Pros and cons? Need to get one or the other wanted to hear from folks that got em

No experience with Basemap, but love OnX. Have used it TONS this year.

things I like:
- full computer web app
- mobile app for phone
- they share data, do a waypoint, or plot a path on the computer, and it synchs to the phone
- Phone needs cell service to work, but you can download maps in 5 or 10 mile squares, it pulls it down, including waypoints, area boundaries etc. YOu can go "off line" and uses those downloaded maps
- Has a "track" feature, which helps go way point to way point as well as keep you going "straight"
- You can drop waypoints etc when off line, they then synch when you get a connection again
- Has lot's of layers including game area boundaries, public/private, walk in areas, links to F&G for details, burn areas, trails both ATV and foot only

Lots of good info

I'm sold on On-X. I really like the desktop version -- makes it easy to customize and save maps. I also really like the off-line mode on the cell phone app . I get the premium version b/c I typically hunt in 2+ states per year.

Is there any way to view the on x satellite maps in any mode other than looking straight down. I like google earth for the 3D mode. OnX actually has better sat images though. (Mountain tops not snowed in)

Another OnX fan here, don't feel the need to go elsewhere.

OnX here buddy. It’s been a great tool for me as a DIY’er in places I can’t visit all year round.

My wife got me a new GPS last year with the OnX card, and I have used the hell out of it since. Damn handy. I haven't used it to it's full extent, or even close, didn't put it on my phone or anything. But simply having the property lines and owners and the roads on there is really helpful around here at least.

I have both and will be letting BaseMap expire.

BaseMap does have higher resolution maps and “3D” imaging but the 3D is worthless IMO.

For me, OnX is easier to navigate and I like the ease of toggling between aerial and topo.

Copy that’s what I’m lookin for. Thanks

onX let's you try it for a week free. I use the offline mode a bunch.

No, only aerial, topo or hybrid.

Yep. I'm a big fan of OnX.
I wish applying waypoint symbols was easier and used applied logic to most frequently used but holy smokes, that's really picking knits.

I’m with you on that. Wish you could add colors without having to edit.

We’re never happy.

We are indeed a very clamorous bunch.

I dont have any hunting apps, but a fellow showed me Huntstand app, on his phone today and it was nice. FWIW, Outdoor Life rates it higher than onX or BaseMap.

https://www.outdoorlife.com/tested-best-hunting-apps-for-hunters/

OnX for me as well.

I've used alot of the apps and software. OnX is closest to what I need. I still really like to Go To feature of the Garmin GPS products. Much better than the OnX version.

Jud, haven't we been through this? If I had feelings they would be hurt.

Jud,
On-X here...Figured you’d been running this for years how you hunt.

Kept me outta trouble a few times in territory with property lines not well marked.

😎

One thing I wish OnX would do but it won't - save offline maps to an SD card. I don't have enough room for all the maps I'd like to have.

My wife and I like to go 4 wheeling in our Razor. We have a Samsung tablet with Android that's much better than a phone for finding trails. I never could get my huntX chip to work on it but I switched to the phone version this year. Once I got the account, I can open it on any Android device and download the maps. Just install the OnX app on each device. For this kind of use, I download the 100 mile maps as I don't need the detail of the smaller ones.

Going to commit the 24 Hr sin here and offer another suggestion...GAIA. Have used both it and onX for a while, really like onX but find I am using Gaia more and more. Lots of features and keep adding map new overlays that are easy to turn on and off. Not limited on number of states you buy into. Able to save waypoints, routes etc in your account and use in your handheld unit or computer. Share tracks, waypoints etc via text or email. I am on the local search and rescue team and Gaia has become our go to program. $40 a year for all the bells and whistles.

Razz, I have both Gaia and onX. Gaia is better except for the fact it doesn't have ownership boundaries. Ownership boundaries is a must, but I won't be getting rid of Gaia.

Have been looking at GAIA and it looks interesting.

Have you found the private boundaries and ownership to be accurate?

Looks like ct’ answered my question while I was typing.

I don't know about Gaia, but OnX has a disclaimer for private boundaries. They get their info from county and state maps. Some counties don't have accurate records online showing the latest owners or accurate boundaries. OnX is only as good as the info available and in some areas, that's not great.

Property boundaries is a big plus Bama!!

OnX has been real accurate and up to date on ownership in NM.

Except for Catron county.

I've pondered this one too so no offense taken.

CT and others. Gaia does have private land boundaries in the premium package ($40 yr). I have nott seen it to differ when I compared with Onx while in the field.

Potential OnX problem but easy fix:

When I first got OnX this summer, I opened the desktop map and had a problem. The map wouldn't go to satellite and the topo was incomplete. Not everything showed. I messed with it for quite a while and finally called OnX support. They immediately knew the problem. They had me to to the layers, then Hunt, and then to Forest Visitors Map. It was turned on. They told me to to turn it off. The layer wasn't working right and hosed the whole map. Once it was turned off, all was well. I don't know if this is a problem for all states but it is for Idaho.
I don't see that layer on my phone, only on desktop.

Cool. I'll have to check that out. I've had it loaded for years. Boundaries were not available when I first got it and haven't followed back up.

Does Gaia have hunting specific program boundaries such as block management/walk in areas?

Does it have the Desktop feature that allows you do all the scouting and marking waypoints on the desktop and sync it with the phone app? I'm actually doing this right now.

Both of these are a must for me also.

Thanks for the info.

Looks like Gaia is worth a try, thanks for the info.

The local wardens I’ve spoke with are accepting boundaries/tracks per OnX vs posted signs/fences in most cases. Will have to ask about Gaia.

One thing I've noticed with OnX is that the tracks don't always exactly follow the trails I've hiked. They can be as much as 10 yds off from what I can see using the satellite photos. Normally 10 yds is no big deal. If I can't find my way within 10 yds I'd better stay home. However, if I had to use an inaccurate waypoint to mark a dead elk in heavy cover it might be a different story.

Using my Garmin Montana with a HuntX chip for geocaching, I've found it accurate within 3'. I haven't yet used my phone and the Garmin side by side to check for the the phone's GPS accuracy.

This is a guess, but that may just be differences in the mapping data...not necessarily an error on OnX's part.
The satellite photos may have been mapped using NAD 83 and the OnX maps may have been developed using WGS 84, or vice versa. Likewise your GPS/phone settings may be set to one or the other, where the map or overhead photos you're looking at was developed using different data.

It likely doesn't matter much as you mentioned, but I have had this issue finding small cadastral survey markers that have been overgrown with brush.

10yards is well within the margin of error of most handheld GPS units as well. But, if it's consistently offset it might very well be a difference in datums.

True as well. Individual, mass sold units are not as accurate they are often touted to be. Throw cloud cover and other atmospherics or terrain into the mix, and a 10 yard margin of error is pretty common I'd think.

I've used very sensitive and high dollar equipment at work that is supposed to be sub-meter accurate, and had "inaccuracy" due to the datum issues.

pointer- don't get me started, I don't have it in me anymore.

Very interesting thread.

Have been using onX for three years now, on a Garmin GPS since I still don't own a smartphone (though just "upgraded" to a 4g flip-phone, since my 10-year-old TracFone would expire on January 1).

Like onX a lot, since it fits into my semi-geezerhood style of hunting, finding pockets of public land that aren't too damn far up in the mountains--and which almost all other hunters avoid, for whatever reason. The yearly $30 update also shows Montana Block Management areas, which are becoming more numerous. In fact got all our big game on BM this year. The only anomalies we've noticed are where private property fencelines are often a few hundred yards where they're supposed to be--which have so far been due to optimistic landowners.

But am interested in gaia, and would like to hear more about it.

It was clear and sunny this afternoon. I took a 3 mile hike along a canal bank. I turned on OnX before I left just to see how my tracks compared coming and going. Going, it followed the canal bank road very well. Coming back, following the same path, for a few hundred yards it showed me in the canal about 10 yds away.

What device was that on?

My Motorola phone. I don't know if it's the gps in the phone or what. It's not serious but it's not quite right, either.

Cool thread.

Cool thread.

Have you tried it in airplane mode so it's only using the phone's GPSr?

I've had it airplane but not today. There are times when I want the gps but want the phone service, too.

Don’t think Gaia has the block management info or walk in access stuff but I really have not looked for that. It does allow for accessing your account and info from a computer. You can build in waypoints, routes etc from your smart phone or computer. If you are going to be off the grid you need to download mapping areas ahead of time, which is fairly easy. I have our entire county plus overlaps around it saved in my phone. When we went up to Glacier NP this summer I added the entire park without issue. I find that OnX boots up a little slower at times, not a big issue. Not bashing OnX at all, just finding that I am using Gaia more and more. No matter which one you use, invest in a small battery pack that plugs into your phone. They are cheap and are the size of 2 Bic lighters. Some phones the battery goes wonky as they age, others are fine. I have not had any issues with battery life while out on missions or while we were up in Glacier, have gone a few days without recharging and not needed the spare battery. Put my phone in airplane mode and at times the power save function in Gaia.

I want ONX and I wanted to get a new phone. I hunt in a lot of places that dont have cell service, so I wanted to use off line GPS mode. I was planning on a Iphone XR with 64G, but naturally I can get 128G if I needed it.

I use the IPhone XS Max 256GB. Works awesome. I download a pile of maps and use it in multiple states. Using it in Airplane mode with the extra charger/case gives me a ton of flexibility. Very happy with OnX on my phone.

I ordered the 128G XR. I used 11G on my 256G Iphone 7, so without maps, I use very little memory.

OnX is a great tool for planning and situational awareness while hunting. It’s not a true navigation tool though. At least not in the sense of what you’d find with a Garmin. I don’t typically need a nav tool and OnX provides all the information I need. OnX did add a bearing and range to waypoint tool so it’s starting to incorporate nav tools.

Been playing with GAIA Premium. It does has BLM and other public land. Many more features than onX which also means its not as user friendly. But I'm really, really, liking it.

Ya liking it better than onx huh Bama?

I'm thinking Gaia if you are more tech savvy, all the features can be cumbersome (its not that bad once you figure out all the layers). For someone who hasn't used GPS much onX is much more user friendly. Another way of saying, Jud, you would throw your phone in the creek after screwing with Gaia.

😂😂😂

Many of these programs are higher tech than I can even pretend to need. Most of the layers I'll never look at. I just need something to get me there and back and to keep track of where I left that cussed dead elk in the dark last night.

I went Onx. So far so good.

Map nerd!! Just don't end up in the canal...

If you have a gps with a HuntX chip...

Periodically it needs to be updated as land ownership and boundaries change. Sometimes trails and roads are updated. An update costs $30 for a year. It just happens to also give you the phone program so now you have both.

Starting to play with BaseMap. So far I think it does everything I do with OnX, at a fraction the price. $23.99 for the year (Kifaru discount).

Well, yeah, strictly speaking $23.99 is a "fraction" of the $30 I pay to update onX each year--but as far as I can determine, does not provide the Block Management updates I need.

Does BaseMap does provide that?

I was paying $99/yr for OnX. Basemap includes all states for $24/yr. I’d call that a fraction!

Edit: because I was originally doing it by one state, and then switched to premium (or whatever it’s called), I was paying a lot more. I should have paid closer attention to what the actual subscriptions were. They are all cancelled now. Not a slam on OnX, I actually like their product.

For me onX seems to work amazingly well everywhere but in the woods.
Slow to bring up the info and seems to eat my battery even on airplane mode. I don't understand that, but it's not my imagination. As such I only spot use it, turn it on, check my location and turn it off. Even just doing that I get about half a day at most.

The property line info doesn't show when I'm using my off grid maps (for whatever reason, maybe I'm doing something wrong, I dunno), in which case is it's no better than the other free apps I already have on my phone.

Their 'by signing up you automatically agree to automatic renewals" thing really turned me off as well. This year may be my last year.

It's possible the problem is your phone, not OnX.

I am not overwhelmed with Basemap on my iPhone. It could be my lack of tech skills, but I did not find it to be user friendly at all. Can't comment on the others as I've not used them yet.

I had this happen to me once this year. Luckily I had my 66i as well due to being close to private.

Once I got back to service I deleted the app and reloaded and all the layers were back.

Eta; I had the layers then lost them.

I use Onx.....no complaints but would be nice to see in 3D.

OnX here also

I loaded the ONX on the new phone. I have been using it for a couple weeks and I like it better than my GPS. For me the bigger screen size on the new phone is essential to get the most out of the maps.

OnX for me. I only carry my GPS for sweat worthy tense navigational concerns.

Got lost in the fog one morning & just sat down on a rock until it lifted. I was within 50 yards of my destination. But, in a fog I had no idea which way to go and I certainly did not want to spend the night out there.

Back in the days before GPS, my dad took his small boat out fishing off Port Angeles, WA. After a while a pea soup fog rolled in and he couldn't see the length of the boat. Being an old navy man, he'd taken a compass reading when he left the dock. He set his compass on the seat beside him and followed it back. He hit shore within 100 yds of the dock.