ Many of these applications use map data from a really cool free map project called OSM (OpenStreetMap), which anyone can contribute to. Most of the OSM-based apps won't have traffic information.

Free:

  • Google Maps
  • HERE Maps
    • Unless you specifically want an OSM-based app, this is probably the best free option out there. Has offline maps, turn-by-turn navigation, full street addresses, points of interest, alternate routes, traffic, public transport, and speed limits.
  • Organic Maps
    • Open-source fork of Maps.me, uses data from OSM. More user-friendly than OsmAnd. Features offline maps, cycling routes, hiking trails, elevation maps, turn-by-turn navigation, dark mode, and more. No traffic information.
  • OsmAnd
    • Open-source, uses data from OSM. Much more advanced than Organic Maps but potentially more complicated to use. No traffic information.
  • MapFactor
    • OSM-based offline navigation. Fairly basic but promising. TomTom maps and traffic available as in-app purchases.
  • Many others based on OSM here: Android - OpenStreetMap Wiki

Paid:

  • CoPilot GPS
    • CoPilot Live is a very nice, full-featured app, which will let you download maps ahead of time and use GPS offline. I ended up using it because the US version was so cheap compared to the other paid navigation apps, but I've been very pleased with the quality, features, customer support, and free app and map upgrades. It has all the features I could want in a GPS app, the only downsides being you have to have a paid subscription for traffic data (the paid app includes a free one-year subscription), and you will have to buy new maps if you travel outside your purchased area.
  • Other paid apps that I haven't used:

There are detailed reviews of many Android GPS apps here: Android Sat Nav Apps

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    There's another great OSM-based offline map application missing: Maps.me. It used to be commercial but is now fully free. It has all the basic features I need (local maps, fast display, bookmarks + tracks). maps.me/en/home
    – Gulbahar
    Commented Feb 6, 2015 at 23:24
  • Maps.me was purchased by a Korean money exchange company. The open-source fork is Organic Maps. I've added it to the list as it appears to be very well-reviewed and highly recommended.
    – bmaupin
    Commented Sep 22, 2023 at 15:36
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Google Maps 5.0 now supports offline mode!

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    You don't have much control over the cached maps in the offline mode. And note that you may have an older version pre-installed on your device and the update to 5.0 is not announced automatically. Just search the Market...
    – pesche
    Commented Jan 29, 2011 at 23:33
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    Additionally the offline cache is automatically deleted after 30 days.
    – Robert
    Commented Oct 5, 2011 at 12:54
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    Not really. You can cache a small area, but only the roads, not places, and it will be deleted after a few weeks, and you can't sync it except manually, and it doesn't work with navigation, etc. etc. Remember that Google's in bed with the phone companies and their data plans.
    – endolith
    Commented Dec 1, 2011 at 20:58
  • It looks like there's some license problems with the maps. I've managed to use Paris and Belgium offline maps, but it isn't possible for Brazil and Spain.
    – neves
    Commented Jun 28, 2013 at 2:51
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I haven't had a chance to try it myself yet, but I've heard good things about Maverick:

Maverick for Google Android - Code Sector

There is both a limited free and pay version.

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  • I haven't had much luck with Maverick myself.
    – ripper234
    Commented Sep 28, 2010 at 15:06
  • I like the fact that this one's cached maps don't vanish like Google Maps'. There is no way to download all maps for an area, so you have to navigate the area at various zoom levels will on WiFi before going.
    – Nicolas Raoul
    Commented Nov 21, 2011 at 2:45
  • I use Maverick all the time for car and walking navigation, with several GB of offline maps. Maverick and Mobile Atlas Creator both had to disable Google Maps downloading because of legal threats by Google, but you can still use an old version of either.
    – endolith
    Commented Dec 1, 2011 at 20:57
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    new versions of Maverick work just fine if you download maps yourself and place them in the right folder. a few years ago I've made an explanation about that.
    – lenik
    Commented May 20, 2012 at 21:13
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I am now using OsmAnd.

It stores OpenStreetMap maps on the phone's storage.

OsmAnd uses a vectorial format, which means it can store a lot of information without taking too much space, and is visible in all zoom factors.

You can download the maps you want, for instance Italy, Bolivia, or any other country/region.

OsmAnd

Free, open source.

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I regularly use Locus. It doesn't have much in the way of navigation support (although I think this is in the works), but for off-road and off-line use it's fantastic.

It allows downloading of maps for off-line use, supports SQLite and GEMF maps, which allow large map (2GB limit for SQLite, no realistic limit for GEMF) tile sets on your SD card without wasting masses of space. It also supports vector maps as well as bitmap ones (more coverage, less disk space). It has a very good interface and is well supported.

There's a free version with ads which doesn't support in-app map downloading (I think), although you can use your PC to download the maps. The paid version is not expensive.

That all sounds excessively glowing, so I should emphasise that I'm not the developer and have no affiliation; just a very happy user!

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For England and much of Europe, ViewRanger is great. Supports Ordnance Survey and other official-type maps; also some open street map projects. But it is absolutely what I would use -- and do -- if I am hiking with a phone. For Android - ViewRanger

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Have you tried BackCountry Navigator?

BackCountry Navigator

It has topo maps, open street maps, and aerial photography.

It has a 16 day demo and a paid license.

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Maps (-) allows to store maps for offline use from OpenStreetMap, from OpenCycleMap and from Google Maps.

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If you are looking for North American maps (and European maps as well I'm told), than I can recommend CoPilot Live. It's not free though.

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You might want to use Sygic if you are in India. It comes with free maps.

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Mapy.cz is the easiest to use app and now it has all the content of the whole world for download to offline in vectors (which means smaller files).

It is both for cities and tourism. For navigation it currently needs a network, but they claim they'll make it offline as well.

It is free. The world is covered by a great render of OpenStreetMap. The Czech Republic has its own (great) cartographic data.

screenshot Mapy.cz

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