Organic Maps impressed me with its elegant UI, effective routing, and good ethics.

cross-posted from: https://psychedelia.ink/post/526072

My impression of Organic Maps immediately improved when I started driving. It talks! It knows exit numbers! It can tell you which lanes to use! Sure, it isn’t as polished as Google Maps, but all of the functionality is present. The UI is high-contrast and easy to read, although I wish the text showing exit numbers/street names was a little bigger. When you’re simply on the road and following directions, Organic Maps feels every bit as intuitive as Google Maps.

As my fiancee and I prepared to set off into the boonies, I plugged in the address of our hotel. About 45 seconds later, Organic Maps returned the 300-mile route to our destination. It can take a lot longer to calculate longer routes using your phone’s processor instead of a huge cloud server. It didn’t really bother me though; 45 seconds is nothing compared to the 6-hour trip ahead. If that’s the cost of using a maps app that doesn’t spray your personal data all over the internet, I’ll pay it.

  • MazonnaCara89@lemmy.ml
    ·
    1 year ago

    And don't forget that organic maps uses osm for the map data and you can make the map better for everyone by using a very simple app called street complete, that let you add shops, street address and a lot more.

  • raptir@lemdro.id
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    1 year ago

    My problem with all of the OSM-based navigation tools is the lack of realtime data. I am trying to move away from Google in general, but 50% of my Google Maps usage is for traffic and closures along routes I know.

  • Atemu@lemmy.ml
    ·
    1 year ago

    Organic Maps has no traffic data

    I'd gladly pay a couple €/month for a live traffic and construction data service from OM.

    It wouldn't even need to be unfree as the service's value would almost entirely be its data, not the software which facilitates it.

  • Yerbouti@lemmy.ml
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    1 year ago

    I traveled around Europe last summer, without data and phone provider, and I can confrim Organic Maps absolutely rocks. Light, responsive, up to date, it's really solid.