Top 5 free Google Maps alternatives in 2021

Google Maps is for many the main application for navigation, searching for restaurants, sights, information about an object… etc. There are really many options, including Offline navigation, but again, some users do not want to just use Google services. Google is indeed a bit of a taboo topic when it comes to user privacy, so in this article, I would like to present similar applications that do not use Google services.

First of all, I would like to mention that this list is not sorted, I just present one service at a time as I remember it. Everyone has their advantages and disadvantages, so I can't say which is the best for everyone, let everyone judge for themselves.

OpenStreetMap

OpenStreetMap (OSM) is not a complete application but only a folder that can be used in applications. So, as a basis on which anyone can make their own application and add the options they want. I have personally used these maps in a couple of my projects and I can say that the API is very simple and easy to work with.

However, this map is maintained by a large number of users and that is what makes it a popular and good rival to Google Maps. You can view this folder as a Wikipedia for maps. It's easy, completely free, you can edit it too, many developers install it and adopt good products.

Maps.me

This app uses OSM maps and is full of content to help you discover a city, get from point A to point B, find popular places to walk, bike paths, hiking trails… and more. So, the application is more focused on that aspect of navigation than the general one like Google maps. You can use these folders on your computer, Android, or iOS device.

Bing Maps

Microsoft has its complete infrastructure, satellite images, and Bing data for local businesses, and navigation… in its Bing maps. Perhaps this is the biggest real competitor to Google when it comes to maps because they have, as I wrote, their own satellite images. The only downside is that there is no mobile app, but there is an SDK so developers can create their own apps.

HERE

Here maps became popular very quickly because they were among the first to offer the option of Offline navigation for free. Anyone could very easily download maps to their device and use them to navigate via satellite.

What is interesting, and many do not know, is that HERE maps use various sources to inform about the situation on the roads. For example, when you ask to create a route for navigation, HERE maps will pull traffic information from police reports, Live cameras, Twitter posts… and others. He uses all this information to create the ideal route for everyone at all times.

MapFactor

This is an application primarily created for navigation - both for passenger cars and trucks. What sets it apart from others is that it uses the aforementioned OpenStreetMap maps, and you can also pay extra for TomTom.

Since the application is intended for navigation, it has a lot of useful options such as Live traffic, Offline maps, and vehicle parameters adjustment, stopping point optimization, Head-Up Display… and many others. I wrote an article to take a look at what the app has to offer.