I ask because I have tried both and neither consistently find destinations I need, and when they do, they don’t route me there in the fastest or most efficient way possible. My first experience with Organic Maps, for instance, tried to turn what was usually a 4 hour drive into a nearly 6 hour drive. I used Google Maps to get there instead.
Google Maps is still the best navigation I’ve used, followed closely by Magic Earth, which gets the job done but still isn’t all that great. I find myself resorting to Google Maps 9 times out of 10 because even Magic Earth will add 15-30 minutes to any trip. Even when I do use Magic Earth, I have to double-check it against Google’s navigation just to make sure I’m not wasting any extra time or gas money on the road.
Also, a little gripe with OSMAnd that probably isn’t too big of a deal, but OSMAnd can’t find anything unless I download my state map. It tells me “nothing found within 5 miles” and gives me the option to expand the radius. But at 10, 15, 20, all the way up to 50 miles, it won’t find I’m looking for. Like I said, not too big a deal since downloading the map of my state solves this issue, but it’s still inconvenient and kind of a waste of internal storage space given that other apps can navigate successfully using online maps.
I’m wondering how any of you get by using OSMAnd / Organic Maps as I’ve seen people post on Lemmy that they do. Am I just missing something? Or are these apps really as bad as I think they are?
Edit: I should specify that I use navigation mainly for driving and Olive in the US. Seems like people biking / hiking in the EU have a bit of an easier time with some of these apps
in France, we’ve been using it for years now and it works fine
its efficiency may depend on the number of volunteers that map a country and France seems to be in top 3. That may explain why it works here
I’ve heard OpenStreetMap isn’t that good in the US because there’s just not enough volunteers there. In germany, however, it’s more up to date than Google Maps from my experience, aside from stores and the like. Routes on Organic Maps are the same as on Google Maps here.
For me it’s at its best when using it offline and without decent phone signal. I mostly use it off the beaten track, cycling, hiking and when needing to understand the terrain. I wouldn’t use it as a substitute for Google maps or Waze though.
Same, would love to switch completely to an OSM based app. But my main use case currently is for hiking, the trails are usually better, and for situations where I have poor cell reception.
I’ve used it exclusively for 5 years for the privacy benefits. Destination and address search is BAD. Navigation is adequate.
EU here. I mostly user Organic Maps and navigation works fine, especially so when going hiking. Some kind souls have mapped even the minutest mountain path throughout the country. Seriously, I think I’ve only had one example where the path wasn’t on the map. And that was a wild trail. AND because I noticed in time, I tracked the trail from start to finish and added it to OSM later that day, so that’s no longer a problem. Gotta love it.
Looking up addresses though… That still needs improving.
Organic maps has never let me down but I am a pedesterian
I’ve used only OSMAnd+ for years, the biggest trick is to get the latitude and longitude coordinates via https://www.latlong.net for your destination. As far as timing, I’ve never experienced longer routes. There are settings to indicate which route types you prefer, but you can also see the different routes to get to the same place and choose accordingly.
I use Magic Earth. It’s proprietary, but uses OSM and I trust it more than Google. It has features for detecting traffic which I care about. I occasionally run into businesses that aren’t labeled on the map, but the majority are. The navigation itself is always great. I live near a college and the campus is far more detailed than on Google Maps.
deleted by creator
I used it on a roadtrip around Utah. There aren’t too many options for roads in the southern part so as long as it takes me home it’s doing its job.
I’m using organic maps almost every day
Usually if i’m not in a rush, and i’m not looking for a place that is definitely not on organic maps
And yes, hiking, long trips, organic map works really great
Also sometimes it’s possible to share a link from gmapsVW to organic, but it’s devastating to find out that this time it got the location wrong
All those apps work fine for me, but I live in a heavily populated urban area, so I imagine the quality of data is probably pretty high here. Magic Earth is by far the best experience, IMO, but I like the extreme customizability of OSMAnd+ (no idea what the + is for though, is there another version that is not as extra?)
I wonder, if you’re having issues with map quality, you might be able to help yourself and everyone else around your area by using the StreetComplete app and/or the OSM website to submit corrections. The changes you make should take effect almost immediately in any app you prefer.
Turn-to-turn driving is one of the few things I use a closed app for. Specifically, Here maps which at least it’s not by Google.
I’ve used organic maps for a while but had a problem in a trip I had to arrive on time and there was a change in the road that wasn’t in open street maps that almost caused me losing a test I had so when I really need to make it I choose Waze lately. And I live in a big city where traffic info is a must so I’m using less of organic maps because of that…Waze gets me off heavy traffic while organic maps doesn’t show arriving time correctly so…great alternative but not that reliable about traffic info depending on your needs
It just doesn’t have the data to find every place you want to find. Didn’t use it for driving directions, but walking directions in South Korea were excellent. Google doesn’t have them!
