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Organic Maps

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Organic Maps
Developer(s)Organic Maps OÜ
Initial release2021
Stable release
2025.05.18-2[1] Edit this on Wikidata / 18 May 2025; 6 days ago (18 May 2025)
RepositoryGitHub
Written inC++ (Core), Java (Android), Objective-C, Swift (iOS)
Operating systemAndroid, iOS, macOS,[2] Linux
PredecessorMaps.me
LicenseApache License 2.0
Websiteorganicmaps.app

Organic Maps is a free and open-source, offline navigation app that uses map data from OpenStreetMap. The application is designed to function without internet connectivity by downloading maps for offline use. Organic Maps emphasizes privacy, as it does not track user locations or collect personal data.[3][4][5][6]

Features

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Privacy

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Organic Maps prioritizes user privacy by not collecting personal data or tracking user locations.[4][7]

Offline maps

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Organic Maps functions entirely offline by allowing users to download maps in advance. Once maps are downloaded, navigation, search, and route planning do not require an internet connection. The app offers offline maps of the world, including cycling routes, hiking trails, walking paths, contour lines, elevation profiles, peaks, and slopes.[8][9]

Low battery consumption

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The app is designed to optimize battery usage during navigation.[3]

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Organic Maps provides navigation for various activities, including hiking, biking, driving, and public transport. It supports turn-by-turn navigation with voice guidance and allows users to search for information on the map and add bookmarks.[3]

OpenStreetMap data

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Organic Maps integrates with the OpenStreetMap project, utilizing its crowdsourced map data. The app includes an in-app editor that allows users to contribute updates to the map, such as businesses and landmarks.[10][6]

History

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Organic Maps was founded as a fork of Maps.me app in December 2020.

The app Maps.me was initially launched in 2011 as MapsWithMe, later renamed Maps.me and open-sourced in 2015. On 20 December 2020, the then-owner of Maps.me app released a new version that was not based on the code published on GitHub, which resulted in backlash from the community. One of the users published a call to fork Maps.me and rebuild the community around it,[11] and on 27 December a hackathon was organised to bootstrap the new project based on a previous fork that was used to publish the app on F-Droid[12][13]. The original authors of Maps.me have also joined the project, having by then registered the new domain name, OrganicMaps.app. The project adopted a set of guidelines and policies and focused on privacy, performance and community. The first public release of Organic Maps was made available in the app stores in June 2021.[14]

In April 2025, members of the Organic Maps community raised concerns regarding project governance, transparency, and the discrepancy between the project being portrayed as community-driven while shareholders considering the sale of the project for personal profit. These issues were outlined in an open letter addressed to the project's shareholders.[15] The lack of a satisfactory resolution between the shareholders and the community contributors led a group of contributors to establish a separate, independent project known as CoMaps.[16]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Release 2025.05.18-2-android · organicmaps/organicmaps". Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  2. ^ "Organic Maps Offline Hike Bike". App Store. 2024-04-03. Retrieved 2024-04-10. Requires macOS 11.0 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later.
  3. ^ a b c "Organic Maps: Offline Hike, Bike, Trails and Navigation". organicmaps.app. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
  4. ^ a b "Exodus Privacy Project report about Organic Maps". Exodus Privacy. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  5. ^ "Organic Maps : une alternative à Google Maps gratuite et sans publicité". Geeko (in French). Retrieved 2022-01-19.
  6. ^ a b "Organic Maps - OpenStreetMap Wiki". wiki.openstreetmap.org. GitHub. 28 May 2021. Retrieved 2023-09-21.
  7. ^ Popa, Bogdan (2021-08-11). "New Google Maps Alternative Promises Zero Ads, No Tracking". autoevolution. Retrieved 2021-12-10.
  8. ^ "I tried using the open source map application 'Organic Maps' that can be used outside the service area for free and without ads". GIGAZINE. 26 June 2021. Retrieved 2022-01-19.
  9. ^ "10 Offline Navigation Apps to Use When You are Lost or No Network". 16 September 2022.
  10. ^ "Organic Maps F.A.Q." organicmaps.app. Retrieved 2024-10-05.
  11. ^ Ondřej Sojka (2020-12-20). "MAPS.ME is gone. We must bring it back". Retrieved 2025-05-04.
  12. ^ "Bootstrap". 2020-12-28.
  13. ^ "Organic Maps Turns 4: The Privacy-Focused Alternative to Google Maps". 2024-12-20.
  14. ^ "Google Play Store - Organic Maps". Retrieved 2024-10-05.
  15. ^ "Open Letter to Organic Maps Shareholders". OpenLetter.earth. 2025. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
  16. ^ "AlternativeTo - Organic Maps contributors fork project as concerns over governance and transparency grow".
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