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What are some alternatives to Google Maps?
(midwest.social)
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this post was submitted on 09 Jul 2024
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Asklemmy
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Any OpenStreetMap (OSM) app/website:
Organic Maps on iOS/Android: https://organicmaps.app/
OsmAnd (small price) on Android/iOS: https://osmand.net/
OpenStreetMap off course: https://www.openstreetmap.org/
OsmAnd web maps: https://osmand.net/map/
Maybe some things like TomTom Go or Sygic Maps (is this still a thing?)
None of them seem up to date on public transport when I tried, which makes it kind of useless
Public transport in Magic Earth mostly works for me. It's not as good as Google Maps, but it's better than nothing.
Magic Earth seems much more complete than OSM from experience, which is curious considering they use OSM data. I wonder where they get the extra info.
Organic Maps is planning on implementing it. For now I just use a dedicated app for that though, ÖPNV Navigator is great for Germany for example.
Probably better to use local services.
Also they are way slower
Citymapper and the Transit app might work, depending on where you live
OsmAnd~ is free on fdroid
Including all maps and features?
yeah, OsmAnd is open source, so someone else built it to be released on fdroid, and the original developers have said that they don't have a problem with that I think as long as they don't release it on Play/try to sell it
Wow awesome!
i found this out after reading through osmand documentation and seeing a bunch of features marked as premium that I DEFINITELY hadn't paid for, and trying to figure out what happened lol
It does lack a few features though, as they rely on proprietary software/libraries. Android Auto for instace, as well as ANT+ for connecting sensors. At least for those features you need the Google Play version.
ah that makes sense
Do you know which of these has the most updated real-time traffic data, like for accidents and road closures? I depend heavily on maps not just for navigation but to also get the fastest routes to my destination. Obviously google maps is great with that because of the sheer amount of crowsourced data it collects, but it’s also effective with rerouting quickly for unpredictable events.
I don't think any open-source products have anything close to what Google Maps offers.
Microsoft has Here which also does a bit of vehicle tracking to get traffic data. I think TomTom may still be in business, but that's quite expensive.
Some governments have their own accident/road disturbance databases available for companies or the public, but you'll have to be lucky to find ones that support your local area if your government even provides such a service.
Magic Earth is closed source but it claims it respects the users privacy, it uses open street maps and it has decent traffic data for navigation for some countries. It also has the advantage that you can configure it to stick to the original route if you prefer. This is very important for me because sometimes I want to take a scenic route, or just routes I prefer but that are not necessarily the fastest.
Thanks! This looks promising. Unfortunately it doesn’t even have my address yet (new neighborhood). I’ll park it in the meantime but will definitely keep it on my phone and will try it on familiar routes (in case something goes wrong).
Given it uses OpenStreepMap (OSM), you can create an account on osm.org and add the address (and other information) yourself, if you want
Maybe TomTom Go? Always had great traffic updates, at least in Europe
I love OSM in so many ways, but unfortunately its address resolver is kinda garbage compared to Google Maps. For example, the string "10392 SE 23, portland, or, usa" correctly resolves to what I meant, "10392 SE 23rd Ave, Milwaukie, OR, USA" in Google Maps. OSM needs the exact city (Milwaukie is a suburb of Portland) and the "rd" on 23 to resolve.
Then write to their support team, not just rant here. And donate too.
I don't think they'll ever get address and Street information right. It needs a plugin that links gmaps street info into osm.
I second this. OsmAnd has done me well for several years.
OsmAnd is free with enough contributions to OpenStreetMap.
Personally, I was using MagicEarth for public transport when needed but it’s stopped working for some reasons. Once Organic Maps gets support for public transport (currently it only provides train times for me), I’ll fully move there. It’s great for everything else though!