Leaving Google Maps and Waze behind: my journey to find my way around the world
I finally threw in the towel on Google Maps and Waze after realizing they’re less “navigation buddies” and more “data‑hounds with a side hustle in advertising”. Between the relentless pop‑ups promising you a “faster route” (while silently sending your location to a dozen Google services) and the ever‑growing banner ads that turn every turn into a billboard, I started feeling like a tourist in my own city, only the tour guide was also spying on me. So I set out on a quest for a navigation app that respects my privacy, doesn’t demand a subscription to the “Google ecosystem”, and actually lets me enjoy the ride, whether it's by car, bike, or on foot.
My first hopeful replacement was HERE WeGo, which promised global coverage and turn‑by‑turn directions without the Google branding. In practice, however, it turned out to be a privacy‑gray area, some user data gets logged, and I ran into multiple bugs and crashes whenever I tried to navigate while actually driving. The app is free, with no ads, but it's lacking too many features, and having too many annoying bugs, so I couldn't keep using it in this state.
Next up was Magic Earth, a sleek, ad‑free app that boasts offline maps, live traffic data, and public‑transport integration, all powered by OpenStreetMap. It felt like a breath of fresh air, but sadly, it's not open source, so it's not available on F‑Droid, and it recently turned into a paid app (a modest $0.99/year, but you still have to purchase it through the Apple App Store or Google Play Store). Suddenly, the convenience came with a (fair) price tag and the obligation to buy it through an Apple or Google account, which is not something I was willing to do.
Enter Organic Maps, the open‑source darling built on OpenStreetMap data. It’s free, privacy‑first, and packs offline maps, bike lanes, hiking trails, and even little details like water fountains and mountain names. The only missing piece for my commuter self was live traffic, but I’ve learned to embrace a bit of unpredictability, after all, a detour can be an adventure. The app’s community vibe felt like a digital campfire where everyone shares routes, tips, and a collective disdain for data‑hungry giants. But my journey didn't end here…
Six months ago, a fork of Organic Maps emerged amid concerns about governance, transparency, and true openness of the project. Dubbed CoMaps, it carries the same solid foundation, but adds a fresh logo, a splash of new colors, and a firm commitment to community‑led development, transparency, and not-for‑profit stewardship. After a cautious waiting period, I finally made the switch a few weeks ago. Today, CoMaps is my daily navigator, guiding me through city streets, forest paths, and everything in between, without ever asking for my location history or showing me ads for businesses along my way. For anyone who values privacy, transparency, and open source values, CoMaps feels like the perfect co‑pilot.
Comments
Great personal experience articles, more of this please :)
CoMaps is the greatest, been using it for months and it rocks.
Thank you 😀 I learned much from your review
Thank you for this thoughtful article!
Okay, i love this article, and i really love CoMaps, using OpenStreetMap offline. I even enjoy volunteering to update the OSM map wherever i go. I haven't used Google maps in a long while.
But, the thing about Waze is real-time traffic. I completely agree that getting away from Google (and Facebook, Amazon, etc.) is how we will get a free and open internet commons back. But i don't see any alternatives right now. I'd love it if someone would create an app/program that would aggregate local users' data and then throw the data away. I would be willing to put up a server at my house to start a federation of real-time traffic.
Yes, this is applicable to sharing in other realms. Please contact me - argh - how to be contacted without inviting the jackals in?
Well said!
Offline maps are also a great when traveling overseas, saving battery on a trip, or simply getting instant map or results.
OsmAnd is also great, more advanced and much appreciated for cycling (the kind of app that won't recommend you taking the motorway).
As great as it is, OpenStreetMap may miss many details or be outdated for low-covered cities (i.e. where not many contributors are active), creating an account on OpenStreetMap allows to contribute to improve the map (like adding opening hours, or marking a place as closed), directly from Organics Map/CoMaps.
For more enthusiastic users, using StreetComplete or SCEE is certainly the ultimate way to contribute using a phone. Just beware, it may become very addictive!