Platforms and Offline Downloads
Google Maps and Waze are both owned by Google and are free to use. After all, Google is just in it to harvest your sweet data (unless you stop the company from tracking you). You are likely to get the most use out of the apps on your mobile phone, and fortunately, both are available on Android and iOS devices.
Google Maps is also easily accessible via a web browser. I’ve checked potential routes countless times on my PC before actually heading out, and then used the mobile app to pivot plans on the fly. Google Maps even lets you download maps for offline turn-by-turn navigation, a modern equivalent of printing a physical map. This saves you the trouble of relying on potentially unreliable mobile networks to reach your destination.
Waze also offers a browser-based version. However, its offline functionality is much less helpful. You can't download maps, for example. You also must be online when you start a trip. Your trip won't end if your connection drops, but you will lose access to all the helpful information Waze provides, such as accident alerts and sudden road closures notifications.
Winner: Google Maps
Map Details
Google Maps presents virtual worlds rich with information to help you navigate more efficiently. You can zoom out to see the entire planet or zoom in to get a closer look at an individual business, complete with contact information, photos of the storefront, and user reviews. You can even go inside certain buildings. Maps display satellite and terrain imagery, along with 3D topographical features. The robust maps enable the Street View feature, which gives you an impressive, panoramic view of a location. The cool new Immersive Navigation feature is aimed at drivers—it serves up 3D routes and photorealistic images, giving you a highly visual way to plan your trip. With it, you can use a slider to see how the route looks at different times of day (for example, dusk versus dawn), helping you better identify where you're headed.
Waze can't compete with this level of detail. Its maps are much flatter and simpler in comparison. Of course, that presentation fits the app's mission to assist drivers first and foremost rather than digitally recreate the whole planet. The relative lack of visual clutter makes Waze’s interface easier to read than Google Maps. Still, if you are going to unfamiliar areas, it's helpful to have as much identifying information as possible. Google Maps simply gives you more to work with.
Winner: Google Maps
Helping Drivers
Navigation apps can help cyclists plan the best routes and pedestrians find new hiking trails. But, for many folks, driving a car is still the preferred way to get anywhere. This is where Waze shines. Helping drivers is the app's entire purpose, and its flagship features revolve around that goal. It saves and lets you easily access frequent routes. You can also join the Waze community to share real-time information on accidents, bad weather, and other factors that might impact driving. The app can even route for different vehicle types, such as electric cars and motorcycles. And it always knows where the next rest stop is.
Waze's driver-focused features are so good that you will find some of them in Google Maps, which draws on Waze data to plan its driving routes. Like Waze, Google Maps' voice instructions give directions, so you keep both hands on the wheel. Overall, Google Maps is a fine choice for drivers, too, but it isn't the app’s sole focus like Waze is. Google Maps is better with other forms of transportation, such as buses and subways.
Winner: Waze
Extra Features and AI Tools
Exploring the Google Maps app can be as fun as exploring the world using Google Maps. The many fun Google Maps tricks include adding multiple destinations to a single trip, cool augmented reality "time travel" experiences, and scanning your current location for points of interest. Google Maps integrates with Instacart for grocery delivery and Lyft for hailing a ride. And with the Gemini AI-powered Ask Maps feature, you can speak a question to receive useful answers and photos in an easily digestible manner. Asking for, say, a coffee shop near your home prompts Google Maps to summarize user reviews into information-packed bullet points so you can make a decision based on the menu, vibe, and service. Ask Maps can also create a vacation itinerary by suggesting points of interest (and recommend the appropriate attire based on the weather).
Since so much of Waze is an aural experience (you must listen to directions while driving), the app's extra features focus on sound. You can download free celebrity voice packs, so you can listen to actors like Morgan Freeman or Liam Neeson tell you where to turn next. Waze also integrates with streaming music services, such as Amazon Music and Spotify. Like Google Maps, Waze taps Google Gemini for AI-powered map features, but in a different manner. The most notable is Conversational Reporting, which lets you speak about a road incident ("I'm stuck in traffic," for example) and have the AI share that info with other drivers in your area. It's a useful tool for drivers, but Google Maps simply does more with AI.
Winner: Google Maps