this post was submitted on 04 Mar 2025
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I’ve downloaded Here WeGo maps, but I’ve noticed that the app lacks a review system. Additionally, the detail level for most places is quite poor.

Which Google Maps alternative is your favorite?

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[–] [email protected] 0 points 13 hours ago* (last edited 13 hours ago)

I use osmand based on openstreetmap. It is a nightmare to set up the route from the car screen but they it is very good. I also try to update openstreetmap whe I can. Unfortunately im quite sure them are Americans companies

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

For general maps usage and looking things up, I use OsmAnd Maps. It does have navigation, but it lacks live traffic information. So whenever I have to drive somewhere, I'll use TomTom GO.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 2 days ago

Personally I use organic maps. FOSS, open street map based, private and offline. Doesn’t have built in reviews but links to a review service (kayak)

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I just recently started using Mapy.cz, first impressions are positive but not sure yet if closed streets caused by for example road maintenance are up-to-date. Second one i installed yesterday is 'Organic Maps', based on Open Street Maps data. From what i read online i got the impression its more focused on hiking and biking but routeplanning for car travel is supported. Not used enough to have relevant experience.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago

I can confirm that organic maps is not that great when it comes to long car trips because it calculates all locally (I think) A better alternative would be magic earth :)

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 day ago

My experience is that with OSM apps, nearly each one is focused on a different thing. Which makes it hard for me to say "hey this is the best one"! For example, OsmAnd is good for a lot of things, but its poi interaction system is crappy (you have to first select a category, f.e. restaurants, and only then can you click onto individual markers on the map) and I'm not 100% convinced of its navigation feature either which has previously depicted wildly wrong time estimates for me. Magic Earth on the other hand has great navigation and seems to have more up-to-date data on some pois/buildings than OsmAnd, but isnt very good for anything other than navigation.

So I'm still searching for a map tool that could completely replace Google Maps for me.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I'm afraid most maps alternatives don't have a review system or when they have it's lacking reviews due to small user bases. OsmAnd had a plugin some time ago for some open review site but that stop working.

I'm using OrganicMaps and OsmAnd depending on the task, both based on openstreetmaps but neither have reviews.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

HERE WeGo uses TripAdvisor, that's alright.

[–] StrangeMed 1 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Are you sure? I don't see reviews anymore. But I think I saw them a couple of days ago, then yesterday I checked and they're disappeared

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I tried Mapy.cz for commute but without traffic data, I ended up in traffic jam (I don't use GMaps for route planning since I obviously know my way to work).

I'm trying Here Wego next 🤞

Without traffic data, I might as well use Organic Maps since it's FOSS and on f-droid

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

TomTom AmiGo was the best for me

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago

I completely forgot about TomTom, last time I used one, it was in the late 2000 (before smartphones) when the GPS was its own device (and not cheap). I also didn't know it was european.

I had a good experience with Here Wego this morning (and it needs no account), I'll continue to test it, but maybe I'll check TomTom too.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 day ago

I use Magic Earth (no need for Google voice instructions) and Organic Maps.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Maps.me has android auto too

[–] StrangeMed 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

This looks pretty promising, I wonder why no one suggested this before. Maybe because of the ads?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Think it’s a reskin of organic maps something something someone else correct me/add

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 day ago

Organics maps started as a fork of maps.me some .years ago. Not sure maps.me is still (partially) open source, for sure it used to be. What sucks is the streets search

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago

I use Here as my navigation. Thats all and it's good at it. I have no need for reviews because when i used them it didn't came out as expected. It's risk, yes, but it's worth sometimes.

[–] Mvlad88 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

It's great and the most complete one in the Czech Republic and Slovakia but the Android app has been enshittified to only allow offline maps of one country at a time unless you pay a premium subscription. The rest of the world is "just" OSM but they use a great skin, especially for the tourist map.

While hiking in Romania, where the tourist trail marking 🇯🇵 is more like a suggestion, not like the Czech one, where you pretty much always see at least one sign from anywhere on the trail, they've been great. However, there is an inexcusible mistake I found in Bihor: you think you can take a 10-meter shortcut between these two points by walking over a few rocks with barely any slope?

In reality, you end up falling into a 70-meter gorge. The elevation data and contour was imported incorrectly and does not line up! I complained and they said they wouldn't fix it.

[–] uzsomtu 3 points 1 day ago

I started using Organic Maps. So far all good.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 days ago

I use OsmAnd and Open Street Map data as well. That's crowd sourced and not under control of any company. Though, as other people pointed out, it doesn't do recommendations. It's map data, navigation and sometimes opening times, accessibility etc of a place.

[–] a887dcd7a 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I'm also trying to use Here WeGo for turn by turn navigation.

I tested all the other contenders (OSM And, Organic Maps, Magic Earth) and some seem to be best for outdoor activities (hiking, biking, OSM And), others do good for commuting (Here WeGo).

The other problem you mentioned is, that sadly few apps have this "search engine and rating" topic covered. As far as I know Apple Maps uses Yelp as backend and Google Maps it's own solution. AFAIK the others do simply not support community based annotations. Only addition or moderation on the groundlaying openstreetmap data.

If I need to search for a location and it's opening times, I have no good substitute, yet.

[–] StrangeMed 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Apple uses TripAdvisor if I'm correct

[–] a887dcd7a 1 points 1 day ago

Looked it up. You are correct.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 2 days ago