The two apps are owned by Google and yet Google Maps and Waze compete to be the best GPS navigation app You can download it (whether it is free or not) to your mobile phone. At Xataka Android, we have already compared them in depth to find out their key virtues and flaws, but the truth is that colors vary depending on your taste and what you are looking for.

Keeping the above in mind, we proceed to list. Key differences between Google Maps and Waze Because even though they both do the same thing, they don’t do it the same way, and maybe you like one more than the other. In fact, I can tell you this: I use one app to get around the city and the other when going from one municipality to another.

Firstly, one more premise: While Google Maps is designed to be used to get around by foot, car, or public transportation, Waze’s purpose is to provide you with navigation while in your personal vehicle. What does this mean? If what you’re interested in is getting from point A to point B and you want to take the subway or walk, go directly to Google Maps.

The most important differences between Google Maps and Waze

Regardless of subjective issues, such as the interface being simpler in Maps and more colorful in Waze, there are other functions that are present in one app but not in another, or are objectively more complete in one app than the other.

• Tolls. If, in addition to distance, road type and estimated time, you also care about how much the trip will cost when using toll highways, then Waze is your app, because Waze gives the estimated price of tolls, something that is important to you. Google Maps does not offer it.

Waze and Google Maps

• How to warn about speeding. Both Google Maps and Waze allow you to configure a speedometer in their settings to visually show us when we are exceeding the speed limit of the road, but Waze also supports this warning with an audible warning; This is something Maps doesn’t do and you can do it. If you want to press the gas pedal, take into account that it is missing.
• Three-dimensional representation of buildings. If you are moving in a big city and the traffic and streets are getting you lost, only Google Maps has a very useful function to know where you are: the representation of the shape of the surrounding buildings.
• Choose what the route will be like. You may want to avoid ferries, toll plazas or motorways while traveling, and this is an option available on both apps; But Waze goes a step further by including whether we want to avoid complex intersections or unpaved roads.

Waze and Google Maps

• Download map. If you’re going to be traveling through an area where you know coverage is poor, you have little data, or your data speed isn’t valid for that location, Google Maps has an option to download maps for offline use; This is a notable omission among Google Maps’ functions. Waze.
• Unexpected events on the road. Both Google Maps and Waze offer real-time traffic data that helps avoid traffic jams and calculate how long it will take us to navigate traffic jams; But Waze has a trump card: a very active community Alert about police checkpoints, vehicle debris on roads and radars.
• Additional Information. When passing through a city center, we may be interested in stopping for a moment to eat, drink coffee, go to the supermarket to buy something, or even visit a workshop. While both apps let you see restaurants or gas stations near you, Google Maps integrates extra information like schedules, reviews, photos, and ratings to view them directly without leaving the app.
• Customize the app. Both applications choose a language for the voice to help us with navigation; Waze is much more advanced and goes a few steps further, allowing us to choose whether we are male or female, use our own voice, and also change the car icon.

Which is better, Waze or Google Maps?

The previous differences mean: Why will you use the navigation app, is one or the other more suitable?.

Therefore, if you are going to pass through areas where there is no coverage or where you do not have data, Google Maps is a winning horse. Similarly, for navigating the city, 3D representations of buildings or information about organizations are also assets to consider. Of course, the same will happen even more if you are moving on foot or by public transport.

However, if you are going to move from one city to another, get a complete quote on road accidents from the active community. Waze points to a differentiating factorand besides being able to escape goat trails and don’t overdo it with speed.

Cover | Photo montage by Best Regards Media on Unsplash, Icon Fathema Khanom, Waze and Google Maps

Xataka on Android | Google Maps vs Waze, detailed comparison: which app has the best navigation options?