Apple Maps vs Google Maps: Which Navigation App Is Better?

iPhone users have a certain luxury. They can use both Google Maps and Apple Maps. OMT editor Dennis Mons uses both, but which one is actually better? He briefly puts a number of pros and cons of the apps side by side.

In fairness, I use both Google Maps and Apple Maps on my iPhone. Both have features that are better with one service than with the other. But which one is preferable?

Google Maps vs Apple Maps is a tricky debate

In this case, the adage ‘comparing apples to oranges’ does not apply. They are services/apps that do about the same thing. Despite a lousy start for Apple Maps, it can now compete very well with the competition. But what’s better to use? Here are five reasons why one is better and the other is not.

#1 Google Maps vs. Apple Maps: Availability

Like most Apple services, Apple Maps is exclusive to its own devices. They don’t call it an ecosystem for nothing. That means anyone who doesn’t use an iPhone, Mac, or any other Apple device won’t be able to access Apple Maps.

Google Maps, on the other hand, is the opposite and is available on almost every device out there. Android, Windows, iPhone, Mac, even Apple’s CarPlay. If you ever have a new device and need navigation, Google Maps is handy and nice.

Signing in with your Google account automatically syncs all your data, including your travel history and favorite locations. Child can do laundry.

While Apple has many devices where Apple Maps is available, it’s not enough to beat Google’s availability. The diversity of the platform makes it a top choice.

Winner: Google Maps

#2 Google Maps vs. Apple Maps: interface

After several years of improvement (particularly at Apple), both Apple Maps and Google Maps offer a focused interface that is easy to use. That said, the way they present information is quite different.

Apple Maps takes a very simple approach, with an interface that keeps pretty much everything in one place. Recent search history, saved locations, and information about businesses and places can be found when you expand the search bar. Importantly, the search bar stays in place until you click on a place, and if you want to get rid of it, all you have to do is tap the X button in the corner. So it ‘hides’ peripheral matters, unless you really need it.

On the other hand, Google has buttons and toolbars everywhere. At the top of your phone’s screen is the search bar, which also contains account information and again sits above special buttons for finding features. So if you want to quickly find a restaurant, gas station or even a charging point, that’s very handy.

Also at the bottom of the screen is a menu that gives you access to the Explore and Commute features, saved locations, local news, and the option to contribute to Google’s map database. By the way, all these things disappear when you tap in the middle of the screen, then the lion’s share disappears like snow in the sun. However, it sometimes remains a jumble of information.

Winner: Apple Maps

#3 Google Maps vs. Apple Maps: map design

Like the interface, Apple Maps has opted for a more minimalistic approach to the map itself. While it has a lot of information at its disposal, Apple Maps doesn’t actually show you much unless you zoom in all the way. In contrast, Google shows more information when you zoom in further, but it shows much of that information much earlier than Apple Maps.

Anyway, both always show the essential elements no matter how you look at the map. Roads, locations, sights, it’s easy to find. The only real difference is how much unnecessary information shows up in Google Maps, including businesses, minor road names… useless information. And that’s just confusing.

Google Maps has also started adding more generally unnecessary, but sometimes still useful, details, such as stop signs, crosswalks, and so on. Since iOS 15, Apple has also started adding this information, with turn lanes, bus and taxi lanes, and pedestrian crossings. It also includes information about complex highway junctions, something Google Maps has had for some time.

Both apps have the information you need, but Apple Maps’ less-is-more approach makes it more enjoyable when you’re driving or biking. Google Maps’ heaps of information can be distracting, and that’s the last thing you need if you’re lost and struggling to find your bearings.

Winner: Apple Maps

#4 Walking down the street with your digital navigation

Google’s Street View and Apple’s Look Around are a guilty pleasure for me. For example, I often watched a series and became curious about the location on location. The series Fargo, as well as the reality series Deadliest Catch, are a good example of this. I wanted to know what to experience there. What are the local restaurants and pubs? Is there a swimming pool? Well, that aside.

Google’s Street View has been around since 2007 and in the last 14 years it has expanded all over the world. Not everywhere, by the way, because large parts of countries such as Germany and South Korea do not have Street View. The same goes for mainland China as well. It should be obvious why. Yet it is available in many places, which is also useful when you are on a trip.

An added benefit of Google Maps is Live View Navigation, which uses AR to display directions based on what your phone sees. This helps you navigate more effectively. Live View will also receive upgrades in the near future, adding even more value to this mode. This allows you to see company information and crowds, and the ability to search for specific services or locations.

Eventually, Google’s ‘Immersive View’ will allow you to view the interior of a business or location from your phone. But so far, this feature is still officially “coming soon.”

Apple Tower Theater at Look Around.

Look around with Apple’s Look Around

So Apple Maps’ equivalent is called ‘Look Around’ and it only launched in late 2019, so it’s nowhere near as comprehensive. If you use Look Around, you will soon notice that not all locations are shown in such detail.

With the launch of iOS 15, Apple also introduced AR, which allows users to lift their iPhones to scan nearby buildings and determine exactly where you are. In addition, it shows you where to go in the real world.

Google Maps and Apple Maps are therefore almost identical in this regard. Still, Google Maps still wins because of its edge and the sheer number of locations it has. But don’t expect Apple Maps to sit on the sidelines for long. Perhaps it is the hare versus the tortoise, because we expect major steps in terms of AR, especially with the development of Apple Vision Pro.

Winner: Google Maps

#5 With you firing the wheel?

Many car drivers must admit that it is extremely dangerous to fiddle with your navigation while driving. So which app works best without using your hands for that matter?

Both services are (of course) hands-free. Apple Maps is connected to Siri who (to some extent) does his/her best to help you get started. You can even use Google Maps with the help of Siri. But then you have to specifically say that you want to use Google Maps instead of Apple Maps.

The only drawback of Apple Maps is that many cycling routes and times are missing. If I want to cycle from Hoorn to Amsterdam (like never), it has no idea how to drive and how far that is. In that respect, Apple still has a bone to pick.

Winner: Google Maps

All in all it is a neck and neck race. I myself have become very used to Apple Maps (as it is called here in the Netherlands), and therefore I prefer it, despite the fact that Google excels on a number of points. But let’s be honest, we iPhone users have the luxury of using both. Which navigation app do you prefer to use?