Getting from A to B safely is the goal of all travelers. Navigation apps for smartphones can help. The Stiftung Warentest has put seven Android and eight iOS apps to the test for their trade magazine “test”. You can test the Android test winner for three months free of charge.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 The best navigation apps for Android smartphones
2 Google Maps is free, TomTom Go isn’t
3 The best navigation apps for iPhones (iOS)
4th Here WeGo has not been (extensively) tested
5 Exclusively from inside digital: TomTom Go Navigation 3 months free of charge
Stiftung Warentest examined various properties of the selected navigation apps . How well are you doing in terms of routing? How does the handling look like? Are the apps putting too much strain on the smartphone’s battery life? And how high is the data consumption via cellular network while navigating on the cell phone? The result is surprisingly clear. Please note, however, that the test result is only a snapshot. Because many apps have now been adapted via updates.
THE BEST NAVIGATION APPS FOR ANDROID SMARTPHONES
One of the most popular navigation apps on Android smartphones: Google Maps. For Stiftung Warentest, the navigation solution integrated into Google’s map service is an all-round successful smartphone app (“good”, 2.0). Navigation and handling are “good”, and the testers even rate the battery consumption as “very good”. However, there are deductions for data consumption. It is above average, so that there is only too one “satisfactory” in this category. All in all, this is exactly what makes Google Maps the test victory among the navigation apps for Android.
Instead, a competitor gets it. Namely TomTom Go Navigation (“good”, 1.9). The route guidance is also “good” in this app, the battery consumption can be classified as “very good” in the eyes of the testers. The same applies to data consumption. But: The handling is only mediocre under Android due to the below-average voice control. That is why there is only one “satisfactory” from the “test” in this category. The bottom line was that it was still enough for the narrow test victory.
GOOGLE MAPS IS FREE, TOMTOM GO ISN’T
However, the TomTom offer has one major disadvantage compared to Google Maps. It’s not free. After 30 free days, the subscription, which can be canceled at any time, costs 1.99 euros per month. A 6-month plan is available for 8.99 euros, which corresponds to 1.50 euros per month. An annual subscription costs 12.99 euros – the equivalent of 1.08 euros per month. In cooperation with TomTom, we offer you the exclusive opportunity to test the app for three months free of charge. You can find out exactly how this works at the end of this text.
But how did the rest of the tested navigation apps fare on Android? Sygic GPS Navigation, Waze, NNG iGo and TomTom AmiGo all get a “good” in the final bill. Whereby the free TomTom solution fails especially in terms of data consumption (“sufficient”). In the final bill, only a “satisfactory” is enough for the Osmand app. Even though it’s not even free. According to Stiftung Warentest, handling and navigation can only be classified as average. Reason: Osmand is based on the Open Street Map project. All information in the map material is collected by users of the project on a voluntary basis. In some cases, this can lead to house numbers simply being missing. This makes the route to the destination difficult.
THE BEST NAVIGATION APPS FOR IPHONES (IOS)
The test result for navigation apps on iOS is similar. Eight software solutions were put to
the test on iPhones because the Apple Maps solution, which was preinstalled on iOS, was also included in the evaluation. In the end, Google Maps won the test under iOS. With an identical rating in all categories as under Android. The bottom line was that it was still enough for a marginally better rating (“good”, 1.9) after the decimal point. Among other things, because of the slightly better battery consumption values under iOS.
And Apple cards ? The iPhone manufacturer’s navigation solution can also score points in all categories. Good navigation and handling is flanked by low battery consumption and low data consumption in mobile communications. Surprising: Although the Stiftung Warentest assesses the data consumption of Apple maps even better (“good”) than with Google Maps (“satisfactory”), the Apple solution only scores a “good” (2.0) in the final invoice. This is due to a faux pas in the handling segment. According to “test”, Apple does not offer any help here for Apple cards.
The testers all rated Sygic GPS Navigation, TomTom Go Navigation, Waze, NNG iGo and TomTom Amigo as “good”. Even under Android, TomTom AmiGo has by far the worst result in terms of data consumption in mobile communications. On iOS, the testers even punished the free TomTom solution with a “poor” rating. As with Android, Osmand cannot convince with iOS either (“satisfactory”, 2.7).
HERE WEGO HAS NOT BEEN (EXTENSIVELY) TESTED
All navigation apps except Waze, TomTom AmiGo and Apple Maps offer the possibility of offline navigation, i.e. without an active internet connection. Environmental zones in German city centers only recognize Apple cards and Waze. The new version of the free Here WeGo app – also available for Android and iOS – was published too late according to “test” and was therefore not included in the test. Offline maps are also available here, but there is no voice control. In a quick test of the iOS app, the testers also criticized the less clear design compared to the competition.
You can read the complete test of the current navigation apps under Android and iOS in the current issue of “test” (08/2021) .
The best apps for drivers at a glance
EXCLUSIVELY FROM INSIDE DIGITAL: TOMTOM GO NAVIGATION 3 MONTHS FREE OF CHARGE
The strong results of TomTom Go on Android and iOS are due, among other things, to the good route guidance. The
good display in the app and the overall best traffic jam information ensured that the test was won under Android and a place on the podium under iOS. As a reader of inside digital, living in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, you have the exclusive opportunity to test TomTom Go not just for one month, but for a full three months for free . That’s how it works:
After clicking on the link, send the order
Login to an existing TomTom account or create a new account
Place an order for 0 euros
Wait for confirmation by email
Register in the TomTom Go Navigation app and navigate for three months for free
