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Basemap vs Onx

Man, it sounds like basemap is pretty nice, I have done the phone app for the last couple years with onx and have had the chips for my rhino for years. I rarely use the Rhino anymore as the phone interface is so much easier. I think I will add basemap this year for comparison with the onx phone app.
 
I've been real happy with Basemap, especially because from what I've experienced its the same level of performance but at a much lower price. One person pointed out that to get the hunt zone boundaries it is 10 bucks more for a total of 40 dollars, but you get all 50 states. The cheapest version of OnX with a single state hunt boundaries is 30 dollars, to get all 50 you have to pay 99.00. I don't use the hunt boundaries, so a non issue for me.
 
In the last couple days I installed four android gps apps, so I could decide which one I liked the best for my needs. I ended up choosing Basemap. I liked OnX almost as much, but wanted data for the whole country and $99 is too spendy for my needs.


Backcountry Navigator XE - This is very new on the scene. It ran really smooth on my phone, scrolling and map loading was butter. Sleek interface. Unfortunately it didn't appear to have as many layer types that one would want for hunting, scouting, etc. It had all the basics though, perhaps it's more of a general outdoors person app. Also, the trial/unpaid version did not let me explore many of the other features, such as tracking, etc. I'll be checking back on this app in a year when my Basemap subscription is about to expire to see if it has matured.

Gaia GPS - Trial/non paid version doesn't let you do much, so I wasn't able to change or display any other layers other then the default topo, nor test downloading offline maps. It appears that are lots of layers available if you pay. This app appears capable from reading about it, but I think it's a mistake on the developers part to not have a more full featured trial period. I didn't like it enough to pay $30 to see if I liked the full feature set.

OnX - Ran great. Great looking interface, easy to use. 7 day full trial that lets you do most things, except some layers are not available. The only complaint is I was not able to find a way to select different versions of the base maps. You get exatly one version each of satellite, topo, and hybrid. But some of the other apps (for example Basemap) allow you to select several different sources of base map content. So if you don't like the satellite image in a specific area, you can try a different one. Same for topo map versions. The other issue is the price. I'm not interested in just single state content, and $99 is far too steep with other competing products of equal capability on the market for 30% of the price.

Basemap - Mostly full featured in unpaid form, but limits the amount of layers available to display, and also limits you to a single offline map. The interface has excellent visual appeal and is easy to use. Feature set is near identical to OnX - tracking, waypoints, lines and shapes with area calculation, photo saving, built in weather data if you have signal, etc. Just as many (perhaps more) layers that you can overlay on the base map. Offline maps work excellent, can select as many layers as you want, and are available in full or customizable resolution, and for any area that you select. There is a social media feature that allows you to share content. That's cool if you're into this, but I'll likely never use it. I suspect that Onx and Gaia also have web maps like Basemap does, but I've only used the Basemap one. It allows me access to all the same layers and features as the phone app, waypoints, lines, tracks, etc all sync between the phone and computer automatically.

Anyway, in summary I like Basemap just as much as OnX for the 1 day I have used them. For the cost, Basemap was an easy choice for me.

Based on google play store's info descriptions:
-Onx came out in 2013 and has around 71k+ downloads per year average.
-Gaia came out in 2010 and has around 50k+ downloads per year average.
-Basemap came out in 2016 and has around 25k+ downloads per year average.
 
That was a great write up, hopefully others will find it helpful. I've been using Basemap for a while now and I really like it alot. With any of these map programs the key is to get out and use them until you are very familiar. I will say that there are WAY more layers than I'll ever use. After using both OnX and Basemap I just don't think there is any way to justify paying 3X more for OnX.
 
Good thread. At $40/year for Pro and Research layers, checking Basemap out is a good idea.
Currently use OnX nationwide, and my annual subscription just auto renewed. I have found it invaluable.
Things I appreciate about OnX -- simple interface, doesn't suck battery. I use OnX to navigate to places.
Things I don't care for, and would be interested in comparing with Baselayer:
The boundary lines are close but not completely accurate. The I have tracked property ownership and satellite imagery updates using my properties, friend's properties, and clearcuts on BLM lands. Land ownership lags by ~ year. Some BLM imagery I use is >2 years.
 
I have been using OnX for a couple of years now and I just recently got the pro version of basemap. I'm really liking basemap and find it easy to use. The satellite imagery on OnX for the area I hunt in Idaho & Colorado is horrible, 75% of the map tiles are covered in snow, absolutely worthless!!! The satellite imagery on basemap is HD crystal clear and can even be seen in 3D on iOS.
One thing I like better on OnX vs basemap is the compass orientation. On OnX, I can double tap the gps crosshairs symbol & the screen or map will automatically orientate the compass to the direction you're facing or traveling. This just makes it easier for me to quickly get my bearings and see the terrain that's in front of me, especially in the dark. On Basemap, you have to pinch the screen and manually rotate it to orientate it to your direction of travel. This can be a pain when you're covering ground in a hurry while carrying your rifle, bow, etc in your other hand. If anyone has figured this out on Basemap, please let me know.
For the price, Basemap is now my #1
 
I have been using OnX for a couple of years now and I just recently got the pro version of basemap. I'm really liking basemap and find it easy to use. The satellite imagery on OnX for the area I hunt in Idaho & Colorado is horrible, 75% of the map tiles are covered in snow, absolutely worthless!!! The satellite imagery on basemap is HD crystal clear and can even be seen in 3D on iOS.
One thing I like better on OnX vs basemap is the compass orientation. On OnX, I can double tap the gps crosshairs symbol & the screen or map will automatically orientate the compass to the direction you're facing or traveling. This just makes it easier for me to quickly get my bearings and see the terrain that's in front of me, especially in the dark. On Basemap, you have to pinch the screen and manually rotate it to orientate it to your direction of travel. This can be a pain when you're covering ground in a hurry while carrying your rifle, bow, etc in your other hand. If anyone has figured this out on Basemap, please let me know.
For the price, Basemap is now my #1
That is the main reason I haven't switched to Baesmap, because it does not have the "track up" feature for navigating. We use that feature in Onx all day while navigating in the back country.

I told Basemap that as soon as they add that important feature I would switch over.
 
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