Google Maps vs Waze vs Apple Maps — Best mobile navigation apps in South Africa
South Africans have a wide range of mobile navigation apps they can use to find the fastest routes to destinations or travel without getting lost.
A recent MyBroadband poll showed that our readers had an overwhelming preference for Google Maps.
When asked which navigation app they preferred, 1,558 out of 2,263 participants chose Google Maps — about 68.8%.
At least a part of this dominance could be attributed to the app shipping pre-installed on devices that run Android, the most popular mobile operating system (OS) in South Africa.
However, many people on iPhones also prefer to use Google Maps instead of their default option — Apple Maps.
Apple Maps recorded a measly 52 votes — about 2.3% of the total — despite iOS having around 16% market share in South Africa.
The app with the next highest number of votes — Waze — came in a distant second, with 518 participants opting for the more colourful platform. That worked out to about 28.9% of the total vote.
Like Google Maps, Waze is available on Android and iOS, allowing it to grow on both platforms.
Smaller apps like TomTom Go raked in 36 votes, while Huawei’s Petal Maps garnered 34 votes. “Other” unspecified apps racked up 65 votes.
The chart below shows the percentage of MyBroadband readers who preferred to use various navigation apps, according to a poll in April 2024.
MyBroadband compared the three most popular navigation apps from our poll to help readers choose the ideal option for them.
Our analysis was based on first-hand experience and additional inputs from reputable tech websites.
In short, the main strengths contributing to Google Maps’ popularity, aside from its default status on Android, are the extensive data sources from which it draws its information, including its vast Street View network, which provides on-the-ground 360-degree photos of many of South Africa’s streets and roads.
This gives the app detailed and up-to-date navigation and mapping information.
There is general consensus that Apple Maps has improved its map accuracy significantly since launch, but its Street View-equivalent, Look Around, is far behind.
Apple Maps has an edge in its ease of use, with a simplified, intuitive design, compared to the more cluttered interfaces of Google Maps and Waze.
Waze is aimed at a more niche audience interested in customisation and community participation.
While it is owned by Google, with its wealth of data sources, Waze’s killer feature is crowdsourced data. It relies on real-time and historical data from users to grow its algorithm and better understand traffic trends.
It is also more suited to those comfortable occasionally travelling on lesser-known routes, which might require more familiarity with an area.
That makes Waze less of an attractive option when travelling to a destination far from your home or regular hangouts.
The table below highlights how Apple Maps, Google Maps, and Waze compare in terms of features and capabilities.
| Navigation apps compared | |||
| Apple Maps | Google Maps | Waze | |
| Supported mobile platforms | iOS, Apple CarPlay | Android, iOS, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay | Android, iOS, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay |
| Map accuracy | Good | Excellent | Good |
| Alternative route suggestions | Optional and tends to stick to major routes | Optional and tends to stick to major routes | Actively redirects user along faster, less-travelled routes using proprietary algorithm. Might require more familiarity with area for safe navigation. |
| Interface and ease of use | Excellent, simple to understand and intuitive | Good | Fair, could be too cluttered for some users |
| Data sources for traffic conditions |
|
|
|
| Road hazard and speed camera alerts | Supports crowdsourced submissions but has fewer contributions than Waze | Supports crowdsourced submissions but has fewer contributions than Waze | Active crowdsourced community with higher number of reports |
| Business and other location discovery tools | Look Around offers first-hand look at street addresses in 80 major cities or towns, none in South Africa | Street View offers first-hand look at street addresses in over 3,000 cities and towns, including most populated parts of South Africa | None |
| Appearance personalisation | Limited, includes:
|
Limited, includes:
|
Extensive. includes:
|
| Integration | Only works on iOS, iPadOS, and MacOS | Works best with Android devices | Less integrated than Apple Maps and Google Maps |
| Satellite update frequency | 1–3 years | 1–3 years | Not applicable |
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