Subscription Improvements
Individual Accounts
We are revamping our individual subscription tiers beginning January 1st, 2021. Don’t panic – all existing users will be grandfathered in their existing tier unless they want to switch. We want to give the community a heads up and explain the reasoning behind for our decision making. Team accounts will be unaffected by these changes.
CalTopo’s subscription plans predate the app by a few years, and with the app now well-evolved, we decided it’s time to revisit them. Our goals are 1) provide a mobile-focused pricing level, 2) re-align several features with particularly high support costs, and 3) simplify the levels by focusing on feature availability rather than units like maximum PDF size.
The biggest change is that our basic level will be replaced by a new mobile-focused subscription, at the same price of $20/year. Google Earth integration and larger PDFs are moving to pro subscriptions, but in exchange you get full-resolution offline downloads of all non-premium layers, including satellite imagery.
Another major change is that all “live” satellite imagery including GOES and MODIS will become pro-only alongside Sentinel. We launched the GOES layer in a hurry during fire season, and since then it’s become clear that the layer will require significant ongoing processing costs that make it unsustainable to offer for free.
On the flip side, higher-resolution elevation profiles will become a free feature. CalTopo elevation profiles are currently limited to 300 points for free users, which leads to understating the gain/loss on long routes. With the rollout of a global elevation dataset, we no longer need to rely on third party elevation data, and will be removing this limit and providing more accurate elevation profiles to all users.
Revised plans:
Mobile ($20/year):
- Unlimited private maps
- Offline layers
Pro ($50/year):
- Premium layers (currently parcel data + live satellite)
- Improved printing (larger and higher resolution PDFs)
- Map layers in Google Earth
- Import Geospatial PDF map sheets
- Export MBTiles files
- Export elevation profiles
Desktop ($100/year):
- Desktop app
- WMS / WMTS tile access
- Import MapBox tilesets
- 8′ briefing maps
- Custom MapBuilder Layers
First Responders
Many first responders don’t realize that the first responder accounts are currently slightly different. Moving forward we will be doing away with the different first responder levels. We will continue to offer a robust free upgrade for verified first responders as well as a 50% discount on pro and desktop subscriptions. Our team account offerings remain unchanged.
Free first responder accounts will include:
- Private maps
- Improved printing
- CalTopo map layers in Google Earth
- Import Geospatial PDF map sheets
- MapBuilder Topo offline downloads in the app
Does a “mobile” account allow you to use a desktop and browser-based functionality?
It would be good to have a comparison between the existing levels (especially Basic) and the new levels.
Are there features in the new “Desktop” account that aren’t available in the “Legacy Pro” account?
Absolutely, we included larger PDF sizes (up to 8ft), and as always a desktop application for offline use
Shame to see the Custom Map Builder layers transition to the Desktop account. This was a great “nice-to-have” accessible with the Legacy Pro subscription and I can’t really justify paying more than double the old subscription price to regain it. I wouldn’t think this would be a “high maintenance” feature since it’s just controlling which layers are applied from MapBuilder. I hope it gets relocated to the Pro subscription.
Unfortunately we are no longer able to offer those custom MapBuilder layers in our pro offering. We have to balance our feature set with the ongoing cost of maintenance and code complexity.
So as long as I remain on the legacy pro acct I can keep my custom layers? I am with Travis, I want this to remain with pro as I use it for identifying suspect aspects for BC skiing (ex, I have layers for N, NE, E, SE, S, etc…), but can’t justify 2x to go to desktop. What reason would I have for ‘upgrading’ to the standard pro acct vs remaining on the legacy pro acct?
I think this product is amazing and am a strong supporter of it among my friends. Really hate to see this one feature taken away from pro subscribers. Or maybe you could add aspect layers as a feature for BC skiers to use with the slope layer!! With those two layers and standard tree line shading on topo maps, I have the info I need to plan a safe BC tour.
One last thing, as Jordan requested…is there a comparison between legacy pro and pro subscriptions?
Thanks!!
You’re welcome to remain on your legacy account as long as you want. As we continue to add new features to the application they will not be included in legacy subscriptions levels, but your current subscription will remain unchanged.
As described on the post this shift was to realign features into the areas where they were used. Mobile has gained several layers that can be downloaded for offline use as compared to the old basic accounts. Pro is focused on users who may use the app, but also use the website heavily with larger printed PDFs and high DPI. Desktop is focused on power users with features such as WMS/WMTS, a standalone application, and several other fairly niche features.
Hi Ben. Thanks for the info. So I am still curious, is there a way for me to see aspect shading if I upgrade my Pro acct? I hate to lose the ability to easily see aspects in combo with slope, but I also don’t want to start missing out on new features. This is the ONLY thing causing me to hesitate upgrading my legacy subscription.
Thanks!!
Custom layers including custom shading are parts of the desktop subscription. You’re welcome to keep your current subscription as long as you’d like but as I reference we are adding additional functionality that won’t be part of legacy accounts. Head to caltopo.com/join to see all the current subscription levels and features.
If I upgrade to desktop for my computer, does that allow me to continue to use the app on my mobile devices at a pro level or would that require a separate subscription?
Thanks!
Paul
All our subscriptions include the features of the less expensive tiers. So you retain all the mobile and pro features as well as the additional desktop features.
Hello Ben! Is possible to apply for a free/discounted account for users from other countrys? I’m a Map and Compass Instructor (volunteer. no paid) in a SAR NGO from Argentina. Thank you in advance, Best regards! Pablo Cappa (Bahía Blanca, Argentina).
Feel free to e-mail our help team and we can work with you! help@caltopo.com
I`ll do. Thank you very much, Ben!
What subscription levels include google maps (satellite imagery especially)? I only see reference to Google Earth.
Access to Google layers is not a feature of the software and is not listed as a feature. Unfortunately, Google has changed pricing significantly with very little notice in the past and we’re not able to guarantee continued access to those layers. As of today pro users and above are able to view those layers on the web only, but that access may change or be removed at any time and potentially with no notice. If you opt to subscribe to the software we highly encourage users to find subscription with features that most suit their use case.
What is the storage limit for PDFs that do not expire for the different plans. Does the Mobile plan allow you to generate PDFs that will not expire, and if so is there a cap on the number you can have?
Users with pro, desktop, or team accounts have the option to set PDFs to not expire. Currently there is no hard limit on the number of PDFs you can have that will not expire.