Vetus Maps for iPhone

App overview: Vetus Maps for iPhone

Vetus Maps, created by Andrey Fetisov, is a no-cost travel and navigation application for iPhone designed to bring historical cartography into modern fieldwork. The app displays a library of antique maps and allows users to align those historical images with contemporary map layers — for example, satellite, hybrid, and terrain views — so that old place names and forgotten settlements can be located in today’s landscape.

Primary capabilities

• Find places by name or coordinates using the app’s search tools.
• Record and save GPS tracks while you explore, creating a log of your route.
• Add custom pins on the map quickly by long-pressing the desired spot.
• Download maps from the in-app catalog for later use without a connection.
• Modify the opacity of historical map overlays to compare old and new features.

Map types, offline use, and overlays

Ancient maps can be overlaid onto modern basemaps to show how terrain and settlements have changed. Historical maps in the catalog are available for offline use once downloaded; however, live satellite imagery and other online basemaps require an internet connection to load.

Who benefits from Vetus Maps

Local historians, field archaeologists, toponymy researchers, and antique-map collectors will find this app particularly useful. Old maps often contain place names and landmarks that have disappeared from current topographic charts, and Vetus Maps helps translate that legacy information into practical navigation for on-the-ground investigations.

Subscription, pricing and account rules

• Annual premium subscription: €14.99, billed through your iTunes account after you confirm the purchase.
• Subscribers can freely download the entire map collection for offline access and may import maps from external sources, including Dropbox and other third-party providers.
• The subscription renews automatically each year unless you disable auto‑renew at least 24 hours before the renewal date.
• No refunds will be issued once the yearly subscription fee has been charged.
• Any unused portion of a free trial is forfeited when you subscribe.

To manage or cancel the subscription, use your Apple ID account settings in the App Store.

Practical notes and battery considerations

• Place markers by long-pressing on the map surface.
• Leaving continuous GPS tracking active (especially in the background) can substantially shorten your device’s battery life.

Alternative suggestion

If you need a different utility related to travel or ticketing, consider Trainman — a free app for train bookings and PNR enquiries that some users prefer for rail travel planning.