What is MAPS (MAPS) Crypto Coin? The Truth Behind the Mapping Token


MAPS Staking & Liquidity Calculator

The MAPS (MAPS) crypto coin isn’t another Bitcoin or Ethereum. It doesn’t power a global network or have millions of daily transactions. Instead, it’s tied to a single app - MAPS.ME - an offline map tool used by over 100 million people. That sounds promising, right? But here’s the catch: MAPS is barely used inside the app it’s supposed to serve.

Launched in May 2021, MAPS was meant to be the fuel for a decentralized travel economy. You’d use it to book hostels, tip local guides, earn rewards for exploring, or vote on map updates. The idea was simple: turn your offline maps into a blockchain-powered travel platform. But four years later, most users have no idea the token exists. If you’ve used MAPS.ME to find a hidden café in Prague or navigate rural roads in Thailand, you’ve probably never touched the MAPS coin. And that’s the core problem.

What Is MAPS (MAPS) Actually Used For?

MAPS is an ERC-20, SPL, and NRG token - meaning it runs on Ethereum, Solana, and Energi blockchains. That’s unusual. Most tokens stick to one chain. MAPS jumps between them, making it harder to use. You need different wallets for each network. If you’re using MetaMask, you’re on Ethereum. If you’re on Solana, you need Phantom or Sollet. Confusing? Yes. That’s one reason adoption is low.

The official use cases sound good on paper:

  • Staking for rewards (3.5%-5.2% APY)
  • Accessing premium map features
  • Paying for travel services in partner businesses
  • Voting on community map updates

But in practice? Only staking works reliably. The rest? Barely functional. A 2023 APK teardown of MAPS.ME version 10.3.3 showed zero mention of cryptocurrency features. No wallet integration. No payment buttons. No reward notifications. The token is there - but invisible to users.

Supply, Price, and Market Chaos

The numbers around MAPS are messy. Different sites report wildly different values.

On CoinGecko, the circulating supply is 75 million. On CoinMarketCap, it’s 45.5 million. Total supply? 9.99 billion across all sources. That’s a huge gap. Why does it matter? Because inflated supply numbers can make a token look cheaper than it is - or hide massive inflation.

Price? It’s crashed hard. After hitting $2.06 in May 2021, it’s now between $0.002 and $0.013. That’s a 99% drop. Market cap? It swings between $100,000 and $840,000 depending on which site you check. Compare that to FOAM ($24M) or XYO ($45M), two other location-based tokens. MAPS is a ghost in the market.

Trading volume? Often under $100 per day. Some days, it’s $0. That means if you own 50,000 MAPS tokens, you might wait days to sell them - and even then, you’ll get a terrible price. One user on CoinMarketCap wrote: “Tried to sell 50k MAPS and the order took 3 days to fill at terrible prices.” That’s not investing. That’s gambling with no exit.

Who Owns MAPS? And Why Does It Matter?

Only about 3,940 wallets hold MAPS tokens. That’s tiny. Even worse - the top 10 wallets control 63.2% of the total supply. That’s extreme centralization. In crypto, decentralization is supposed to be the point. If 10 people own two-thirds of a token, they can pump and dump it anytime. There’s no real community power here - just a few big holders.

And who are they? No one knows. The MAPS.ME team never disclosed major wallet addresses. No transparency. That’s a red flag. Legit projects publish their treasury wallets. MAPS doesn’t. That makes it hard to trust what’s happening behind the scenes.

A dusty roadmap with empty promises hangs on a wall as a team sleeps, in nostalgic cartoon style.

Why Hasn’t MAPS.ME Used the Token?

This is the biggest mystery. MAPS.ME has over 140 million downloads. It’s ranked #3 globally for offline maps, behind Google and Apple. It’s popular in Europe, Asia, and Latin America. If they wanted to, they could onboard millions of users to MAPS overnight.

But they haven’t.

Users on Reddit say it plainly: “I’ve used MAPS.ME for years and never even knew they had a token until recently - it’s completely disconnected from the app experience.” Trustpilot reviews? 4.2/5 stars. Zero mention of crypto. The app works great as a map. The token? A forgotten afterthought.

The roadmap promised “decentralized travel booking by Q4 2022.” That deadline passed. No update. No explanation. The last official roadmap update was in early 2022. Since then? Radio silence.

The Risks of Holding MAPS

Holding MAPS is risky - not because it’s a scam, but because it’s dead weight.

  • Liquidity risk: You can’t easily buy or sell. Exchanges are small. Bitforex, Hotbit - not Binance or Coinbase.
  • Utility risk: No real use inside the app. No merchants accept it.
  • Regulatory risk: The EU’s MiCA rules (effective 2024) require clear token disclosures. MAPS doesn’t meet them.
  • Reputation risk: Experts like Nathaniel Whaley of The Defiant call it “tokenomics disconnected from actual usage.”

Even the most optimistic analysts admit: MAPS needs a 10x jump in trading volume to survive. That’s not happening. The project has no marketing push. No new features. No partnerships. It’s stuck in 2021.

A cartoon wallet drags a huge sack of MAPS tokens through a barren digital wasteland.

Should You Buy MAPS?

Only if you’re okay with losing your money.

If you’re looking for a long-term investment? Skip it. The token has no growth engine. No team updates. No user adoption. The only reason it still has value is because a few speculators are holding on, hoping for a bull market bounce.

If you’re a MAPS.ME user and want to try staking? Fine. Stake 1,000 MAPS and earn 4% a year. But don’t expect to use it for anything else. And don’t invest more than you’re willing to lose.

The truth? MAPS is a relic of the 2021 crypto boom - a project that raised hype with a big user base but never delivered on its promise. It’s not dead yet. But it’s on life support.

What’s Next for MAPS?

There are two paths ahead:

  1. Revival: MAPS.ME integrates the token into core features - like paying for premium maps, unlocking offline guides, or tipping local contributors. They launch a campaign to teach 100 million users how to use it. Suddenly, demand spikes. Liquidity returns. The price recovers.
  2. Decline: Nothing changes. Trading volume keeps dropping. Exchanges delist it. Wallets stop supporting it. The token becomes a footnote in crypto history.

Right now, path #2 is winning. The app hasn’t changed. The team hasn’t spoken. The token is fading.

If you’re holding MAPS, check your wallet. If you’re thinking of buying, ask yourself: why? Not because it’s cheap. Not because it’s “undervalued.” But because you believe in its future. And right now, that future looks empty.

Is MAPS coin a good investment?

No, not as a serious investment. MAPS has extremely low liquidity, no real utility inside its own app, and minimal community growth. Its price is driven by speculation, not demand. Only risk-tolerant traders with a short-term outlook should consider it - and even then, only with money they can afford to lose.

Can I use MAPS to book travel or pay for services?

Almost never. Despite claims on the project’s website, no major travel platforms, hotels, or local businesses accept MAPS tokens. The few merchants listed on their site are outdated or inactive. The only reliable use is staking through the MAPS.ME app for small rewards.

Why does MAPS have different supply numbers on different sites?

Because the project doesn’t provide clear, verified data. CoinGecko, CoinMarketCap, and Coinpaprika all pull data from different blockchain explorers and exchanges. Some include locked tokens. Others don’t. The team hasn’t published a transparent token distribution report. This inconsistency raises red flags about accountability.

Is MAPS available on Binance or Coinbase?

No. MAPS is not listed on Binance, Coinbase, Kraken, or any other major exchange. It’s only available on small, low-volume platforms like Bitforex, Hotbit, and Bitget. This makes it hard to buy, sell, or trade safely.

How do I stake MAPS tokens?

You can stake MAPS through the official MAPS.ME app. You need at least 1,000 tokens, and rewards range from 3.5% to 5.2% APY. The process is simple: open the app, go to the wallet section, select “Stake,” and confirm. Rewards are paid weekly. But remember - staking doesn’t mean you’re using the token for anything else. It’s just a way to earn passive income on a nearly useless asset.

What happened to the MAPS.ME roadmap?

The last roadmap update was in Q1 2022. It promised decentralized travel booking by Q4 2022. That never happened. Since then, the team has stopped sharing updates. No blog posts. No Telegram announcements. No developer progress reports. The roadmap is effectively abandoned.

Final Thoughts

MAPS was supposed to be the bridge between offline maps and blockchain. Instead, it became a cautionary tale. A big user base doesn’t mean success. A big idea doesn’t mean execution. Without real integration, a crypto token is just a digital collectible with no value beyond speculation.

If you’re using MAPS.ME for travel, keep using it. It’s still one of the best offline maps out there. But leave the token behind. Don’t buy it. Don’t stake it. Don’t wait for it to come back. It’s not coming back - unless the team does something radically different. And they haven’t shown any signs of doing that.