Google Maps and TomTom GPS are navigation apps that take you from A to B, but which one can best choose if you get back in the car?
Google Maps vs TomTom GPS
TomTom has both offline and an online navigation app. The offline version is called TomTom Go. Until recently, the online version was called TomTom Amigo and has since been renamed TomTom GPS. A good time to compare this app with Google Maps!
To begin with, the TomTom GPS app is only intended for motorists and motorcyclists. In any case not for pedestrians, cyclists and public transport. Google Maps, on the other hand, is suitable for practically all types of transport. For this comparison we only look at the car function.
Design of the apps
TomTom GPS is a lot more sober than Google Maps in appearance and therefore looks a bit more like Waze. Google Maps immediately shows much more information, TomTom GPS only shows what is needed. What you like is a matter of taste: some people like the extra information, for others it only distracts.
Planning routes
When we enter the same destination at both apps at the same time, we sometimes get some other advice. For example, TomTom GPS knows how to find a slightly faster route, which is almost 10 kilometers longer. In addition, a part of the TomTom route is closed according to Google Maps, so that the question arises as to whether that route is really faster. The route of Google Maps also seems more logical than that of TomTom GPS. Incidentally, this is the exception rather than rule, because in many cases both apps give the same route.
Warnings for flash units
Both TomTom GPS and Google Maps warn you against flash units. They are indicated on the map and if your sound is on, you will also receive an audio report. With Maps you do not have the option to switch off the warnings (you can only switch off the sound). At TomTom GPS you can disable the warnings for flash units in the settings.
Both apps also give the speed limit of the road on which you drive, with your current speed. That is so nice if you would rather not be flashed by the speed cameras that you see in the picture.
Closures
In the TomTom app you can immediately see when there are closures in the area, with Google Maps that is only the case when you have actually planned a route. The moment you leave you see them in both apps in the picture and that is of course the most important thing.
Reports
In both apps it is possible to report closures, traffic incidents and the like that you encounter along the way. For that you use the triangle with the plus in it. When you tap that, one of the above screens appears. Simply tap on what you have encountered along the way to warn other road users.
The system with user notifications works better correspondingly there are more users. It is not known how many users the apps from TomTom have, but there would currently be no less than more than a billion Google MAPS users are. We therefore assume that the system in Google Maps works a bit better.
Conclusion: Google Maps vs TomTom GPS
Google Maps is the clear winner in this comparison. To begin with, the app has many more options and extra functions than TomTom GPS. Consider integrating Spotify or Apple Music, using cards and sharing your location offline. In addition, the system with notifications from users is more reliable because Google Maps has many more users.
But that does not mean that the TomTom GPS notification system is unreliable. And you may find it nice that the app looks so minimalist and you cannot adjust too many settings. You don’t have to search long and you are not distracted by all kinds of functions that you do not need at all. Both apps have their advantages and disadvantages.
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