{"id":60092,"date":"2014-02-15T20:43:04","date_gmt":"2014-02-15T18:43:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/onsoftware.en.softonic.com\/?p=60092"},"modified":"2025-07-02T00:52:48","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T07:52:48","slug":"is-google-maps-better-than-apple-maps-and-nokia-here-we-put-them-to-the-test-in-barcelona","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/is-google-maps-better-than-apple-maps-and-nokia-here-we-put-them-to-the-test-in-barcelona\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Google Maps better than Apple Maps and Nokia HERE? We put them to the test in Barcelona"},"content":{"rendered":"

Google Maps, Apple Maps\u00a0or Nokia HERE?<\/strong> Which is\u00a0the best navigation app for your smartphone?<\/p>\n

Google Maps is the most popular smartphone navigation app<\/a>, but does it really deserve all the praise it gets? We wanted to pit it against two of its fiercest competitors, Apple Maps<\/a> and Nokia HERE<\/a>, and see which app really deserves the top spot.<\/p>\n

We decided to leave the comfort of our newsroom to test them out, using them to complete a fun-filled course\u00a0under real-world conditions<\/strong> in Barcelona, Spain. Our mission? To prove\u00a0which is the most effective<\/strong> in everyday life<\/strong>. Recommendations, offline mode, and public transport timetables\u2013 we tested the functions you use most often in order\u00a0to determine whether Google Maps, Apple Maps, or Nokia HERE truly deserves the prize for the best mobile <\/strong>navigation app.<\/p>\n

The Great Softonic Maps\u00a0Challenge<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The rules of the Great Softonic Maps Challenge <\/em>were simple. Each competitor had to perform three<\/strong> navigation<\/strong> tests<\/strong> with only the help of their default smartphone navigation app, in the shortest time possible.<\/strong><\/p>\n

For the first test, we had to walk to a pre-selected location\u00a0without using an\u00a0internet connection<\/strong>. For the second task, we had to use public transport to find the headquarters of an organization\u00a0without knowing the address. For the ultimate challenge, we had to use our navigation apps to find a shop selling cupcakes<\/strong>!<\/p>\n

Baptiste and\u00a0Apple Maps, the new kid on the block<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\"Apple<\/p>\n

So, I got stuck with Apple Maps and its teething problems<\/strong>. At least this was the first thought that came to mind a few days before this test, designed to compare Google Maps, Apple Maps\u00a0and Nokia HERE. Some of\u00a0my colleagues tried to reassure me by telling me that Apple Maps uses Barcelona as a test city, but I wasn’t totally convinced. At least it kept things interesting.<\/p>\n

Before starting the first test \u2013\u00a0reaching a point on the map without using an internet connection \u2013\u00a0I decided to frantically take\u00a0screen<\/strong> shots<\/strong> of the route, just in case. Fortunately, none of this was necessary. Just like Google Maps, Apple Maps keeps the data<\/strong> you’ve accessed in the cache, which allowed me to easily find my way to the first checkpoint. Using GPS and the route stored in the cache, all I needed to do was\u00a0enlarge or reduce the map to know exactly where I was headed.<\/p>\n

\"Apple<\/p>\n

Apple Maps keeps the data you’ve accessed in the cache<\/em><\/p>\n

30 minutes after the start, I completed\u00a0the first mission. The next, it turns out, would be a little more complicated…<\/p>\n

\"Baptiste\"<\/p>\n

30 minutes after I left, I completed the first task<\/em><\/p>\n

The control point for\u00a0the second test was on the other side of the city. I was determined to overtake Samuel and Markus, so\u00a0I began looking for the fastest route<\/strong> to reach my goal. The first plus point: Apple Maps\u00a0knew where I had to go. But to my surprise, the service didn’t know of any\u00a0bus routes or subway lines, <\/strong>let alone their timetables!<\/p>\n

\"apple<\/p>\n

Apple Maps didn’t know any bus routes or metro lines<\/em><\/p>\n

I resigned myself to following what little information my\u00a0iPhone did give me. Along the way, I came across a bus stop<\/strong>. After a quick glance at the map, I made my decision. Aside from a traffic jam that made \u200b\u200bme lose a few precious minutes, the rest of the journey\u00a0took place without incident and 50 minutes later,\u00a0I arrived safely.<\/p>\n

\"Baptiste<\/p>\n

Gah! Rush hour traffic!
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

Time for the 3rd challenge: quickly find a bakery where you can\u00a0buy cupcakes. Confident, I began a search for nearby cupcakes<\/strong> with Apple Maps. The application suggested an address that was only\u00a0a few meters away. The shopkeeper’s answer to my question? “Cupcakes? No… we sell pancakes.”<\/p>\n

\"No<\/p>\n

There were no cupcakes in this shop window…<\/em><\/p>\n

First fail. I then went along to\u00a0the second store indicated\u00a0by the application. Still no cupcakes. Disappointed, I was about to go to the 3rd address offered by Apple Maps when I came across a shop that\u00a0wasn’t indexed <\/strong>by the application. To my delight, the window was full of beautiful cupcakes! Mission accomplished, no thanks to Apple Maps.<\/p>\n

\"Apple-Maps-Results\"<\/h3>\n

Markus and\u00a0Nokia HERE, the strong, silent contender…<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\"Nokia-Maps-Header\"<\/p>\n

The first to set off on\u00a0this challenge, I left pretty confident. In fact, Nokia HERE was the only one\u00a0of the 3\u00a0tested to offer a method of offline navigation <\/strong>worthy of the name, and the application had performed well when I used it on\u00a0several car trips. I felt pretty happy just looking up the addresses for the challenges\u00a0and following the instructions on the screen.<\/p>\n

I didn’t encounter any\u00a0real difficulties\u00a0with Nokia HERE. The service works well and provides clear directions<\/strong> that are enhanced by a simple interface that’s worthy of the best professional navigation solutions. Even the satellite view<\/strong> continued to display in offline<\/strong> mode, which helped me to work out where I was,\u00a0even when the GPS was running slow.<\/p>\n

\"Nokia<\/p>\n

Nokia HERE provides clear directions<\/em><\/p>\n

Once at the first meeting point, my joy was short-lived: Baptiste was hot on my heels and it only took\u00a0a few minutes for him to catch me up! The reason why? Along the way, HERE had taken me down\u00a0a dead end<\/strong> and I had to double back to carry on with my journey. In the end, I only\u00a0lost 5 minutes, but without this mishap, I would’ve definitely been in first place!<\/p>\n

For the next challenge, I followed the recommendations provided by\u00a0HERE Transit<\/strong><\/a>, the app that’s\u00a0part of the Nokia HERE suite dedicated to public transport. It’s a simple and effective strategy that really paid off.<\/p>\n

\"markus<\/p>\n

HERE Transit showed me a simple and effective route to take<\/em><\/p>\n

However, it wasn’t always easy to juggle between screens<\/strong> and I would have preferred\u00a0to use a single application. However, once I\u00a0mastered the digital gymnastics<\/strong> involved in this operation, I was able to\u00a0continue on my journey very easily. A plus point is that Nokia HERE distinguished between\u00a0the different parts of the journey really well. It made\u00a0it clear which parts were on foot, and which were on the subway \u2013 it’s this precision<\/strong> that allowed me to arrive first<\/strong> for\u00a0the second stage.<\/p>\n

\"Nokia<\/p>\n

Nokia HERE showed which parts of the journey were on foot<\/em><\/p>\n

I got a nasty\u00a0surprise with the last mission, however:\u00a0find a cupcake based on the recommendations<\/strong> on HERE. The\u00a0Nokia application\u00a0draws its recommendations from\u00a0the\u00a0Tripadvisor<\/a> database, a solution that works pretty well for hotels<\/strong> or restaurants<\/strong>, but shows its limitations<\/strong> when you get to more sophisticated queries!<\/p>\n

\"cupcakes\"<\/p>\n

I decided to join forces with Samuel and Google…<\/em><\/p>\n

Basically, there was no information <\/strong>about\u00a0cupcakes<\/strong> in the area where I needed to look. Unable to complete the final test, I decided to join Samuel and Google<\/strong>. The surprise came when Google Maps showed him a famous bakery specializing in cupcakes just around the corner!<\/strong> The cupcakes from the Amelia bakery in the Gracia district <\/a>were so good that I forgot the race and the final standings. After all, all’s well that ends well, right?<\/p>\n

\"Nokia-Maps-Results\"<\/p>\n

Samuel and\u00a0Google Maps, a sure bet<\/strong><\/h3>\n

<\/strong>\"Google<\/p>\n

For me, Google Maps is the\u00a0ideal navigation app. As far as I’m concerned, it’s perfect<\/strong> and I was really confident when I took on\u00a0the first stage. Google Maps has a dedicated offline mode<\/strong>, at least in theory…unfortunately for me, Barcelona is one of the few places it doesn’t actually work! Just minutes from the start of the competition, I decided to search for my route and leave the app\u00a0open <\/strong>on my smartphone.<\/p>\n

\"Google<\/p>\n

The application continued to work as if nothing had happened<\/em><\/p>\n

To my surprise, when I lost the data connection, the application continued to operate<\/strong> as if nothing had happened. Better still, my progress was even shown in real time using the GPS<\/strong><\/a>. It’s a pretty nifty feature that allowed me to complete the first stage of the challenge in less than 30 minutes and catch Baptiste<\/strong>!<\/p>\n

\"sam<\/p>\n

I was even able to catch up with Baptiste!<\/em><\/p>\n

After taking a quick\u00a0souvenir photo, I looked at\u00a0my route for\u00a0the second part of the challenge. I had to leave the hills above Barcelona to go to an address located in the city center as quickly as possible. Once I’d reactivated my connection, I used the search engine in Google Maps to find the fastest route to my destination<\/strong>, meaning\u00a0I had to walk to the nearest metro station.<\/p>\n

I was just climbing a steep hill when I saw Markus’ red jacket ahead of me. With a\u00a0little effort I could catch him\u00a0too! But rather than listen to my senses, I decided to blindly trust Google Maps … So I end up taking the wrong road<\/strong>! I’d lost Markus… and some precious minutes.<\/p>\n

\"Amelia<\/p>\n

A bakery specializing in cupcakes was waiting for us nearby<\/em><\/p>\n

A handful of metro stops and a short walk got me to the second stage of the challenge. The time had come to join the meeting point for\u00a0the ultimate test: the quest for the legendary cupcake<\/strong><\/em>. By the greatest of coincidences, a small company specializing in cupcakes was waiting just around\u00a0the corner<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"cupcakes<\/p>\n

The owners gave us a warm welcome<\/em><\/p>\n

10 minutes later, I arrived at the Amelia bakery<\/a> in\u00a0the company of Markus. After a well deserved cupcake, I used Google Maps to leave a recommendation<\/strong> and\u00a0thank the owners for their warm welcome!<\/p>\n

\"Google-Maps-Results\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

Results<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\"Podium\"<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

Google Maps is our overall champion <\/strong>with only 1h\u00a015m on the clock for the 3 tests, as compared to\u00a01h\u00a035m for\u00a0Nokia Here and 1h 45m for\u00a0Apple Maps. The Google navigation app\u00a0was particularly effective in offline<\/strong> mode and the formidable power of its search engine<\/strong> proved itself over\u00a0the last two events. It receives a\u00a0final ranking that reflects its nine years of innovation and confirms\u00a0the dominance of Google in the field of mobile navigation.<\/p>\n

Which apps would you like us to test in the next Great Softonic\u00a0Challenge?<\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Google Maps, Apple Maps\u00a0or Nokia HERE? Which is\u00a0the best navigation app for your smartphone? Google Maps is the most popular smartphone navigation app, but does it really deserve all the praise it gets? We wanted to pit it against two of its fiercest competitors, Apple Maps and Nokia HERE, and see which app really deserves … Continue reading “Is Google Maps better than Apple Maps and Nokia HERE? We put them to the test in Barcelona”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2037,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","wpcf-pageviews":0},"categories":[],"tags":[2346],"usertag":[],"vertical":[],"content-category":[],"class_list":["post-60092","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","tag-app-subdomain-redirectiongoogle-maps"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60092","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2037"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60092"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60092\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":331332,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60092\/revisions\/331332"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60092"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60092"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60092"},{"taxonomy":"usertag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/usertag?post=60092"},{"taxonomy":"vertical","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vertical?post=60092"},{"taxonomy":"content-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/content-category?post=60092"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}