The best free GPS devices for iPhone and Android

The holidays are fast approaching, and you don’t know which GPS app to use for your commute? The editorial team has reviewed many free GPS devices for iPhone and Android and selected the best that should meet the expectations of the greatest number.

Connected, with real-time traffic information, or even offering to download the map for offline use, it is no longer necessary to go to the checkout to benefit from an efficient and complete GPS application.

1. Waze

Having become essential in the world of connected GPS, Waze, acquired by Google in 2013, is one of the most widely used GPS applications. And for good reason, the app is fully connected and offers constantly updated mapping thanks to the trips made by the community of drivers. Ideal for avoiding traffic jams and other incidents on the road, Waze relies on the information provided by users to adapt your route and offer you the optimal path. Whether you’re just slowing down or an accident has been reported by multiple users, Waze excels in being responsive without you having to worry about a thing.

The cartography is downloaded on the fly and therefore requires you to have a package including an Internet envelope. Waze has full voice guidance as well as sound alerts in the event of danger. Reported by other members of the Waze community, these dangers can be of several types: vehicle stopped, object or dead animal on the tracks, pothole, roadworks, accident, localized weather event, etc.

The app automatically recalculates your trip to dodge traffic jams, lets you find the cheapest fuel on your route, and even incorporates buttons to control the soundtrack of your trip. Waze can indeed connect to various audio playback applications, including Deezer, Spotify, Tidal, and many more.

The latest update of the application inaugurates a new interface, more aesthetic and more colorful, which adopts the codes of flat design.

• Download Waze for Android (Free)
• Download Waze for iPhone (Free)

2. HERE WeGo

Formerly HERE Maps, HERE WeGo is a complete, free GPS apps that can work completely offline. HERE WeGo brings together the detailed routes of all your means of transport (car, bike, public transport, walking, etc.) within a clear and easily manipulated interface.

The application clearly has nothing to envy a paid app of the same kind. It can work on a similar model to Waze, downloading map data on the fly, but also offers to save maps to store them locally on your device. While it is possible to download the complete map of a country, HERE WeGo, in order to save storage space, also suggests that you restrict the download of a map to a specific region.

The application includes a full voice guidance function, in several languages ​​which can be downloaded. Connected to the Internet, the application is able to retrieve valuable information such as the state of road traffic, the many points of interest that surround you and even offers to guide you in public transport in many cities around the world.

HERE WeGo also has several partnerships with giants such as TripAdvisor, BlaBlaCar, or even Expedia to help you find a good table near you or to find a carpooling on your way.

• Download Here WeGo for Android (Free)
• Download Here WeGo for iPhone (Free)

3. Google Maps

A true all-rounder GPS application, Google Maps allows you to search for a route on foot, by public transport, by car or by bike. The application integrates a navigation system with full voice guidance to accompany you on the road. Relying on Google’s excellent mapping, but also on traffic information from the Waze application, Google Maps is able to automatically calculate an alternative route depending on traffic conditions.

The mapping interface in navigation mode is clear and makes it a point of honor to make your route easier to understand: a lane indicator is, for example, available to prevent you from missing an exit or a fork.

Google Maps is extremely useful if you need to change your route to stop at a restaurant or gas station. A tap on the search icon allows you to find gas stations, restaurants, grocery stores and other cafes very quickly, without having to enter text thanks to the voice search.

And if you had to use the app without an internet connection, Google Maps allows you to locally download the maps you need.

• Download Google Maps for Android (Free)
• Download Google Maps for iPhone (Free)

4. Mappy

MappyGPS Free is no longer. The route planning service has discontinued its GPS application to consolidate the functions it offered within its main Mappy app. It therefore allows you to plan your routes by comparing all modes of transport. The app takes real-time traffic into account to ensure an accurate journey time. The different routes offered by Mappy are listed directly under the simulated route and are accompanied by suggestions for alternative transport (public transport, carpooling, and even bicycle).

By combining the GPS guidance module with the route planning application, Mappy becomes extremely complete and is a serious competitor against the market leaders, in particular because it is able to provide a realistic estimate of the cost of the trip. (fuel consumption + toll). In addition, during a route, it will allow you to quickly find the points of interest that surround you using an “on my route” button displayed at the bottom of the navigation window.

Here you can search for directions to find hotels, restaurants, gas stations and more on your route.

And, the icing on the cake, Mappy can boast of being one of the only GPS applications “designed, built and tested in France”.

• Download Mappy for Android (Free)
• Download Mappy for iPhone (Free)

5. MAPS.ME

Based on the free OpenStreetMap mapping, MAPS.ME is completely free and immediately offers users to download the mapping for offline use. Each time you search for a route, the application will check if you already have the map relating to the trip, and if not, it will download once and for all, the portion of the map concerned. You will be able to choose to download the maps at the scale of a country, a region, a department and even a city.

All maps in the application are updated regularly using data provided by the millions of contributors to OpenStreeMap. In addition, as long as a map is stored locally on your smartphone, all future route searches in the area will work offline.

In addition to offering routes by car, MAPS.ME also offers to create routes by bike, ensuring that you take routes suitable for this mode of travel, anywhere in the world.

The application integrates many other services allowing, for example, to order an Uber ride or to make a hotel reservation via Booking.com, all directly from the application.

• Download Maps.me for Android (Free)
• Download Maps.me for iPhone (Free)

Verdict

Do you still have to go through the cash register to benefit from a powerful GPS? Unless you need a specific premium feature, the answer is no. The big players in the GPS application market offer convincing free solutions, each with their own advantages and disadvantages.

Waze excels at real-time news. Thanks to a huge community of users, the information is up to date and overall very accurate. We think in particular of traffic jams and slowdowns, but also reports of accidents or dangers such as vehicles stopped on the side. At the slightest problem, Waze is responsive and automatically adjusts your route to waste as little time as possible. The cartography also has the merit of being up to date earlier than with the competition. A neighborhood out of the ground will be indicated after a few weeks in Waze when it takes several months in others.

If, however, you are looking for a complete GPS accessible offline, especially because you plan to travel abroad, HERE WeGo is undoubtedly the best solution to adopt. The mapping is complete, the interface clear, and navigation within the application is easy. Note also that HERE WeGo, in addition to being usable by car, is particularly practical if you have to wander on foot once you arrive at your destination.