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Alternatives to Google Maps
Offline, private maps and navigation that don't follow you around.
Ranked by score out of 30, most convivial first.
CoMaps
Offline maps and navigation built on OpenStreetMap, run by its community.
OpenStreetMap
The free map of the world that volunteers edit and most of the tools here are built on.
Organic Maps
Offline maps for walking, cycling and driving, built on OpenStreetMap.
Transportr
Public transport trips in your city, from an app that asks for nothing.
OsmAnd
Offline OpenStreetMap maps and navigation for Android and iOS, with a setting for nearly everything.
For comparison
The big names these tools are measured against. We review them as benchmarks, so they sit outside the directory.
About these tools
Google Maps is an excellent map run by an advertising company, and those two facts are connected. Maps that run on your phone from downloaded regions, built on OpenStreetMap data that volunteers edit and anyone may use, cut the connection. CoMaps gets you from A to B with no account and no trail, OsmAnd packs offline navigation and a setting for nearly everything into one app, and OpenStreetMap is the map itself, which you can browse, download and edit.
The field is young, so we only list what we have looked at closely, and more reviews will follow. Organic Maps is a polished offline map and Transportr plans public transport trips.
How to choose
Ask three things. Does it work with no signal, because a good offline map is also a more reliable one on a hike or in a tunnel. Does it need an account, and does it say what it collects. And can you tell who pays for it. The honest trade-off with every alternative to Google Maps today is live traffic and business listings, where the giant still leads.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a Google Maps alternative that works offline?
Yes. CoMaps and OsmAnd let you download a region once and then search and navigate with no connection, and CoMaps needs no account.
Do I give up traffic information?
Mostly, yes. Offline maps can't match Google on live traffic or on opening hours for busy places, and some days that matters.
Where does the map data come from?
From OpenStreetMap, a map edited by volunteers around the world. It has gaps in some places, and you can fix them yourself.