Field manual · 17/17
Free vs Pro
Tactical GPS is free to install and free to navigate with. Pro is a one-time purchase that lifts the limits and unlocks the analysis, recording and data tools. This is the same comparison the app shows on its own paywall, row for row.
how pro works
Pro is a single non-consumable purchase, not a subscription. Buy it once and it stays on your Apple ID: reinstall the app, move to a new iPhone or restore a backup and it comes back. There is no account to create and nothing to renew.
Restore Purchase
If Pro doesn't come back on its own after a reinstall, open Settings → Info → Upgrade to Pro and tap Restore Purchase. The App Store re-issues the entitlement.
Nothing in the free version expires and there is no trial clock. The free tier
is capped by how much you can save and which tools open — never by how long you have
had the app.
the comparison
| Feature | Free | Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Saved items | ||
| Pins per layer | 3 | ∞ |
| Routes & polylines per layer | 1 | ∞ |
| Polygons, circles & rectangles | ∞ | ∞ |
| Auto-routed trails (hiking, bike, river) | 1 | ✓ |
| Multiple layers | — | ✓ |
| Maps | ||
| Standard, satellite, topo & OSM maps | ✓ | ✓ |
| Hiking, ski, cycling & sea trail maps | — | ✓ |
| Offline map regions | — | ✓ |
| Custom map sources (XYZ, MBTiles) | — | ✓ |
| GeoPackage import | — | ✓ |
| Mountain peaks overlay | — | ✓ |
| Navigation & search | ||
| Compass & direct-line navigation | ✓ | ✓ |
| Car & walking routes | — | ✓ |
| Map-based route navigation | — | ✓ |
| Waypoint stepping & auto-advance | — | ✓ |
| Coordinate & MGRS search | ✓ | ✓ |
| Address search | — | ✓ |
| Terrain tools | ||
| AR View (camera overlay for peaks & pins) | 1 free | ✓ |
| Viewshed radius | 5 km | 20 km |
| Line of sight (verdict & metrics) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Line-of-sight elevation chart | — | ✓ |
| Slope angle shading | — | ✓ |
| Contour lines | — | ✓ |
| Spot elevation | — | ✓ |
| Sea depth (bathymetry) | — | ✓ |
| Range rings, distance & area measure | ✓ | ✓ |
| Route elevation profile | ✓ | ✓ |
| Recording & team | ||
| GPS track recording & sessions | Demo | ✓ |
| Backtrack (compass) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Backtrack (map-based) | — | ✓ |
| TAK server session length | 5 min | ∞ |
| Data & weather | ||
| Import KML, GPX & GeoJSON | ✓ | ✓ |
| Import CSV, Shapefile, IGC, Ozi & LOC | — | ✓ |
| Layer export & share | — | ✓ |
| Route export as GPX | — | ✓ |
| Weather forecast | Today | 10 days |
| Customization | ||
| Basic pin icons & NATO APP-6 symbols | ✓ | ✓ |
| Full pin icon library | — | ✓ |
| Custom pin & overlay colors | — | ✓ |
Pins and routes are counted per layer, not per app — but a second layer is
itself a Pro feature, so the free ceiling is three pins and one route in total.
One auto-routed direction is now free. A free user can generate a single routed
direction per layer — of any profile — to try car, walking or hiking routing before upgrading. A
deleted one still counts, so the allowance can't be refilled by redrawing.
The full route elevation profile is now free — the slope-coloured chart, the
up/down split and the estimated time, not just the start and finish heights. See
Navigation.
Shapes are unlimited on the free tier. Polygons, circles and rectangles
have no cap, which makes range work, area sketches and geofences fully usable for free.
Demo recording replays a prepared sample track so you can see exactly what
the Tracker produces — the statistics, the profiles and the session view — before buying.
also part of pro
The table above is the app's own summary and predates a few features. These are Pro as well:
| Feature | Chapter |
|---|---|
Backup & restore (.tgpsbackup) | Import, Export & Backup |
| iCloud layer sharing with a team | Layers & iCloud Sharing |
| NTRIP correction streams (RTK) | External GNSS & RTK |
| Print Map as a true-scale PDF | Field Tools |
| Position averaging | Field Tools |
| Saving a measurement as an item | Field Tools |
| Elevation & depth points | Pins & Shapes |
| Custom pin icons from your own images | Pins & Shapes |
| Any EPSG projected coordinate system | Coordinates & Position |
| NTv2 & OSTN15 precision datum grids | Coordinates & Position |
| AR navigation to a pin | Navigation & Directions |
| Import DXF, GeoPackage, GeoTIFF, GeoPDF & AlpineQuest | Import, Export & Backup |
| Export KMZ, CSV, DXF, Shapefile & GeoPackage | Import, Export & Backup |
| Map presets | Maps & Overlays |
| Mapbox 3D maps (online) | Maps & Overlays |
| Image overlays & KML ground overlays | Maps & Overlays |
| Erase a colour from a raster layer | Maps & Overlays |
| Track folders & on-map playback | Tracker |
what the free version does well
The free tier is a complete land-navigation instrument, not a demo. Everything below works with no purchase and, once the map tiles are cached, with no signal:
Full-precision MGRS, USNG, UTM, national grid and lat/lon readouts, with the
datum picker, the coordinate converter and grid search.
The grid overlay on every base map, at every density, in your own colours.
Compass and direct-line navigation to any pin, with distance, bearing in your
chosen north reference, back azimuth and elevation difference.
Range rings, distance, area and angle measurement, and line-of-sight verdicts
with the full numeric readout.
Viewshed to 5 km, Sun & Moon for any position and date, and
today's weather.
NATO APP-6 symbols, the basic pin icon set, unlimited shapes and geofences
with approach tones.
Importing KML, KMZ, GPX and GeoJSON — with their folders, tags and attributes —
so a route someone sends you opens whether or not you have bought anything.
The full route elevation profile (slope chart, up/down split, estimated time),
the Measure Cursor, per-pin proximity alerts, on-map vertex editing and item
attributes — all free.
Night vision, all 23 languages, the Apple Watch position screen and the
quick-action chips.
Upgrade from Settings → Info → Upgrade to Pro, or from the panel that
appears when you reach a limit. The paywall's Free vs Pro button shows this same table
inside the app.