Gaia GPS
  • 7-Day Free Trial Gaia GPS Premium
  • Out and Back Podcast
    • Gaia GPS

      Meet Grizzly Bear 399, the Most Famous Bears…

      May 19, 2023

      Gaia GPS

      Everything You Need to Know About Satellite Communicators

      December 1, 2022

      Adventures

      How to Avoid Another Deadly Avalanche Season

      January 21, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      The Best Advice We Received in 2021

      December 26, 2021

      Gaia GPS

      Avalanche Safety with Snow Science Expert Bruce Tremper

      November 30, 2021

      Gaia GPS

      Planning a Thru-Hike Next Year? Here’s What You…

      October 21, 2021

      Gaia GPS

      A Definitive Guide to the Best Camp Coffee

      September 30, 2021

  • Offroad Podcast
    • Gaia GPS

      Cook Marco Hernandez’s Mouthwatering Camp Meals

      January 25, 2023

      Gaia GPS

      Monique Song: How a City Girl Became the…

      April 7, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      TrailRecon Explains How to Become an Overlander Overnight

      March 9, 2022

      Adventures

      How to Stay Married on a Long-Distance Adventure

      February 9, 2022

      Adventures

      How to Go From ‘Desk to Glory’ in…

      January 12, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      The Best Advice We Received in 2021

      December 26, 2021

      Gaia GPS

      Gaia GPS’s Best New Overlanding Maps and Features…

      December 23, 2021

  • Adventures
    • User Stories
  • Activities
    • Backcountry Skiing
    • Boating
    • Emergency Response
    • Fishing
    • Offroading
  • New Features
    • Gaia GPS

      Meet Map Packs: A Totally New Way to…

      April 20, 2023

      Gaia GPS

      Book Campsites Right From Gaia GPS

      February 23, 2023

      Gaia GPS

      Our Favorite New Maps and Features

      December 23, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      OpenSnow Weather Now Available at-a-Tap on the Map

      November 9, 2022

      Backcountry Skiing

      Find the Deepest, Lightest Powder with the Snow…

      November 8, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      New Edit Tools: Creating Your Own Routes Just…

      September 1, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      Top 10 Ways to Use Waypoints

      August 30, 2022

  • New Maps
    • Gaia GPS

      See the World More Clearly with New Gaia…

      May 18, 2023

      Gaia GPS

      Gaia Classic: The Only Map You’ll Ever Need?

      May 4, 2023

      Gaia GPS

      Why NatGeo Trails Illustrated are America’s Favorite Maps

      February 9, 2023

      Backcountry Skiing

      New! Find Backcountry Skiing in Gaia Winter Map

      January 11, 2023

      Gaia GPS

      Our Favorite New Maps and Features

      December 23, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      Spy Avalanche Terrain with Higher Res Slope Angle…

      December 14, 2022

      Backcountry Skiing

      Find the Deepest, Lightest Powder with the Snow…

      November 8, 2022

  • Home
Gaia GPS
  • 7-Day Free Trial Gaia GPS Premium
  • Out and Back Podcast
    • Gaia GPS

      Meet Grizzly Bear 399, the Most Famous Bears…

      May 19, 2023

      Gaia GPS

      Everything You Need to Know About Satellite Communicators

      December 1, 2022

      Adventures

      How to Avoid Another Deadly Avalanche Season

      January 21, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      The Best Advice We Received in 2021

      December 26, 2021

      Gaia GPS

      Avalanche Safety with Snow Science Expert Bruce Tremper

      November 30, 2021

      Gaia GPS

      Planning a Thru-Hike Next Year? Here’s What You…

      October 21, 2021

      Gaia GPS

      A Definitive Guide to the Best Camp Coffee

      September 30, 2021

  • Offroad Podcast
    • Gaia GPS

      Cook Marco Hernandez’s Mouthwatering Camp Meals

      January 25, 2023

      Gaia GPS

      Monique Song: How a City Girl Became the…

      April 7, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      TrailRecon Explains How to Become an Overlander Overnight

      March 9, 2022

      Adventures

      How to Stay Married on a Long-Distance Adventure

      February 9, 2022

      Adventures

      How to Go From ‘Desk to Glory’ in…

      January 12, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      The Best Advice We Received in 2021

      December 26, 2021

      Gaia GPS

      Gaia GPS’s Best New Overlanding Maps and Features…

      December 23, 2021

  • Adventures
    • User Stories
  • Activities
    • Backcountry Skiing
    • Boating
    • Emergency Response
    • Fishing
    • Offroading
  • New Features
    • Gaia GPS

      Meet Map Packs: A Totally New Way to…

      April 20, 2023

      Gaia GPS

      Book Campsites Right From Gaia GPS

      February 23, 2023

      Gaia GPS

      Our Favorite New Maps and Features

      December 23, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      OpenSnow Weather Now Available at-a-Tap on the Map

      November 9, 2022

      Backcountry Skiing

      Find the Deepest, Lightest Powder with the Snow…

      November 8, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      New Edit Tools: Creating Your Own Routes Just…

      September 1, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      Top 10 Ways to Use Waypoints

      August 30, 2022

  • New Maps
    • Gaia GPS

      See the World More Clearly with New Gaia…

      May 18, 2023

      Gaia GPS

      Gaia Classic: The Only Map You’ll Ever Need?

      May 4, 2023

      Gaia GPS

      Why NatGeo Trails Illustrated are America’s Favorite Maps

      February 9, 2023

      Backcountry Skiing

      New! Find Backcountry Skiing in Gaia Winter Map

      January 11, 2023

      Gaia GPS

      Our Favorite New Maps and Features

      December 23, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      Spy Avalanche Terrain with Higher Res Slope Angle…

      December 14, 2022

      Backcountry Skiing

      Find the Deepest, Lightest Powder with the Snow…

      November 8, 2022

  • Home

Backcountry Navigator vs. Atlogis US Topo Maps Pro

by Andrew Johnson May 16, 2014
by Andrew Johnson May 16, 2014

Here’s a comparison of two popular Android hiking apps – Backcountry Navigator and Atlogis US Topo Maps Pro.

I previously wrote about Gaia GPS vs. BCN, and it’s clear that Atlogis is a distant third. In this case, it comes down to the maps. I could take some fun jabs at the usability and performance of these apps relative to one another, but maps make the rest moot.

I’ll also note that we’d like you to compare Gaia GPS to both apps – we’ll give you a refund if you prefer our competitors, and we’ll give you a free GaiaPro subscription if you write to tell us why you like Gaia GPS better. Email support@gaiagps.com.

BackCountry has Better Topos than Topo Maps Pro

If you are looking for USGS topo maps, then you are much better off using Backcountry Navigator than Atlogis. BCN uses the same USGS topo maps that we do in Gaia GPS – the amazingly clear and updated USGS topos provided by CalTopo. On the other hand, Atlogis seems to have stitched together their own quilt of USGS topo maps – you can tell because of the ugly watermarks they superimpose on what are actually government maps.

Screenshot_2014-05-16-11-03-32

Atlogis maps are also just obviously less clear and inferior – CalTopo renders the images to a higher resolution with a better method.

I can’t help but point out that Gaia GPS is best of all in this respect – not only do we have the clear CalTopo maps, but we let you adjust the hill-shading in the app itself, if you have a GaiaPro add-on. Personally, I prefer to have hill-shading turned off in the field. See for yourself which USGS topo is the best:

Screenshot_2014-05-16-10-19-40

Backcountry vs. Atlogis vs. Gaia GPS

BackCountry has Better Map Selection than Atlogis

It might be that if you are looking for a weather app, Atlogis is what you want. There are a lot of weather layers, and like Gaia GPS, you can animate weather radar in the app and get some forecast info.

But for offline satellite imagery, international maps, and special sources like hunting layers and NOAA nautical charts, Atlogis isn’t going to do it for you.

Conclusion

I think people who buy Atlogis Topo Maps Pro do so for very random reasons, related to marketing and effort to promote the app. BCN is just better, and Gaia GPS is best of all.

Email support@gaiagps.com and let us know what you think.

0
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Andrew Johnson

Andrew founded Gaia GPS. He writes code and manages the business.

previous post
How to Plan a Backpacking Trip
next post
iPhone vs. Garmin GPS

You may also like

Meet Grizzly Bear 399, the Most Famous Bears...

May 19, 2023

See the World More Clearly with New Gaia...

May 18, 2023

Gaia Classic: The Only Map You’ll Ever Need?

May 4, 2023

9 Expert Driving Tips For Your Next Overlanding...

April 20, 2023

Meet Map Packs: A Totally New Way to...

April 20, 2023

Backcountry Discovery Routes Now Integrated with Gaia GPS:...

April 4, 2023

The Secret to Getting Young Urbanites Outdoors? ‘Mappiness’

March 23, 2023

Find Snow-Free Trails with the Snow Depth Map

March 9, 2023

How to Read Topographic Maps

February 24, 2023

Book Campsites Right From Gaia GPS

February 23, 2023

Categories

  • Adventures
  • Android
  • App Comparisons
  • App Updates
  • Backcountry Skiing
  • Boating
  • Company News
  • Emergency Response
  • Featured
  • Fishing
  • Gaia GPS
  • Gaia GPS Offroad Podcast
  • GaiaCloud
  • Hikes
  • How-To
  • Hunting
  • iOS
  • New Features
  • New Maps
  • Newsletter
  • Offroading
  • Out and Back Podcast
  • User Profiles

Recent Posts

  • Meet Grizzly Bear 399, the Most Famous Bears in the World
  • See the World More Clearly with New Gaia Black and White Map
  • Gaia Classic: The Only Map You’ll Ever Need?
  • 9 Expert Driving Tips For Your Next Overlanding Trip
  • Meet Map Packs: A Totally New Way to Map
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • RSS

@2022 - All Right Reserved. Gaia GPS


Back To Top