SW Maps
An app that records points, lines and plots of land on a map.
What SW Maps does
SW Maps is a free GIS app for iPhone and Android. You walk the land and record points, lines and areas with your own fields, photos and notes, then export them as KMZ, shapefiles, GeoJSON or spreadsheets. It can connect to high-accuracy RTK GPS receivers for survey-style work.
SW Maps is a field data collector. It's free and has no ads, yet it handles a lot of serious GIS work, which makes it a good fit for students, field crews and landowners mapping their own ground.
You set up layers with your own fields (text, numbers, dropdowns, checklists, photos, audio or video), then capture points, lines, polygons and GPS tracks as you move. You can bring in your own map layers, like shapefiles, KML, MBTiles, geospatial PDFs or web map services, and cache them for offline use. That means if your county shares a parcel layer, you can load it and see it here. It also measures distance and area and exports to KMZ, shapefile, GeoJSON, GeoPackage, CSV and spreadsheet formats.
Phone GPS on its own can be off by several meters. SW Maps can connect to an external RTK receiver over Bluetooth or USB for much better accuracy. Even then, an app map is not a legal survey. Only a licensed surveyor can set official boundaries.
Alternatives to SW Maps
Who it's for
Skip it if: Anyone who wants property lines and owners without any setup.
Pricing
Free planSW Maps is free. Google Play says it has no ads, and the App Store description doesn't list any subscriptions.
Prices can vary by country. Checked 19 Oct 2026.
What people like
- Free with no ads
- Handles serious GIS formats
- Works with high-accuracy GPS receivers
- Strong install base on Android
Watch out for
- No built-in parcel or owner data
- Takes some GIS know-how to set up
- Few ratings on the App Store so far
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Questions people ask
Is SW Maps free?
Yes. It's free, and its Google Play listing says there are no ads.
Can SW Maps show property lines?
Only if you load a layer that has them, like a parcel shapefile or web map service. It doesn't include parcel data of its own.
Can I use SW Maps for surveying?
It supports RTK GPS receivers for high-accuracy data collection, but an app is not a legal survey. Official boundaries need a licensed surveyor.