Waze vs Apple Maps: Navigation Apps Face-Off In 2024

Waze is a satellite navigation software developed in Israel by Waze Mobile that offers turn-by-turn navigation on smartphones. On the other hand, Apple Maps is a web mapping service that Apple Inc. created to provide navigation services to iOS, macOS, iPadOS, and watchOS devices.

These two services have been around for a long time and with millions of users, it’s time we compared them to see which one works better.

In this article, I’ll highlight how Waze and Apple Maps work, the key differences and similarities, and pit them against each other in critical areas like navigation accuracy, usability, design, device compatibility, etc.

If you’ve been thinking of getting either of these navigation apps but are undecided on the one to go for, you’ve come to the right place.

Overview of Waze

Waze has been around since 2006 and started as Freemaps Israel. It’s a navigation app that provides route guidance and traffic information to help users navigate around more efficiently.

Over the years, the app has undergone many changes, including a change of name, to become one of the most used navigation apps in the world.

A significant Waze event happened in 2013 when Google acquired it for $1.3 billion. This was the catalyst that put Waze on the map, allowing it to compete with other established giants in the market like Apple Maps.

Waze Features

Some key Waze features that have made it a reliable navigation app include the following.

Route Guidance

Photo by Pixabay/Pexels

The primary purpose of a navigation app is to show a user accurate routes, and that’s a role that Waze executes perfectly. You get turn-by-turn navigation, meaning the app recalibrates itself every turn, giving you the most updated information.

Furthermore, based on real-time conditions, the app will suggest better and alternative routes if you are in an unfamiliar place. This makes it hard for the user to get lost even when obstacles are on the way.

Online Integration

Another valuable feature that makes Waze very efficient is its seamless integration with other online services and platforms. For instance, you can link Waze with Apple Music or Spotify to control your music playlists directly from the navigation app without launching the music apps.

Other exciting functionalities that will enhance your overall experience with the app is its integration with other utility apps like the weather for real-time updates on what to expect with the conditions outside or the calendar, where you receive automated suggestions based on your schedules. This allows you to plan your travels better.

Traffic Updates

Photo by Gije Cho/Pexels

Another underrated feature of the Waze app is the ability to display real-time traffic updates on the roads around you. The app continuously scans the area around you, collecting real-time data from its vast user community to provide you with the most accurate information.

This allows users to make split-second decisions on their route to save time and avoid getting caught in a nasty traffic snarl-up. You can also get information through this feature: accident reports, road closures, or blockages by natural elements like floods or trees.

Points of Interests

Better known as POIs, these are valuable bits of information on essential landmarks and services you may need while traveling. They include hotels, motels, restaurants, gas stations, and parking lots so users can search for nearby POIs to choose the fastest route without getting lost or asking other people for directions.

Community-Driven Reporting

Photo by Leah Kelley/Pexels

While most navigation apps rely entirely on satellites to provide the most accurate and updated information, Waze has a different approach, taking advantage of the information provided by other users to provide real-time data.

This is how you find information on an ongoing accident, police operations, availability of amenities like gas stations and parking slots, and other road incidents. This level of collaboration is what makes Waze a reliable navigation app.

Gamification

Waze has a fun element to it rather than the boring usability that most of the other navigation apps offer. It has several game integrations and elements that engage users and motivates them to use the app for their navigation needs.

Waze users can earn points and compete with friends and other users while unlocking different kinds of achievements. It’s hard to get bored when using this navigation app, even when you’re stuck in traffic, and that’s one of the things that sets it apart from other similar apps.

Carpooling Information

You can also share rides through Waze using the carpooling feature and connect with other riders in your area, where you can use the same vehicle to save on time, money, and fuel. This is also a perfect way to reduce road congestion and a sustainable way of moving around.

Pros & Cons of Using Waze

Pros

Here are some notable advantages of using Waze for navigation.

• Waze provides real-time traffic updates that can be helpful for its users. By knowing what’s happening on your route, you can make plans in advance to take another one and avoid congestion.
• It offers a dynamic route optimization feature that recalibrates itself to give you the best route to take no matter how many turns you make on the road. This is helpful when you’re in unfamiliar areas.
• There’s voice-guided navigation which is a good alternative when you’re too busy with your hands. You get timely instructions that are clear to ensure you don’t miss any important exit or turn.
• Waze has high integration with other apps that are outside its ecosystem. You can listen to Spotify music directly from within the app and that makes it a fun app to have around.
• The community-generated data is very helpful when it comes to providing real-time information as things unfold on the road.
• Waze also provides Points of Interest features that show users where they can get important services like gas, a parking space, or a place to just rest from long travels.
• Waze is free of charge and you can install it on smartphones and tablets running on Android or iOS.

Cons

However innovative as this app may be, some shortcomings can make navigating a task. They include the following.

• Waze uses up too much battery power. Considering the vast range of functionalities Waze provides, like app integrations and real-time updates, the app consumes much battery power.
• The app isn’t completely accurate. Although community-driven reporting provides necessary information as things happen, relying on reports of other users without proper verification can lead to misinformation.
• You can’t effectively use it offline. Like most navigation apps, you can’t do much on Waze without internet connectivity. This is a huge disadvantage. The app offers pre-downloaded routes that are less reliable.
• The Waze user interface is too clanky, making using it an issue. Primarily if you’re used to simple navigation apps. Keeping your focus when using the app is very hard.
• While being able to listen to your favorite songs directly through Waze is a cool touch, the likelihood of getting distracted is high and this can be very risky.

Also Read: Best GPS Apps

Overview of Apple Maps

Apple Maps is more widely known as it is the official navigation app for all iOS devices. It comes pre-installed on most Apple products. Apple Maps has been around since 2012, and it was designed to replace Google Maps, the default navigation app for Apple products.

In its infancy, the app had a lot of issues, especially accuracy, but a lot has changed over the years. Through a series of partnerships and software updates, Apple Maps now stands among the best navigation apps in the market, with high accuracy and functionality scores.

Apple Maps Features

Notable Apple Maps features that make it an ideal navigation app include the following.

Privacy and Security

Photo by Miguel Á. Padriñán/Pexels

Apple has made a name for itself for being a bastion of user privacy and security, and those qualities are present in most of its apps, including Apple Maps.

It’s equipped with end-to-end encryption, which means the locations you visit and any other information you input into the app are for your eyes only. No one else, including Apple, can see what you’re up to or where you’re going.

Places of Interests

Like Waze, Apple Maps has Places of Interest where you receive updated information on social amenities. These include restaurants, recreational joints, hotels, gas stations, airports, shopping malls, and other large venues that may interest you.

This saves you time and lets you make plans on the go. For example, you can decide to avoid certain places if you see that the parking lot is already full.

Check Out: Best Police Scanner Apps

Navigation

Photo by Mike Bird/Pexels

Like Waze, you get turn-by-turn navigation and directions that point you to the exact destination you want to go to as accurately as possible. This comes bundled with clear voice guidance that you can customize to sound how you want it to.

Apple Maps goes further than Waze by incorporating other helpful features like lane guidance, derailed directions with all the landmarks showing, and even provides you with estimated arrival times.

Flyover Tours

This is one of my favorite Apple Maps features. It gives you a 3D tour of the top world landmarks and cities. With this, you can explore and check out exciting places from different angles, giving you a unique experience. If you’re ever bored using Apple Maps, switch to Flyover to kill time until the road clears up.

Traffic Updates

Photo by Artem Zhukov/Pexels

Apple Maps also offers real-time traffic updates that provide users with instant data on what’s happening on roads around them.

Unlike Waze, which primarily uses community-based information, Apple Maps mainly relies on satellite information, which tends to be more accurate but it’s not as immediate as user updates.

With this, you can know which roads are congested, where the accidents are, and the road conditions so you can use alternate routes to reach your destination on time.

Also Read: Google Earth vs Google Maps

Transit Directions

This is information regarding transit routes frequented by trains, buses, and other public transport vehicles in some cities. This feature is beneficial as it provides accurate information on the nearby stations, the shortest transit routes, and travel schedules.

This makes it easy for people to plan ahead of time to avoid being inconvenienced by any surprises on the road.

Indoor Maps

Photo by Naim Benjelloun/Pexels

Apple Maps does one better than Waze by incorporating an indoor maps feature that gives you a complete outlay of some notable interior spaces many people frequent.

These include shopping malls, indoor arenas, airport lunges, and complex buildings. It provides section names that users can follow to find the exact point they may seek.

CarPlay & Siri Integration

You can sync your Apple Maps to your CarPlay and access the map directly from the vehicle display. And since this display is usually bigger than a phone and is reachable when driving, it becomes more convenient and safer than having to glance at your device every few seconds.

You can also connect Apple Maps to Siri and ask it for directions. This is more effective if you’re using a bustling road where you can’t afford to take your eyes off the road.

Check Out: Best Google Earth Alternatives

Pros & Cons of using Apple Maps

Pros

Here are some of the advantages of using Apple Maps for your day-to-day navigation needs.

• The app works seamlessly within the Apple ecosystem. You can sync it with Siri for better voice navigation or with CarPlay to make use of the huge and clear interactive screen for better navigation.
• Users get the best privacy and security features that ensure all the places they go to remain hidden, even from Apple itself.
• The Flyover 3D view is an interesting feature that gives you a better sense of where you may be, making navigation more immersive.
• Apple Maps has a clean and intuitive user interface that’s not cluttered and is easy to use. This is helpful in situations where you may not have time to check your device for quick information.
• The app also updates users with real-time traffic information by suggesting alternative routes that allow you to reach your destination on time.
• There’s an indoor maps feature that gives detailed directions inside prominent buildings like airports or malls.
• Apple Maps receives regular updates which adds new information that makes navigation much easier.

Cons

No single navigation app is infallible, and Apple Maps isn’t an exception. Here are some of the cons of using Apple Maps

• There’s very little you can achieve with Apple Maps if you’re not connected to the internet. The pre-downloaded maps don’t offer the most recent information.
• Despite enormous improvements and additions over the years, Apple Maps still has some occasional accuracy issues. That’s why regularly updating the app is necessary.
• The transit maps are limited and are not that efficient or accurate in rural or smaller towns. The navigation app struggles in complex transit systems in busier cities.
• The lack of user input also affects the accuracy of real-time updates. In remote areas where satellite information may not be accurate, getting lost is easy.
• Apple Maps doesn’t integrate well with other apps that are outside the Apple ecosystem and that limits its ability to better serve users, like Waze.
• This navigation app is designed to work on Apple products only so unless you have a compatible product it won’t be of much help.

Also Read: Best Zoom Earth Alternatives

Waze vs Apple Maps: Head-to-Head Comparisons

Now that we have broken down each navigation app’s main features and shortcomings. How do the two apps square? Here’s a look at how they performed when pitted against each other.

FEATURE	COMPARISON
Offline Functionality	Both apps don’t perform well without an internet connection. You can’t get real-time updates on either when navigating without the internet. Both rely on pre-downloaded apps that aren’t accurate since they’re using stale information and this can be misleading.
Real-Time Traffic Updates	Apple Maps and Waze offer real-time traffic updates, but Waze is a little more accurate because it simultaneously takes advantage of community updates, accident reports, and satellite information. Apple Maps, on the other hand, uses partner sources as well as anonymized user data and satellite info, which may not be as accurate or up-to-date as Waze.
Places of Interest	Both apps provide users with real-time information regarding necessary amenities like refill stations, repair shops, hotels, and any other place where the user may want to stop and take a break. However, Waze is a little more extensive because much of the information is more detailed as other users provide it.
Navigation	Both navigation apps excel at giving directions as they use turn-by-turn navigation, which updates itself depending on the directions you choose to take. Each has a voice guidance system with the best possible accuracy. But Apple Maps has a slight edge over Waze as it also uses Siri to complement the voice option.
Integration	Waze is far better when integrating with other apps outside its ecosystem. This makes it a more fun app, as you can even listen to and control your music from within the app. On the other hand, Apple Maps doesn’t have much support for other apps, especially those outside the Apple ecosystem. But it works very well with other Apple apps.
User Interface	Apple Maps is cleaner and less busy compared to Waze. It serves the primary function of giving directions and providing essential updates occasionally. Meanwhile, Waze has many extra features that may not necessarily be related to navigation, making it slightly clunkier. But the customization level is much higher than Apple Maps. Furthermore, Waze works on both Android and iOS while Apple Maps is limited to Apple products only.
Language Support	Apple Maps is available in 33 languages as of 2023, while Waze supports 50 languages.
Pricing	Both Waze and Apple Maps are free of charge. Apple Maps comes pre-installed on Apple products, while Waze can be downloaded for free from the App Store or the Google Play Store.

Ratings

Waze and Apple Maps have different ratings from different rating websites. For the purposes of uniformity, I chose the App Store for Apple Maps and both the App Store and Google Play Store Waze.

Waze Ratings

Waze has an app rating of 4.9 out of 5 on the App Store from over three million ratings. That’s pretty good. While most of the user ratings and reviews are positive, there are a few negative ones with a lot of them focusing on the battery drain they experience when using Waze.

On Google Play, Waze has a user rating of 4.4 out of 5 from over 8.64 million ratings. Most of the negative reviews are centered around the latest updates with most users complaining that the app was a little better in the past.

Apple Maps Ratings

Apple Maps has a way lower rating on the App Store than Waze with just 2.7 out of 5 from about 17,000 user ratings. The big reason behind this could be due to the fact that the app comes pre-installed so most people don’t have to go to the store to react to how it works like they would if they downloaded it on their own.

That said, a huge number of negative user reviews are focused on a few bugs that cause the app to glitch from time to time.

Also Read: Best Weather Apps For iPad

Final Verdict

Regarding getting directions, Waze and Apple Maps handle that job perfectly well. They share many similarities and functionalities, and they both work on smartphones, making them convenient.

Both apps are also free of charge and easy to use. Both apps have some challenges, but they’re not so significant that they fail to achieve their sole purpose.

Therefore, the choice to go with Apple Maps or Waze comes down to the device you own and your preferences.

If you’re using an Apple product, Apple Maps is the more logical choice, while Waze is a better fit for Android users. Nothing is stopping you from trying both of them either, so go ahead and see how things turn out.