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Here are the best Google Maps alternatives for finding your way: With a number of community-driven, open-source mapping projects, picking a navigation app without ads or tracking has never been easier

repeated media reports of Google’s disregard for the privacy of the general public led to a push for open source, community driven alternatives to Google Maps. The biggest contender, now used by Google’s direct competitors and open source projects alike is OpenStreetMap.

  1. OsmAnd

OsmAnd is a fantastic choice when searching for an alternative to Google Maps. It is available on both Android and iOS devices with both free and paid subscription options. Free accounts have full access to maps and navigation features, but choosing a paid subscription will allow you unlimited map downloads and increases the frequency of updates.

All subscriptions can take advantage of turn-by-turn navigation, route planning, map markers, and all the favorite features you expect from a map and navigation app in 2024. By making the jump to a paid subscription you get some extra features like topo maps, nautical depths, and even point-of-interest data imported from Wikipedia.

  1. Organic Maps

Organic Maps is a great choice primarily because they offer support for all features of their iOS and Android apps completely offline. This means if you have an old phone laying around, you can install the app, download the maps you need and presto! You now have an indepth digital map in the palm of your hand without needing to worry about losing or damaging your primary mobile device when exploring the outdoors.

Organic Maps tugs our heartstrings by their commitment to privacy. The app can run entirely without a network connection and comes with no ads, tracking, data collection, and best of all no registration.

  1. Locus Maps

Our third, and last recommendation today is Locus Maps. Locus Maps is built by outdoor enthusiasts for the same community. Hiking, biking, and geocaching are all mainstays of the Locus App, alongside standard street map navigation as well.

Locus is available in its complete version for Android, and an early version is available for iOS which is continuing to be worked on. Locus Maps offers navigation, tracking and routes, and also information on points-of-interest you might visit or stumble upon during your adventures.

VanHalbgott ,

Thanks for the post!

Didn’t realize Apple Maps was received poorly.

JasonDJ ,

I’d never been a fan of apple maps, just because it lags behind real world too much.

I’ve missed a lot of turns because they seem way further on the screen. Especially when using CarPlay.

lud ,

Relevant

fury ,

I’m looking for one that works well on Android Automotive. So far I couldn’t get OsmAnd to show the Android Auto UI on the full OS, or integrate with the home page (split screen music / maps), and none of the others I tried in F-droid worked at all. I need something because I’m tired of using my phone, and I don’t have Google services on my tablet (flashed with a custom build of Lineage / Android Automotive OS).

It would be nice to have an open source version of the big screen systems they’re putting in the newest cars…

bss03 ,

I, too, want something to replace Google Maps inside Android Auto, which is the main place I use it. I like live re-routes around traffic.

Did you try Organic Maps?

progandy ,

I know of no open source app with live traffic routing. I think Magic Earth should be a closed source option.

fury ,

I did, and it didn’t work either. :(

fmstrat ,

OsmAnd has the full app on F-Droid.

Locus Map is not FOSS, and OsmAnd works great for hiking, biking, etc, soooo…

nemno ,

Locus is not FOSS but its far superior for what it does…

lud ,

The list isn’t exclusively about FOSS.

bokherif ,

Here’s the thing. I hate Google’s privacy nightmare. There is no alternative to the Google Maps.

loics2 ,

Well, there’s at least three apparently

bokherif ,

An alternative would be good enough to replace the original. None of theses so called alternatives are good enough to replace Google maps unfortunately.

LunarLoony ,
@LunarLoony@lemmy.sdf.org avatar

Elaborate?

superkret ,

Recommendation for German-speakers who want the best bicycle routing available:
bikerouter.de

It comes with lots and lots of routing profiles.
My favorite for getting somewhere quickly and safely is “Trekking-Tertiaries”, which ignores the horrible German bike-paths and leads you over quiet back streets that aren’t thoroughfares for car traffic.
You can also customize the routing to your heart’s content if you’re into scripting.
The routes can be exported as GPX tracks to use them anywhere you like.

cloudless ,

Quality is more important than features.

Telodzrum ,

They’re often the same thing in a map software.

fraksken ,

Locus maps seemed interesting to me. I was surprised it was not available on F-droid. I found it on the Aurora store though. Contains ads and 4 trackers (google and facebook). Google play services is a dependency.

I’ll stick with osmand.

muntedcrocodile ,
@muntedcrocodile@lemm.ee avatar

Been using osmand unfortunatly it doesnt have numbers on streets and can’t plan public transport.

blackfire ,

The house numbers is due to map data being incomplete. You can help with that by adding data with an app called street complete its free and on playstore. We need more people adding data to osm or it will never get better

muntedcrocodile ,
@muntedcrocodile@lemm.ee avatar

Ive been adding with some app i found on fdroid but i feel my efforts are just a very tiny drop in a very very large bucket.

blackfire ,

If you add your area like I added mine then its definitely helping

Undearius ,
@Undearius@lemmy.ca avatar

Everything that exists in OpenStreetMap is from tiny drops

sunbeam60 ,

Alternatives to Google Maps aren’t great. The only place where I find Organic Maps better is China, since the authorities have stunted GM there.

For driving in Europe I find TomTom better (whereas both Apple Maps and Google Maps are better in the US), but in terms of POI Google reigns supreme.

eodur ,

Its unfortunately true. I’m not sure how to get more engagement from businesses and municipalities, but if they got involved to maintain their locations then it would be a great help. Just have to make it attractive enough in terms of tourism and money. Or just easy enough. Like a POI database that would update entries across many of the map platforms at once. No idea how feasible that is, but I’m sure business owners would love to have one simple tool to update their data rather than 10.

lemonuri ,

There were problems like these ten years ago in Europe, but nowadays it works very well. W

drmoose , (edited )

I’ve been very satisfied by OSM map apps (mostly use Organic Maps) but my main issue is the lack of places and that’s why I use Google Maps mostly.

Edit: actually found mapcomplete.org which aims to kinda do that? Still exploring but seems really cool so far.

FunnyUsername ,
@FunnyUsername@lemmy.world avatar

I uninstalled OSM fast after it drove me to the second closed location

eodur ,

Just remember that these community efforts are only maintained by the community. If the data is inaccurate then the area needs more help.

As Darth Vader said, you have to be the change you want to see in the world.

FunnyUsername ,
@FunnyUsername@lemmy.world avatar

Honestly I’d sooner try to fundraise and find a way to hire a person to actually do the job way before I’m going to start taking 5 minutes at every single trip to fill out information. The idea of community made data sets like this is very utopic and nice, but if you ask me it’s asking a lot. After all, everybody can edit Wikipedia to make it a better place too, but everybody knows there’s only a handful of dedicated Wikipedia gurus.

Tippon ,

StreetComplete is another good app for adding details to the map, and it lets you select the type of things you want to add 👍

TonyOstrich , (edited )

What is really frustrating to me is that my county actually has almost all of the data (including outlines and address numbers) publicly available and downloadable. There is a Wikipage on Open Street Maps written in 2020 talking about how that data has been downloaded and prepped and that it will be imported in 2021, but it never was. The wiki page was last updated 3 years ago.

I’m technologically competent enough to add things individually on OSM or StreetComplete, but that import is way above my technical understanding. I would love to donate or maybe even pay someone to finish what was apparently started, but I don’t even know who to contact about it.

ColeSloth ,

But I really like satellite view.

Quereller , (edited )

In OSMAnd you can make a map with aerial tiles from bing. You have to configure the map view yourself but it is doable.

Edit: Enable Online maps plugin. Then enable Microsoft Earth as a base or overlay map.

cupcakezealot ,
@cupcakezealot@lemmy.blahaj.zone avatar

this is great but i’d also recommend contributing and editing your local area in openstreetmap.org too.

dormedas ,

In trying to find privacy-oriented map software, I found OsmAnd as well as OrganicMaps and shortly thereafter began contributing to openstreetmap. It’s actually quite easy and IMO fun to find discrepancies and use your knowledge to help an open data set.

Not only have I seen my edits show up in proprietary softwares, but the area around me is more accurate, to the point where recent construction to the road network was updated on OSM and Apple Maps, but not Google maps.

I just checked and Google maps is still out of date.

Kecessa ,

Get OSMand~ from fdroid so you don’t have to pay for the fully featured version on Google Play

5redie8 ,

Fdroid reports some seriously sus anti features, although I know it can be over dramatic. Anything to be worried about?

Kecessa ,

It’s the same app as what’s on the Play Store and if you’re worried there’s always…

github.com/osmandapp/Osmand

Tada!

orl0pl ,

On play store you have most of features paywalled.

Kecessa ,

Yep, hence my suggestion to get it from fdroid instead, I meant that it’s the same version as the paid one on the Play Store

eodur ,

If you appreciate OpenStreetMaps then check out StreetComplete. Its “like” Pokemon Go but for improving maps.

myfavouritename ,

I’m honestly having so much fun getting out in my neighborhood and completing quests

Chee_Koala ,

Same!

HereIAm ,

Someone else in the thread recommended mapscomplete, which seems to have a bunch of topics, with pre arranged written questions when adding an item. I assume streetcomplete does something similar? And if I were to use open street map directly I assume I wouldn’t get these questions and it would instead be all mamual?

Tippon ,

Street Complete has a map with an overlay that looks kind of like the Pokemon Go map, but it has lots of different icons where it needs more data. Tapping an icon will give you a question based on the icon type, and will be something like ‘what is the road surface here’, or what is the number of this building '.

It’s pretty easy to use, and if you don’t know the answer, or are not confident about answering it, you don’t have to.

Like you say, with OpenStreetMap itself, you don’t get questions and you add things directly to the map manually. It can sound complicated, but you can do anything from adding a single node (a dot) and marking it as the tree in the town square, to drawing a box and labeling it as a building, all the way up to adding bus routes and power lines, like one person on the Discord is doing around Wales at the moment.

As long as the thing actually exists on the ground, you can add it to OSM, and you can do as much or as little as you like. Any detail is better than no detail 👍

HereIAm ,

I’m definitely on board with participating. It’s a bit bare around where I live, so I’d be nice to contribute to future users. I’ve already added a couple of bins and public toilets I know of!

I’m just wondering about potentially temporal data. I know everything will change eventually, but I’d feel responsible to keep info such as timetable data up to date. I wouldn’t want someone missing their bus because I gave the times as they were couple of months ago. Do you know how this is dealt with in the community?

Tippon ,

I’m not sure about things like changing timetables. I know that a lot of places have published timetables that can be added to OSM, but I don’t know if they can be automatically updated or if they would have to be done manually.

Churbleyimyam ,

Organic Maps tugs our heartstrings by their commitment to privacy. The app can run entirely without a network connection and comes with no ads, tracking, data collection, and best of all no registration.

In my experience this applies to OsmAnd too. Please correct me if I’m mistaken though.

SorteKanin ,
@SorteKanin@feddit.dk avatar

Do any of them have public transport directions?

Chee_Koala ,

OsmAnd does locally (NL), can’t say about other countries.

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