# Waze

Hacker Approved page: https://hackerapproved.com/p/waze/

22 people recommended Waze in Hacker News comments, 5 had mixed feelings and 18 criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026. It was recommended in 10 of 12 months, in 18 threads. It does not meet the Hacker Approved badge rule.

**Verdict:** People recommend Waze for live traffic data, police alerts and routing that many rate above Google and Apple Maps, though critics cite ads and account prompts.

Summary written by Claude from 42 comments. It was written before the November 2026 recount, and 41 of those comments still count.

## Why people recommend it

- Better than Google and Apple Maps (7 comments in the sample): "I’ve found Google, Waze, and Apple maps to be a lot better in this respect." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46243820)) "This is one thing Waze I think seems to do better than the competition." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48588033)) "Apple Maps and Waze is better for directions." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48482418))
- Best live traffic information (3 comments in the sample): "nothing seems to come close to either Wave or Google Maps when it comes to traffic information" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48796960)) "Traffic changes while I'm driving and it automatically updates." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49338801)) "in the end I use Waze for routing due to the traffic updates" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48810815))

## What people warn about

- Ads and account prompts (2 comments in the sample): "Waze does not care if they block my directions by blasting an ad on part of my screen" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46755506)) "without dark patterns or asking for an account like Waze or Maps do" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49920544))
- Weak car and CarPlay integration (2 comments in the sample): "Waze in CarPlay mode (due to the restrictions on what can be shown on the phone screen) is simply more annoying to operate." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48770431)) "Waze doesn’t pass this information to the car." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48772499))
- Routes through unwanted side streets (1 comment in the sample): "I don't care if Waze thinks I should be on Harrison or Race." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49852460))

## Other navigation apps people recommend

- [Google Maps](https://hackerapproved.com/p/google-maps/): 170 recommend, 80 mixed, 429 criticize
- [Apple Maps](https://hackerapproved.com/p/apple-maps/): 86 recommend, 45 mixed, 192 criticize
- [MapQuest](https://hackerapproved.com/p/mapquest/): 11 recommend, 4 mixed, 14 criticize
- [Mapy.com](https://hackerapproved.com/p/mapy-com/): 10 recommend, 2 mixed, 1 criticize

## The badge

A product earns the Hacker Approved badge when at least 10 people recommend it, recommenders outnumber critics at least 2 to 1 (mixed feelings count toward neither side), it was recommended in at least 4 of the 12 months and in at least 5 different threads, and no single thread supplies more than half of the people who recommend it. Health and money products are never badged.

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Waze", https://hackerapproved.com/p/waze/ (22 recommend, 5 mixed, 18 criticize; Hacker News comments, November 2025 to October 2026).

Counts updated 3 Nov 2026, with data through October 31, 2026.