The best navigation apps, according to hackers
12 navigation apps were recommended on Hacker News between November 2025 and November 2026. We rank them by how many separate people recommend each one, and 1 earns the Hacker Approved badge.
Top pick
The most recommended navigation app with the badge. Each figure is one person. RecommendsCriticizes One comment
Excellent outdoor layer rendering
People recommend Mapy.com for its outdoor map rendering, trail display, and OpenStreetMap-based data. One critic says it charges even for offline maps.
All 12 navigation apps, ranked
Select a column heading to sort. Approval share is recommenders out of everyone who gave an opinion; the tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs. Months counts the months, out of 13, in which someone recommended it.
| Rank | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Google Maps | 272 | 479 | 36% | 12 | 14 yrs4 owners | — |
| 2 | Apple Maps | 145 | 206 | 41% | 12 | 9 yrs5 owners | — |
| 3 | Waze | 27 | 19 | 59% | 10 | — | — |
| 4 | MapQuest | 16 | 14 | 53% | 7 | — | — |
| 5 | Mapy.com | 12 | 1 | 92% | 6 | — | Approved |
| 6 | Cartes | 8 | 7 | 53% | 6 | — | — |
| Tied 7 | Magic Earth | 7 | 3 | 70% | 4 | — | — |
| Tied 7 | Maps on WatchOS | 7 | 2 | 78% | 1 | — | — |
| 9 | HERE WeGo | 6 | 0 | 100% | 5 | — | — |
| Tied 10 | HERE Maps | 5 | 5 | 50% | 4 | — | — |
| Tied 10 | ABRP (A Better Route Planner) | 5 | 1 | 83% | 3 | — | — |
| Tied 10 | Text-Based Google Directions | 5 | 0 | 100% | 1 | — | — |
How we rank
Rank is the number of separate people who recommend a product in a Hacker News comment over the past year. Someone who praises the same navigation app in five threads counts once.
The badge goes to navigation apps that at least 10 people recommend, with recommenders outnumbering critics at least 2 to 1, recommended in at least 4 of the 13 months.
Rankings are never for sale. We may earn a commission when you buy through our links. It never changes the order.