The top 3 pros and cons of using Waze instead of Google Maps

Navigation apps are an essential tool nowadays, providing most people with a solution to crucial commutes within different areas. Waze and Google Maps are among the top and most popular navigation apps which can be used on iOS and Android for free. Waze was designed in 2013 by an Israeli company. However, it was bought by Google which currently owns both Waze and Google Maps (though they both differ in navigation).

Both apps offer a fast way to navigate thanks to data provided both manually and automatically by the user. Drivers can effectively use the apps to report traffic jams and accidents as well as other issues that affect drivers during navigation. However, is Waze better than Google Maps? The two differ in some ways and below is a look at the pros and cons of using Waze and Google Maps.

Pros

Waze gathers information and is fast ensuring that you get the fastest route. This has helped it to create a strong community user base. It also provides a feature that allows users to add their friends, enabling a group of friends to keep track of each other while traveling or simplify the probability of locating a friend on the Waze’s user’s vicinity.

Users can easily connect to Facebook and Google Calendar to find addresses and create direction to their destinations like hotels or cafes along the route or gas station within the vicinity of a fill-up.

It is a great app for factual and real-time traffic updates. Waze crowdsources its data from other drivers who are also on the road within the user’s route and vicinity, constantly updating them with notifications about accidents, traffic jams or a slow down in traffic. Waze also helps users re-route to better routes.

>Waze is faster in terms of loading speed than Google Maps, sending feedback on directions and time to destination whenever a user is traveling in the opposite direction from the specified route. Google Maps is trying to implement some of these features, but Waze currently serves its users more effectively.

Cons

While Waze is a great app for avoiding traffic, sometimes the app sends users on routes through residential areas which can be inconvenient. Switching to Google Maps might be more convenient in this case.

Waze’s design has icons that are difficult to understand with a cluttered layout of the maps. This increases the chances of pressing the wrong button which slows down navigation. In comparison, Google offers much clearer maps which are easier to understand due to the clean interface. Waze’s interface displays maps with other users, among other data, such as police traps and accidents. This can fill up the screen making it hard for users to locate their routes.

With the numerous icons and large data sharing, the battery power and data resources that Waze consumes is high. In comparison to Google Maps, Waze uses up much more battery power since the app still sends and reports data to Waze even when it’s not navigating. This drains the battery as the app runs in the background.

Waze is effective for those who want immediate responses through the internet and saves time when driving. However, for a better interface, Google Maps is a great choice.