Review Insights · App Store
Mapstr - Save & Follow Places
Hulab · 2,443 ratings · ★ 4.7
4.7
★★★★★
2,443 ratings
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Top complaints - extracted from 50 negative reviews
Recurring phrases mined from 1-2★ reviews. The bigger the percentage, the more users have the same problem. Fix the top 2-3 in your version and you have product-market fit on day one.
1
"places"
21 negative reviews mention this · 42% of all complaints
★★★★★ "101 Questions. I just want to mark some places on a map. By the time I answered like 5 questions, I almost forgot what I downloaded this for. Just let me skip and do what I need to do" - ZephaReph
2
"subscription"
16 negative reviews mention this · 32% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Subscription pricing is not worth it. I had been using this app for years, recommending it to friends, and generally loved the features. The one functionality complaint I initially had was that it doesn’t show a dot or even general area of where you are so it is harder to see p…" - gwenifer
3
"been"
14 negative reviews mention this · 28% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Subscription pricing is not worth it. I had been using this app for years, recommending it to friends, and generally loved the features. The one functionality complaint I initially had was that it doesn’t show a dot or even general area of where you are so it is harder to see p…" - gwenifer
4
"years"
11 negative reviews mention this · 22% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Subscription pricing is not worth it. I had been using this app for years, recommending it to friends, and generally loved the features. The one functionality complaint I initially had was that it doesn’t show a dot or even general area of where you are so it is harder to see p…" - gwenifer
5
"free"
11 negative reviews mention this · 22% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Subscription pricing is not worth it. I had been using this app for years, recommending it to friends, and generally loved the features. The one functionality complaint I initially had was that it doesn’t show a dot or even general area of where you are so it is harder to see p…" - gwenifer
6
"user"
11 negative reviews mention this · 22% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Disappointing new charges. This was my go to app from the beginning. I was even given an elite status. I had loved using the app and shared it with many family and friends. I’m in the travel industry and am in contact with many people. Now to find that i am not abl…" - S808s!
7
"mapstr"
11 negative reviews mention this · 22% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Long Time User Leaving. Recommended this app to many friends, now switching over all my saved places to another app. Far too many similar options out there to justify paying (year after year) for this. I would happily see adds to avoid paying a subscription. Just …" - nyc12312
8
"users"
8 negative reviews mention this · 16% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Disappointing new charges. This was my go to app from the beginning. I was even given an elite status. I had loved using the app and shared it with many family and friends. I’m in the travel industry and am in contact with many people. Now to find that i am not abl…" - S808s!
9
"love"
8 negative reviews mention this · 16% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Subscription pricing is not worth it. I had been using this app for years, recommending it to friends, and generally loved the features. The one functionality complaint I initially had was that it doesn’t show a dot or even general area of where you are so it is harder to see p…" - gwenifer
10
"maps"
7 negative reviews mention this · 14% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Subscription pricing is not worth it. I had been using this app for years, recommending it to friends, and generally loved the features. The one functionality complaint I initially had was that it doesn’t show a dot or even general area of where you are so it is harder to see p…" - gwenifer
11
"paying"
7 negative reviews mention this · 14% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Disappointing new charges. This was my go to app from the beginning. I was even given an elite status. I had loved using the app and shared it with many family and friends. I’m in the travel industry and am in contact with many people. Now to find that i am not abl…" - S808s!
12
"year"
7 negative reviews mention this · 14% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Subscription pricing is not worth it. I had been using this app for years, recommending it to friends, and generally loved the features. The one functionality complaint I initially had was that it doesn’t show a dot or even general area of where you are so it is harder to see p…" - gwenifer
📋 All 50 negative reviews
Every 1-2★ review we fetched. Use the copy button to grab them all for your own analysis (paste into ChatGPT/Claude with a prompt like "summarize core user problems, group by theme, ignore bugs, focus on missing features").
Not working on iPad
Map is tiny! And smaller than if on an iphone
This is silly and un usable
This is silly and un usable
Subscription pricing is not worth it
I had been using this app for years, recommending it to friends, and generally loved the features. The one functionality complaint I initially had was that it doesn’t show a dot or even general area of where you are so it is harder to see proximity to your pins. But I understand it’s not a maps app so fair. Now, with being charged a subscription to add pins over 300, I will switch back to Google Maps and saving pins in my lists there. I understand that this is a product and needs to be profitable, but a subscription model is so disappointing. If there was a one time payment, I would do that in a heartbeat and I would be willing to pay a decent amount if it was a one-time fee. But with subscriptions these days, there is no guarantee that the model won’t change or prices will be hiked in the future. So while I can easily afford the current pricing, I don’t want to risk losing my pins when the payment models change and I can no longer justify a monthly/yearly charge for an app when there are free alternatives available.
TLDR: I’d be willing to pay for this app, but not in its current subscription form.
TLDR: I’d be willing to pay for this app, but not in its current subscription form.
Sold with subscription, unusable
At one point was one of my favorite apps, I understand why they had to go subscription based but the constant huge add that blocks the screen constantly to buy their paid version is really annoying and makes it very difficult to use the app I wish you were able to just click it once and it goes away forever
101 Questions
I just want to mark some places on a map. By the time I answered like 5 questions, I almost forgot what I downloaded this for. Just let me skip and do what I need to do
Was free now huge charge
I used to enjoy using this app to log where I’d eaten and visited but now there is a charge that is huge for an app of this function. It’s now unusable to me without the subscription.
Disappointing new charges
This was my go to app from the beginning. I was even given an elite status. I had loved using the app and shared it with many family and friends. I’m in the travel industry and am in contact with many people.
Now to find that i am not able to add any more pins (i have 300) without paying a rather steep price to access, use and add more pinned spots seems sad. There was no soft launch that I am aware of nor was there warning given to the users who had been using this app from the beginning (was there no grandfather option) is really a slap in the face.
This was great but it is by no means a necessity like a music streaming app. It’s an app you use while traveling. For this reason i cannot do a subscription pricing. This developer definitely is doing a money grab. Why couldn’t we just pay a flat rate and be grandfathered in? This is not even a monthly use app. Just for travel.
I recommend AVOID USING until a more reasonable pricing option materializes. $12 per month which is that the developer was asking was clearly not going to happen so it appears he has brought it down lower…still not realizing that an app that is not needed for daily use is a hard sell at an recurring price. I’ve heard Pin Drop is great and will be switching over.
Now to find that i am not able to add any more pins (i have 300) without paying a rather steep price to access, use and add more pinned spots seems sad. There was no soft launch that I am aware of nor was there warning given to the users who had been using this app from the beginning (was there no grandfather option) is really a slap in the face.
This was great but it is by no means a necessity like a music streaming app. It’s an app you use while traveling. For this reason i cannot do a subscription pricing. This developer definitely is doing a money grab. Why couldn’t we just pay a flat rate and be grandfathered in? This is not even a monthly use app. Just for travel.
I recommend AVOID USING until a more reasonable pricing option materializes. $12 per month which is that the developer was asking was clearly not going to happen so it appears he has brought it down lower…still not realizing that an app that is not needed for daily use is a hard sell at an recurring price. I’ve heard Pin Drop is great and will be switching over.
Long Time User Leaving
Recommended this app to many friends, now switching over all my saved places to another app. Far too many similar options out there to justify paying (year after year) for this. I would happily see adds to avoid paying a subscription. Just not worth it IMO- this app was good, but not groundbreaking. Seems like many others feel similarly about the sudden subscription/premium structure.
MY RESPONSE FOLLOWING COMPANY REPLY:
~$60 per year with your current “discount” x 15 years of use
= nearly $1000 over the years.
… and if you ever stop paying and being chained to the Mapstr subscription… boom! All those payments for nothing ✨
In the bigger pictures, it’s way more than the “few dollars” you keep pushing on customers to repeatedly shell over.
….all to just mark down where you’ve been over the years… please!! I’d like to think I spend my money as little wiser than that.
The cost structure, inability to “buy out” a premium account with a one time fee (I’d consider staying if so), and unprofessional replies are very telling about the management style at your company. A rug pull of a sudden paywall is offensive to your long-time customers. That’s business 101.
I fear you’ll lose many others soon if major operational and managerial changes are not corrected. Hope you can fix them soon. I didn’t want to leave the app but am afraid I’ll have no choice.
MY RESPONSE FOLLOWING COMPANY REPLY:
~$60 per year with your current “discount” x 15 years of use
= nearly $1000 over the years.
… and if you ever stop paying and being chained to the Mapstr subscription… boom! All those payments for nothing ✨
In the bigger pictures, it’s way more than the “few dollars” you keep pushing on customers to repeatedly shell over.
….all to just mark down where you’ve been over the years… please!! I’d like to think I spend my money as little wiser than that.
The cost structure, inability to “buy out” a premium account with a one time fee (I’d consider staying if so), and unprofessional replies are very telling about the management style at your company. A rug pull of a sudden paywall is offensive to your long-time customers. That’s business 101.
I fear you’ll lose many others soon if major operational and managerial changes are not corrected. Hope you can fix them soon. I didn’t want to leave the app but am afraid I’ll have no choice.
Another Lost User
I’m a long time user of this app and have really enjoyed it over the time I’ve been using it. It’s met my needs and I’ve enjoyed the features.
Along with many other users who have recently reviewed this app, I am frustrating that this once free app is now a subscription app.
While I can understand the need to monetize the app, in my opinion the subscription fee far outweighs the value of the app. It’s comical to read the developer responses trying to justify the fee. I look forward to getting a good laugh out of the response I get.
I hate to walk away from the app, but I will no longer be using the app. I wish the people behind the app the best of luck, but I fear this business decision will doom the future of the app.
Along with many other users who have recently reviewed this app, I am frustrating that this once free app is now a subscription app.
While I can understand the need to monetize the app, in my opinion the subscription fee far outweighs the value of the app. It’s comical to read the developer responses trying to justify the fee. I look forward to getting a good laugh out of the response I get.
I hate to walk away from the app, but I will no longer be using the app. I wish the people behind the app the best of luck, but I fear this business decision will doom the future of the app.
Sad decision to overcharge
Long time user and thought it was great. I appreciate the long run, but I can’t imagine how with thousands of customers the company couldn’t prosper with a reasonable yearly fee-or even better a one time purchase price (like software programs used to be and most purchases still are). I expect customers will vote with their feet and this will be the end for Mapstr unless a drastic change is made to their subscription model.
Now they charge to add information like date visited
Was great until they started charging to add basic information . App deleted. What a turn off
Disappointing Limitations Placed on Free Version
I’ve been using this wonderful app for multiple years now as a hub for all those screenshotted locations from reels or TikTok’s that I wanted to eventually visit. It’s an immense bummer that the app is now requiring monthly payment to continue growing my location collection, especially when the platform was advertised originally as being unlimited for free. I’ve recommended this app to soooo many people, but now will have to rescind those recommendations due to this new payment structure.
paywall
i loved this app and used it to log recommendations but the paywall ruined the functionality of the app, and is insanely expensive?! i prefer to support small businesses or in this case a less well known app, but i’ve moved to apple maps. insanely disappointing.
New Paywall Deters Users
I loved this app and have found it super helpful for keeping track of restaurants and all the places I want to try! However, the new paywall caps places at 300 which is absolutely ridiculous. You have to pay $80 in order to have unlimited saves, which you used to have automatically! Would change review to 5 stars if this paywall feature was removed
New Price Hike
I have used and loved this app for years. My family and myself have loved logging all the places we visit. However, they have now decided to charge an outrageous subscription fee to use what was once free. Sad to see it go, but I’ll just use my notes app to keep track of places.
So disappointed.
I’ve been using this app for well over a year, almost daily. It was wonderful for travel and sharing with friends. The new subscription model is an absolute deal-breaker. $140 is INSANE for what is offered. I’m so disappointed to be deleting this app. Shame.
Dissapointes
Was one of my favorite apps but now they’ve adopted a subscription payment model at a ridiculous price. Really would love to stay if they can make it cheaper or provide alternatives. If not, will have to find another app.
How to Destroy an App 101
Greedy, greedy, greedy developers. Loyal user of this app for years, when suddenly they charge an insane $80 a year fee to continue using it. Incredibly brain dead decision from all involved, I genuinely can’t believe it made it past the ideation stage. There are certainly better options to raise money instead of killing off 95% of your user base. I hope all these 1 star reviews make you realize just how stupid this decision was.
New Subscriptions - Limited Saves
I really enjoyed this app when I first got it for saving and labeling different places I’d love to visit… until today. I open the app, and am greeted by some ridiculous video of some guy letting users know how excited they are about introducing a new paid membership for “additional perks”. The perks of course being simply USING the app as it was originally intended. I am now unable to add any more locations to my map without paying 80 DOLLARS a year for mapstr plus. How stupid. Now that Google Maps has updated their saved locations feature and labeling options, I’ll have to transition back. It’s very disheartening that the creators of this app seriously think their product is worth 80$ a year when they haven’t even added anything substantial in the past year or so that I’ve had it. If you want to save more than 300 locations on your map (trust me, it adds up very quickly), then don’t waste your time downloading this app unless you’re willing to pay 80$ a year for it. I plan on doing some hunting to see if I can find a similar app that hasn’t completely sold out like this app unfortunately has.
Bait & Switch
I used to LOVE this app. I was one of the first users of it (over 1,000 pins) and helped spread the word to help them grow. Now, they're asking me to pay $59 (discounted from $79) up front to keep adding places to my map. Why isn't there a monthly subscription option? Why is the fee so high? Way too pricey for what you get and with no monthly subscription available- too much cost upfront. Guess it's time to find another app.
Over the top pricing
I use this app regularly, I would refer all my friends to it. Now with the new pricing, I will no longer be using this. What they are charging for something that I can essentially save on other maps, the extra features that this provides does not justify the price. I’m not sure how they expect to grow their users now, I will be leaving and moving over my shared locations to a different platform. It looks like they have an intro video now to explain the pricing changes, but the video doesn’t even play and just glitches the whole time. Poor rollout, user lost.
Charging for more places?
I’ve been using this app for years to save places and they’ve never charged a penny. All of a sudden I log in today and they want me to pay to have more than 300? I am pretty sure I have over 300 in NYC alone. This is so dumb and such a bad customer service move. Shame on you.
Once was a great app
Will be migrating addresses over to another application. $140 per year is highway robbery. Shame
So Disappointed. Mapstr is Dead.
Today Mapstr has died. Love the app and have been using it for years, but putting a cap on amount of addresses unless you have a premium subscription AND also making it insanely expensive is a crime. Ruined the whole aspect that everyone love about the app: it’s inclusivity. I’m super disappointed, just can’t use the app anymore. Really sad to see
No!! They ruined it!!
I’ve used and loved Mapstr for years saving restaurants and parks for roadtrips and memories. After the update they put a limit of 300 places for free….i already have close to 500… which means I can no longer add new places until I pay $150 PER YEAR subscription. In this economy, who’s able to spend an extra $150 on an app that’s been free for a decade??? I guess this is good bye mapstr.
Crazy expensive monthly subscription
Can’t log more than 300 places anymore. I loveeed this app and would've totally paid a one time fee to use their premium version, but I will not be paying $20 / month. Will no longer be using the app at all, my notes app will be just as easy! <3
Outrageous Pricing
I’ve been a loyal user for 10+ years. I have nearly 3,000 places saved on my map. Now I have to pay $20 a month if I want to continue using the app (free version only allows 300 saves). Kick rocks!
Charging $12 a month for more than 300 places
This app used to be one of my favorite apps, but now greed has empowered them to unfortunately charge a ridiculous amount to keep more than 300 places on your map. As a long time user I am very upset with this change and it’s a disgrace to go this route to try to monetize. I will be leaving.
Not paying $12 a month…
Going from a free app to an app that costs $12 a month (and that’s for the annual subscription; otherwise $19) seems excessive. I’ll soon reach 300 places so the free version won’t work for me. I’m going back to google maps to save my favorites places. Considering there are other options out there I wonder if you didn’t go too strong too quickly with your update. I hope your users will enjoy the new AI feature, but as far as I’m concerned I just want an app to save and share my spots. Why don’t you have an intermediate pricing, like one without the AI or a cheaper plan that doesn’t unlock all your new features? I’m sorry to leave.
WHAT
Are you kidding me?? Storing over 300 places requires you to pay now.. I had a map of 2000 places and now I can’t even access it to export the information if I wanted. I never leave reviews but this absolutely crushed me. No joke my map was my pride and joy and now I can’t even look at it. This used to be my favorite app and I told everyone about mapstr but putting everything behind a paywall (and with no notice!) was the worst decision ever. I’m crying.
Functionality gone with new paid version
The reason I downloaded the app was because Google maps caps lists and Mapstr claimed to not restrict list size. I was willing to overlook bugs and issues in Mapstr that other map apps didn’t have because it advertised itself as having no limit but now they have added a free version with a very low cap of 300 places. The subscription is also ridiculously expensive for a map app which they claim to be less than a coffee per month but is way above that claimed amount. If they are putting features behind a subscription paywall it would be better to do it in a tiered manner because most of the new functions they are advertising aren’t parts of the app I would use. I will be switching to a different app if they don’t reformat the pay structure. I’m really disappointed that they have taken such a big pivot from what the app advertised itself to be in a money grab
Newest update restricts all free accounts to 300 saved places or less
I used to absolutely love this app, but now that they’ve introduced a paid option it’s become completely unusable for me. I can no longer add new places of interest without paying for their new premium option. Extremely disappointed and will be deleting the app soon once I can export my data somehow.
Long Time User
Ok the latest update took me from being mapster’s biggest fan to abandoning the app altogether. I understand the need to monetize the app but I think it could be done in a different way (though sponsored locations that pop up when you search or sponsored posts on the feed) that doesn’t take away from the core function of the app. I have almost 3000 places saved as of now so there is no way the 300 maximum limit would work for me. Paying $100+ a year is way too much to ask when there are free alternatives that don’t put a limit on the number of places you can save.
I can’t sign up
I downloaded the app but it won’t let me sign up/create a new account. I can’t click anything on the screen. I’ve even tried deleting the app and reinstalling it but that didn’t work.
Terrible
Terrible user experience. Couldn’t navigate back to the Home Screen after signing up. Lost me 2 minutes ✌🏻
Randomly deletes places I save
At first I thought I was imagining things, but I tested it with a few specific restaurants and monitored whether or not they disappeared over time. A bunch of my restaurants are gone from my map, which defeats the entire purpose of the app. switching to Beli.
I found it confusing to decline entering my phone number
I found the interface very confusing when I tried to skip entering my phone number. After a bad review and multiple developer follow ups, I finally found how to skip it. I still think it should be more clear. Update: My one star review is because of the interface regarding entering my phone number which I found to be confusing. The screen has a blue circle with a white phone at the top and a big empty field which says “What’s your phone number?” and way down at the bottom of the screen it says “Show My Friends” This interface is bad because in the previous screens I was asked for my preferences, and I was asked to share my contacts, which I declined. These screens had a very helpful “Later” button which gave me a clear way to skip. But this last screen that asks for phone number did NOT have a “Later” button. So it switched interface paradigms near the end of the process after setting up my expectation that I could skip with a “Later” button. So I assumed if I tapped “Show My Friends” it would tell me the phone number field was required. I am the user. I found it confusing. I am entitled to give a one star review for an app that I found hard to use. If I could give it ZERO stars, I would. I might reconsider if they make the screen more clear and add a “Later” or a “Skip” button to that phone number screen. Otherwise, my review is one star and I gave it because in my opinion the interface of the app was confusing to me when I wanted to skip entering my phone number. Also, since I did not share my contacts or enter my phone number, it makes no sense to have a button labeled “Show My Friends.” My intention was to use this app as a way to bookmark cool places I have been. Nothing to do with friends. Which again, think about how confusing the interface is: I did not share contacts or enter a number, and now the only button I was given was “Show My Friends.” It makes no sense. Especially as a new user, I am expecting a “Show the Map” button or something like that. As I said: I found this interface to be confusing.
Bad App
I absolutely love the idea of this app, I’ve had it for awhile but every time I try to open it I have to “reconnect” it to my Facebook account and 75% of the time it just won’t reconnect and I can’t pull up my maps.
So many bugs that need to be fixed that have been occurring over the last 5+ months.
So many bugs that need to be fixed that have been occurring over the last 5+ months.
Cool idea but keeps crashing
No matter what I do it won’t let me get past the sign up or sign in process, it asks me if I want to follow a list of people and then it starts to load the map and then crashes. I have not been able to use the app.
Creating an account isn’t for you, its so they can track you.
Another app that forces you to create an account so they can get your email or facebook info, as well as your travel wants and history. All I want to do is make sense of the hundreds of places Ive been. Simple. An account should be a choice.
Used to work great but now crashes when opening the app
Crashes when opening the app
Account Erased
Please explain why my account that I have used for years, was erased.
This app was amazing but slows down your phone
The map and places tracking tool is way better than any other app out there now for simplicity and ease of use.
EXCEPT. That no matter what I do, restart, update software, delete, redownload, it always slows down all apps on my phone. Not just this app, its not only warping time in its own world, but it slows down everything on my entire phone until I close it several times.
These bugs are going to ruin it for me! So disappointed, I even emailed about it and never got a response.
EXCEPT. That no matter what I do, restart, update software, delete, redownload, it always slows down all apps on my phone. Not just this app, its not only warping time in its own world, but it slows down everything on my entire phone until I close it several times.
These bugs are going to ruin it for me! So disappointed, I even emailed about it and never got a response.
Getting worse
The app was great a few years ago. The entrepreneur needs a new hobby/ business. Mapstr fundamentally was a great idea and scalable. Then it tried to become a social media (costly).
New pricing model a deal breaker
I’ve enjoyed this app for a long time, and I would love to pay a reasonable price for the developers to continue evolving it, but the price that they are now requiring for users with more than 300 locations is absurd. The monthly fee they’re asking should be a one time cost to use the app indefinitely.
Loyal User, Now Disappointed.
Location limit? Now you’re forced to get premium service? Mapstr WHY you used to be such a good app. So disappointing. Just do ads instead if you need money.
Doesn’t work
It asks me what city I am in, so I type it, London, and it doesn’t work (no results). So I type several cities in America, still nothing. I type in Dubai, Tokyo, Rome, Paris and more and still “no results.” It’s sad because this looks like a good app
Great concept but glitchy
The app logs me off and tries to get me to establish a new account every time I open it. No one has the time for that, no matter how useful a new app may be and even if they love the concept…
Wish they wouldn’t sell your data
The app is nice itself, just wish they didn’t sell your data. Now I get random creepy emails from the CEO of this app asking me to verify my email address over and over again and junk emails addressed to my burner handle (which I created especially for this app), so I know it was them who sold it to the scammers. So annoying.
Ux train wreck
Good luck mapstr
2 out of 7 places I added have wrong info
Just got the app and the first place I added shows the correct address on the listing, but shows up in the wrong place (a few miles away) in the map. I added a couple more that seemed to be accurate. But by the 7th one, the opposite error, is shows up in the right place on the map, but has the wrong address (completely different state this time) and even name of the restaurant wrong.
Seems like a cool idea for an app, but I haven’t even added 10 things yet and I’ve already run into two big errors with their database. I reported the errors to Mapstr through their app, so we’ll see if they get fixed, but that many problems right off the bat doesn’t bode well.
Seems like a cool idea for an app, but I haven’t even added 10 things yet and I’ve already run into two big errors with their database. I reported the errors to Mapstr through their app, so we’ll see if they get fixed, but that many problems right off the bat doesn’t bode well.
Sentiment summary
95%
Positive (4-5★)
2%
Neutral (3★)
4%
Negative (1-2★)