Best Navigation Apps (Top 5) 2022

Navigation Apps For 2022 (Android and iOS)

In this article, I would like to share my favourite GPS navigation apps for hiking, cycling, running, backpacking, driving and generally outdoors off road or on road country roads.

Keep in mind that this list is my personal opinion, I won't be giving a full review on each app in this list, it is simply an overview of each app and how they compare. I will create detailed reviews and tutorials in the future if this post is useful to enough readers.

Personally these are the things I tend to look for with navigation apps. Clean/elegant design, maps that are free or with no monthly subscription. 

That also have an import/export GPX and KML file function, create and plan GPS routes, highest quality maps for Typography, Satellite imagery and easy to read maps, recording routes, turn by turn navigation, altitude graph, current speed and more…

All these apps I mention in this list are available on Android and iOS. (This list is current for the year 2022)

Let’s begin.

Windy Maps

7/10

This app was created by the company Windy. They have their own weather app which is awesome and definitely worth downloading. I use it on a regular basis to get an overview of the weather in my area.

They created another app called Windy Maps, they use another app as a framework by another company called Mapy.cz.

The best feature by far is the weather prediction on the route you create.

You can also download free high quality offline maps within the apps which are from the OpenStreetMap database.

Pros

Elegant design, Easy to use, Weather prediction, Cycling and Hiking trails, Free to use, Easy route planning, fantastic algorithm for route planning

Cons

Search engine needs work, POI’s are less than Google, Limited customizable maps, no import function for GPX files, low quality satellite imagery

Osmand+

8/10

Osmand offers a free version and a full paid version for the low price of 10 euros (which is highly worth the money). They offer many features which the app and it can be very overwhelming for many. This app is definitely for advanced or ethicists who want the best back for the buck. They are not the same company as OpenStreetMaps by the way.

Features I use would be the record routes function, plan and create custom GPX and KML files within the app, and import KML and GPX routes to then navigate these routes.

They have plenty of map layers to download offline from OSM, Waymarked Trails, Eurovelo, Typography and more. You can also overlay different layers on top of each other.

You also have widgets to show you current altitude, GPS Coordinates, Compass, Current moving speed, speed cameras and more.

Pros

Low cost, high functionality, Custom maps, All in one app

Cons

High learning curve, free version has limited downloads, navigation planning is slow and clunky

Google Maps (My Maps, Google Street View and Google Earth)

6/10

Now by far one of the most well known navigation app in the world would be Google Maps. Not just because its free to use Google Maps but also its family apps, Google Street View, Google Earth and Google My Maps. With these three apps all in one it's nearly impossible for someone to get lost if you have a phone with an internet connection.

Now its not perfect and is being updated constantly and they change the look quite often

The main feature I use is to use the free to use high quality 3D satellite imagery and you can then overlay your own custom KML and GPX maps on top of that and then run it in the background.

There are many features I would like to see changed and updated which there are top many to list here. But as an example the offline maps expiry date is too short, generally not the best cycling and walking navigation routes (they work fine in the city but not well of the city) Google navigation for walking and cycling is just not on par with other algorithms I have seen.

Pros

Easy to use, Fast navigation, High quality maps, Street view, Google Earth, Custom My Maps, Dark mode, Fantastic POI database

Cons

Cycling and Walking navigation need improvement, expiry date on offline maps, basic offline maps, no cycling and walking navigation offline

Mapy.cz

You might have noticed that Windy Maps and Mapy.cz share a lot in common with each other, that's because they are technically the same app with different objectives. Long story short this app is updated more frequently and has a few more map layers than Windy but other than that they share a lot in common.

8.5/10

Pros

Elegant design, Easy to use, Cycling and Hiking trails, Free to use, Record routes, easy route planning, fantastic algorithm for route planning

Cons

Search engine needs work, POI’s are less than Google, Limited customizable maps, no import function for GPX files, low quality satellite imagery

I recommend downloading these apps for yourself and seeing which ones work for you, and remember I have my own things that I look for in a navigation app. I recommend you to try out a few and see what works for you.