Best Google Maps alternatives for everyday use to secure privacy

Google Maps is one of the best map services on the web. We all use Google Maps for navigation and location purposes. There are some issues with the handling of user data by Google, according to industry experts and security researchers. Many are searching for alternative and privacy-friendly Google Maps alternatives. In this guide, we list a few Google Maps alternatives to secure your privacy that you can use every day.

Best alternatives to Google Maps

Here are some of the best Google Maps alternatives:

1. OpenStreetMap
2. OsmAnd
3. HERE WeGo
4. Apple Maps
5. Waze Maps
6. MapQuest
7. Maps.me
8. Sygic Maps
9. Bing Maps
10. Rand McNally

Let’s get into the details of each one.

1] OpenStreetMap

OpenStreetMap is one of the best alternatives for Google Maps to secure your privacy. It is an open-source app that runs on data donated by various users. You need to contribute something to download something from OpenStreetMap. It has apps available on iOS, Android, and Fire which run through OsmAnd.

2] OsmAnd

OsmAnd is another best alternative for Google Maps. It is free and has many features like offline maps and hiking maps, and it never tracks any personalized data. It is also an open-source app that has a premium version with some more features. It has apps available on Google, Amazon, and the Apple App Store.

3] HERE WeGo

HERE WeGo is another Google Maps alternative with more than 35 years of experience in mapping services. It covers 200 countries and has millions of vehicles to provide real-time data. It collects your location data but does not associate with your account. You can download maps for offline usage with easy features to customize.

4] Apple Maps

It is provided by Apple Maps which is available exclusively to Apple users. It offers simple navigation features and does not share your data with anyone. You can also download maps from Apple Maps for offline use.

5] Waze Maps

Waze is one of the popular alternatives to Google Maps. It has the best features to monitor local traffic information with real-time updates. It uses information or data submitted by the users to improve the experience for other users. Waze has its apps for both Android and iOS available on the respective app stores.

6] MapQuest

MapQuest is another alternative to Google Maps that gathers data submitted by the users and makes the mapping experience better with timely updates. It has been in the mapping domain for many years and provides better mapping services if you need an alternative to Google Maps. It also has apps available on the Apple and Google Play stores.

7] Maps.me

Maps.Me is a service that is based on OSM’s database. it has maps for more than 300 countries and islands. It supports offline usage of maps, whereas the online version provides real-time data related to traffic and transport. You can sue Maps.me even for hiking trail,s as it is an open-source app and does not collect much data.

8] Sygic Maps

Sygic Maps is a great alternative to Google Maps. As it is based in Europe and compliant with GDPR privacy requirements, we can safely use it as an alternative to Google Maps to secure our privacy. It has navigational features, lane guidance, and parking spot availability information in a few countries.

9] Bing Maps

BingMaps is one of the best Google Maps alternative, and this comes to you from Microsoft. Hence, you can expect a very good user experience from this map service. It doesn’t matter whether you want to find a route to go from one place to another or check whether there are any coffee shops or hotels, etc., around a place. Like Google Maps, you can find all those things with proper details. However, you might not be able to get as many results as Google Maps provides. If you select a route, you can find the current traffic conditions as well, which is a much-needed feature of every map app or service.

10] Rand McNally

RandMcNally is useful if you are in the USA, since it might not find all the places in other regions. It shows most of the popular places on the map, and therefore, you will be able to find almost anything. However, there is no specific option to find only a hotel or restaurant, or gas station. The drawback of this tool is that you can find routes only for cars, as it doesn’t have the option to choose the mode of transport. However, once you start driving with Rand McNally, you would not have to stop to check the route since it offers the most detailed route.

These are some of the best Google Maps alternatives that you can use.

Read: How to download or extract your Google Maps Data.

Which map app is best for privacy?

There are many map apps that give importance to users’ privacy. Open-source map apps like OpenStreetMap, OsmAnd, MapQuest, and Here WeGo are some of the best map apps if you need privacy.

Read: Best Google Maps Tips and Tricks that will make you a Pro at using it

What can I use instead of Google Maps?

You can use map apps like OpenStreetMap, OsmAnd, HERE WeGo, Apple Maps, Waze Maps, MapQuest, Maps.me, and Sygic Maps instead of Google Maps if you really need to secure your privacy from obsessive data collection and usage.