Offline trip planner for Android: what still works with no signal

For offline trip planning on Android you usually need two things: an offline map to find your way, such as a downloaded Google Maps area, and a planner that keeps your saved places on the phone. This page shows what each tool says it keeps offline, read from official pages on 4 November 2026.

Disclosure: I built NomadSwipe, an Android trip planner, and I wrote this page. Every claim about another product comes from that product's own help, store or marketing page (see Sources). Where those pages were silent or disagreed, the page says so, and silence does not mean a feature is missing.

What works offline on Android, tool by tool

Two jobs get mixed up under "offline". A map download lets you see streets and navigate with no signal. A saved plan lets you see your own list of places with no signal. Some tools do one, a few do both, and the catches differ.

Google Maps as an offline trip planner

This is the most common route, and it works for the map half. Open the place, swipe right on the place sheet and tap More, then Download offline map. Google's help page says to do it while connected to the internet and signed in, and that you can store maps on the phone or on an SD card.

The limits matter for a trip. Offline, only driving navigation works, and only when the whole route is inside the area you downloaded. Walking directions, which are what most city trips use, are not available offline. Downloaded maps expire, and when one has 15 days or less left and your phone is on Wi-Fi, Google Maps tries to update it. The help page I read describes the offline area, not the lists you save places to, so do not assume your lists are readable with no signal. Test that in airplane mode. To plan the stops themselves, see how to plan a trip on a map.

Wanderlog offline: is it paid-only?

For people searching for a Wanderlog alternative that works offline on Android, the honest answer is that Wanderlog's own pages point in different directions. Its FAQ answers "Can I access my trip plan offline?" with yes, because the app keeps your trip plan. Its Google Play listing has a section saying plans are stored offline, and a bullet saying "Access your trip plans offline (Pro)". A Wanderlog blog post from October 2024 says offline map access is part of its premium offering and that premium features start at $40 per year.

I could not load a current pricing page for Wanderlog, so I cannot tell you today's price or exactly what the free plan keeps. Treat the $40 figure as a 2024 number. Before you rely on it, open your trip in airplane mode. If a different mix of features matters more than offline, the Wanderlog alternatives page compares the options.

Mapstr, Organic Maps and OsmAnd

Mapstr is a personal map of saved addresses with tags. Its Google Play listing has a section titled "Access all your places offline", and says you can check your map even if you are completely offline. That covers your saved places, which is the planner half. The Mapstr alternatives page has the rest of the comparison.

Organic Maps and OsmAnd sit on the other side: they are offline map and navigation apps first. Organic Maps says on Google Play that it works 100% offline, including search and navigation, and the app is described as free and ad-free. OsmAnd's site describes offline maps per country or region, offline routing, Favorites and no ads, even in its free version. Neither page describes a trip or day-by-day view, so they pair with a planner rather than replace one. I did not install either app, so what you see on screen may differ from the store text.

Where NomadSwipe fits, and where it does not

I built NomadSwipe to turn a city into a shortlist of real places: you swipe cards, keep the ones you like and see them pinned on a trip map. For offline use, the Play listing says up to 20 saved trips are available offline after you open them online. In plain terms, your shortlist is still there with no signal for up to 20 saved trips. Offline copies expire, so open a trip online again to refresh it.

Two limits to plan around. First, I am not claiming offline maps, so for navigation in a city with no signal, download a map area in Google Maps, Organic Maps or OsmAnd as well. Second, it is Android only today, and iPhone is coming soon. The plan without payment has 3 trips, 2 searched places saved to a trip a month and 2 custom pins a month, plus a daily limit on saves. Premium, Monthly or Lifetime and bought in the app, removes those limits. For the wider comparison, see the best trip planner apps in 2026, and for how the swipe idea works see swipe travel apps compared.

Before you fly: the offline checklist

1. Download a map area for each city. In Google Maps, search the city, swipe right on the place sheet, tap More, then Download offline map. Do it on Wi-Fi while signed in. If a country does not allow downloads, use Organic Maps or OsmAnd instead.
2. Check expiry dates. Google says downloaded maps expire and need updating. Open your list of offline maps the day before you leave and refresh anything marked expired or expiring.
3. Open every trip in your planner while online. In NomadSwipe, a trip becomes available offline after you open it online, and up to 20 saved trips are available offline. Do the same in Wanderlog or Mapstr, whichever you use.
4. Switch on airplane mode and test. Open the map, your trip list and one place. If something is blank, fix it while you still have Wi-Fi.
5. Write down the essentials. Keep the hotel address, a booking reference and one emergency number in a note or screenshot that opens without a connection.
6. Plan for walking separately. Google Maps will not give walking directions offline, so pick your day's stops from the map beforehand. The itinerary template gives you a one-page day sheet to print or save.
7. Treat opening hours as a hint. A saved copy can be out of date, so check hours for the places you cannot miss the day before you go.

Questions about offline trip planners on Android

What is the best offline trip planner for Android?

It is usually two tools. Use an offline map for navigating, such as a downloaded Google Maps area, Organic Maps or OsmAnd, and a planner that keeps your saved places on the phone, such as Wanderlog, Mapstr or NomadSwipe. Wanderlog's own pages describe both offline plans and offline maps, but they disagree on whether that needs the paid plan.

Does Google Maps work as a trip planner offline?

Partly. You can download an area on Android and use it with no signal. Driving directions work if the whole route is inside the area, but transit, bicycling and walking directions are unavailable offline. The lists help page I read does not say saved lists work offline.

Is Wanderlog offline only on the paid plan?

The official pages disagree, so check in the app before you fly. Wanderlog's FAQ says the app keeps your trip plan for offline use, its Google Play listing also says plans are stored offline but labels offline access as Pro, and a 2024 Wanderlog blog post says offline maps are part of Premium.

Does Mapstr work offline?

Its Google Play listing says you can check your map even when you are completely offline. The pages I read do not say whether that depends on a plan.

Does NomadSwipe work offline?

Up to 20 saved trips are available offline after you open them online. Offline copies expire, so open a trip online again to refresh it. I do not claim offline maps: the listing does not describe them.

Is NomadSwipe available on iPhone?

Not yet. NomadSwipe is Android only today, on Google Play. iPhone is coming soon.

Findings

These findings come from reading official help, store and marketing pages for six tools on 4 November 2026, plus the NomadSwipe Play listing text. The method was to record, for each tool, only what its own pages said about offline use, its limits and its cost, and to mark silence as silence. The sample is small and is text only: I did not test any app in airplane mode, so treat this as a snapshot of claims, not a benchmark.

• Of the six tools, two (Organic Maps and OsmAnd) describe themselves as offline map and navigation apps first, and three (Wanderlog, Mapstr and NomadSwipe) describe a plan or saved places kept on the phone.
• Google Maps' help page says transit, bicycling and walking directions are unavailable offline, which matters because most city trips are on foot.
• Wanderlog's three official sources disagree on whether offline use needs Pro, so it was the only tool where the page could not give a clear answer.
• NomadSwipe's listing describes saved trips on the phone, not downloaded maps, so it needs a map app beside it for navigation.

Sources

• Google Maps Help, download areas and navigate offline (Android): support.google.com/maps/answer/6291838
• Google Maps Help, create a list of places: support.google.com/maps/answer/7280933
• Wanderlog FAQ: wanderlog.com/blog/faq
• Wanderlog blog, travel plans accessible offline (October 2024): wanderlog.com/blog/2024/10/15/how-to-ensure-your-travel-plans-are-accessible-offline
• Wanderlog on Google Play: play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.wanderlog.android
• Mapstr on Google Play: play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.hulab.mapstr
• Mapstr Plus FAQ: mapstr.com/mapstore/fr/article/notion_12186274-f197-808b-9cec-dbc30725de78
• Organic Maps on Google Play: play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=app.organicmaps and organicmaps.app
• OsmAnd: osmand.net
• NomadSwipe facts: the public Google Play listing of NomadSwipe: Trip Planner, checked 2 November 2026.

More on choosing a planner: what replaced Google Trips, how to find things to do in a new city and all comparisons.