10 Best Google Maps Alternatives in 2022

Google Maps is a consumer application and web mapping platform developed by Google. Satellite imagery, aerial photos, street maps, 360° interactive panoramic views of streets (Street View), real-time traffic conditions, and route planning for walking, driving, biking, flying (in beta), and taking public transportation are all available. Google Maps was utilized by over 1 billion people each month throughout the world by 2020

Google Maps began as a C++ desktop program developed by brothers Lars and Jens Rasmussen at Where 2 Technologies. In October 2004, the company was acquired by Google, which converted it into a web application. After additional acquisitions of a geospatial data visualization company and a real-time traffic analyzer, Google Maps was launched in February 2005. The service’s front end utilizes JavaScript, XML, and Ajax. Google Maps offers an API that allows maps to be embedded on third-party websites and offers a locator for businesses and other organizations in numerous countries around the world.

Pros:

• Directions that tell estimated fuel cost
• Tool integrated to find hotels and make reservations.
• A single button tool to explore gas stations, grocery stores, coffee shops, eateries, and hotels

Cons:

• Annoying ads that block the map’s view
• Lesser accuracy of the routes in comparison to Google maps, and they don’t frequently update either.

10 of the Best Google Maps Alternatives in 2022

Google Maps is the most widely used navigation and mapping app on Android and the web.

Millions of individuals have successfully used it to locate destinations, verify distances, and locate other important landmarks. With Google Maps, you can find directions easily and avoid getting lost. It also provides live updates on traffic, translates the information into foreign languages, and allows you to switch to incognito mode.

1. Bing Maps:

Bing Maps is one of Google Maps’ most direct competitors. It has a clean and ad-free user experience that is simple to use. All navigation, sharing, and traffic controls are located at the top of the interface.

All of Bing Maps’ navigation, sharing, and traffic controls are located at the top of the screen. You may add destinations along routes, print the map, and use it during your trip, and it has similar functionality to Google Maps.

Streetside, aerial, and road layers, as well as driving, pedestrian, and transit maps, are all available on Bing Maps. Bing tends to pick different routes from Google, and when you compare them, Google usually comes out on top when it comes to journey planning. But if you’re looking for neat extra features, like 3D views and OS maps, as well as its own comprehensive answer to Street View, then Bing’s worth a pop.

2. MAPS.ME:

The MAPS.ME mapping service is a mobile-based application that you can use to navigate locations offline.

The app doesn’t use up much of your phone storage. The best part of this app is that you can download maps and use them offline.

MAPS.ME is a beautiful offline app for travel. It offers walking directions, road and off-road routes, hiking trails, bicycle tracks, footpaths, and the route names for all the maps downloaded.

3. Here WeGo:

It is a mobile app and web-based, with a simple, clean interface. Some of its unique features include multiple route options like taxi, transit, or car-sharing routes.

It specializes in different forms of transport, including subway, metro, bus, train, ferry, bike, and trolley. This app is quite reliable; it helps you plan your road trip with detailed information on where to park and much more.

Here WeGo offers current route conditions using different information, like police reports, cameras, Twitter feeds, construction sites, speed cameras, and other data to keep you informed and provide a faster route if required. Its offline maps support is also amazing, with the ability to archive a whole continent and get step-by-step navigation even while offline.

4. OsmAnd:

OsmAnd Maps offers map styles such as OsmAnd, touring view, lightRS, uniRS, nautical, and ‘winder and ski’ styles for different user needs. But, you’ll have to download map data for specific locations that require a bit more space than Google Maps. Therefore, you will have to consider investing in the premium version, as the free one includes only seven free map downloads.

OsmAnd does not use any mobile data and works entirely off the grid, while Google Maps requires data while using it.

The maps in OsmAnd are highly detailed in comparison with Google Maps. You will see walking paths, icons for business types, and even the direction of river flow.

5. Waze:

Waze is quite helpful for road information such as police roadblocks, ongoing construction works, accidents, and many other alerts.

Waze is better in providing warnings about crashes and speed traps in real-time and re-routes for you whenever this happens. Google will flag traffic or speed traps, but the difference with Waze is that it won’t re-route for you.

This app will suit you most if you are a music lover because Waze can integrate with your mobile music apps, something Google Maps can’t.

Waze is a community-driven map service that is fast to navigate and very intuitive. Its highly interactive system, which lets you warn other drivers of changes in traffic, speed cams, hazards, and so on on the roads, proved so popular that Google bought the company in 2013. It’s telling that eight years on, Waze continues to exist as a separate entity from Google Maps.

6. Sygic Maps:

An ultimate tool for every traveler. Sygic Maps combines detailed worldwide travel maps with information from in-house editors, Wikipedia, and other sources.

This app has voice-guided turn-by-turn navigation that comes in different languages. It supports offline maps, pedestrian navigation, 3D orientation, lane guidance, alternative routes, and junction views.

Sygic Maps also has car audio integration and drag and drop route editing. You’ll always get alerts on police traps, fixed speed cameras, and speed limits.

7. MapQuest:

MapQuest is a web and mobile-based navigational and mapping tool. It works the same way as Google.

MapQuest can recognize your location using your IP address or phone GPS. It provides accurate route directions and other information regarding distance, traffic levels, and estimated fuel costs.

The zoom controls feature traffic/satellite views and share/print buttons that make navigation a breeze.

MapQuest also features the “Route Planner” tool that allows you to input waypoints and change a route.

Google Maps and MapQuest feature standard and satellite street map views, and both provide comparable coverage across Canada, the United States, and Europe. But if you’re looking for broader coverage for other parts of the world, Google offers that, but MapQuest doesn’t.

8. Navmii:

Navmii combines FREE voice-guided navigation, live traffic information, local search, points of interest, and driver scores. Offline maps are stored locally for use without an internet connection. Over 24 million drivers use Navmii, and our maps are available for more than 150 countries. Navmii is another popular mapping and navigation app you can use on your iOS, Android, or Windows mobile device. It is one of the apps with more innovative features than Google Maps.

Navmii provides up-to-date reports about accidents and construction sites. It also provides additional integrated information on apps, such as TripAdvisor. Google Maps does not have apps that provide extra information.

If you’re sick of the old interface found on Google Maps, you may like the cartoon aesthetic on Navmii that features cartoon icons on the screen that shows your location and other users’ locations.

9. Citymapper:

Citymapper is a public transit app and mapping service which displays transport options, usually with live timing, between any two locations in a supported city. It integrates data for all urban modes of transport, including walking, cycling, and driving, in addition to public transport.

The app keeps an up-to-date database of all public transit routes in its supported cities, showing prices and alerts and letting you keep a list of your favorite locations to travel to. Citymapper is more narrow in its scope than Google Maps but does its sole job better than any app out there. Namely, it’s a public transport app showing you how to get around many of the world’s top cities using a bus, tram, subway, and other forms of public transit.

10. Rand McNally:

Rand McNally is a highly spoken name in the mapping world. For years, the brand has published traditional map books that you can carry with you while on transit.
But due to technological advancements and the need for mobile-friendly navigational apps, the company decided to develop an online maps app.
The navigation app is simple to use, with features that support many functions. It is designed for professional truck drivers. Rand McNally offers technology and other business tools that connect to the driving platform. It has a simple interface and is free to use.

Conclusion: