Google Maps alternatives you'll wish you tried sooner

Key Takeaways

Apple Maps is a reliable alternative to Google Maps, with unique features for undecided travelers.
Waze offers fun features like personalized voice navigation, calendar integration, and in-app music.
Mapquest delivers credibility and dependability for straightforward navigation.

When talking about the best and most trusted navigation apps on the market today, it’s safe to say that Googlecertainly has a healthy share of the market. However, for one reason or another, some smartphone users might not want to be boxed into a corner and are looking for an alternative to Google Maps.

The good news is that there are a couple of applications that can offer the same kind of ease of use and updating that people are used to finding in Google Maps. The once unchallenged ruler of this category is no longer the juggernaut it once was. If you’re ready to move on from Google Maps and try something else, here are a couple of options to consider.

6 AI features in Google Maps I’m currently obsessed with

Now, Google Maps feels like Google Search — and that’s a game-changer.

1 Apple Maps

The obvious alternative for some

Apple Maps

Apple Maps is Apple’s own navigation app.

Apple Maps is a bit of a no-brainer when you’re looking for alternatives to Google Maps, with one big caveat. While Apple would obviously rather you use their mapping software over Google’s on their devices, you can’t use it unless you’ve got an iPhone, iPad, or Mac.

Apple Maps got a bit of a bad rap when it was relatively new because it tended to send people to the wrong location. To the Cupertino company’s credit, it has worked hard to fix those kinds of errors, and it’s safe to say that direction-wise, it’s as dependable as Google.

Where Apple sets itself apart might be, ironically enough, if you’re not sure where you want to go.

Where Apple sets itself apart might be, ironically enough, if you’re not sure where you want to go. The app includes a function that allows you to find things to do if you find yourself in an unfamiliar city. Just click on the search maps function, and there will be some guides to check out if you’re still trying to plan your day.

How often does Google Maps update Street View?

Can’t wait for your renovated house to show up on Google Street View? Here’s what you need to know about how the feature gets updated.

2 Waze

Have a little fun on your drive

Waze is one of those mapping apps that, for some reason, still feels like it’s a bit under the radar. That’s not from a lack of trying.

Waze

Waze is a subsidiary company of Google that provides satellite navigation.

Regarding the sheer features offered in a navigation app, Waze really takes the cake. The application allows you to connect your calendar to tell you when to leave and how long it will take to get there. It also offers the ability to listen to music through the app, rather than having to open it separately and go back and forth.

You can even record the common turn instructions and use your own voice to lead you to where you’re going.

The neatest little feature of Waze, is that you can choose from a myriad of voices to navigate you around town. In fact, if the mood strikes, you can even record the common turn instructions and use your own voice to guide you to your destination.

Waze now directs you to the best EV charging station for your specific car

Just enter your EV details into the Waze app and it’ll suggest the best stations on your route to visit.

3 Mapquest

The granddaddy of them all

Mapquest

MapQuest is a free online web mapping service. It launched in 1996.

Mapquest doesn’t offer many features that you won’t find in other navigation apps. What Mapquest does offer is a piece of software that has been around in one form or another since the early 1990s. Not only was Mapquest around before all of the other applications usable on smartphones, but it was also around before smartphones.

What Mapquest does offer is credibility and dependability.

What Mapquest offers is credibility and dependability. This isn’t the app for you if you’re looking for a variety of features and the bells and whistles that Waze or Apple Maps have. But if you’re looking for an app that just gets the job done and has been getting the job done since people had to print route instructions to have them in the car, Mapquest is the pick.

Google Maps is making it easier to find your next EV charge

The focus is on guiding you to the right chargers, not just the nearest point on the map.

4 Here We Go

Simplicity done right

Here We Go

Here WeGo is a web mapping and satellite navigation software developed by HERE Technologies. It is accessible on both web and mobile platforms.

Here We Go is another app that offers simplicity above all else. Like Mapquest, this app isn’t going to do much beyond telling you how to get somewhere and how long it will take. However, it is viewed as one of the best for its built-in public transportation routing.

It is viewed as one of the best for its built-in public transportation routing.

Here We Go also offers traffic updates, so you won’t find yourself at a dead end in construction zones, and it allows you to save any locations you’d like for easy access later.

The bottom line is that if you’ve soured on Google Maps for one reason or another, there are options out there that can suit whatever needs or desires you have when using navigation apps to safely guide you from Point A to Point B.