Best Free Maps Apps 2026: 6 Options Compared
Best free Maps Apps compared: Google Maps, Waze, HERE WeGo, Organic Maps and 2 more, with free-plan limits, platforms and prices from official pages checked October 24, 2026.
•3 min read•Learning & Everyday Apps
Quick comparison
| Tool | Price | Platforms | Best for | Tested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Maps | Free (Free app per the App Store listing; offline areas can be downloaded but not in all countries, and offline transit, bicycling and walking directions are unavailable (Google support page)) | Android, iOS, Web | Everyday navigation and finding places | Docs only |
| Waze | Free (Free per the App Store listing; needs a data connection for live traffic) | iOS, Android | Avoiding traffic jams | Docs only |
| HERE WeGo | Free (Free per the App Store listing; maps can be downloaded to stay fully offline) | iOS, Android | Offline driving directions | Docs only |
| Organic Maps | Free (Free open-source offline maps app built on OpenStreetMap data) | Android, iOS | Offline travel and hiking | Docs only |
| CoMaps | Free (Free open-source offline maps app, a community fork of Organic Maps) | Android, iOS | Privacy-first offline maps | Docs only |
| OsmAnd | Free (Most features are available in a free version; paid services extend functionality) | Android, iOS | Detailed offline maps and trails | Docs only |
Independent comparison. Paid placements are labelled separately; editorial links earn no affiliate commissions. Learn more.
Good fit if
- You need business hours and reviews (Google Maps is the pick)
- You commute in heavy traffic (Waze is the pick)
- You travel abroad with no data (Organic Maps is the pick)
- You hike and want trail detail (OsmAnd is the pick)
Not ideal if
- You need paid-tier features, uptime guarantees or support that these free plans leave out
A maps app is free in money terms almost everywhere, so the practical questions are offline use, data collection and traffic. Google Maps is free on iPhone and Android and has the richest place data; offline areas are available but not in every country, and offline transit, bicycling and walking directions do not work. Waze is a free community navigation app best for live traffic and hazard reports, and needs a data connection. HERE WeGo is free, lets you download maps so you can stay fully offline, and runs on iPhone and iPad with CarPlay. For privacy and offline travel, the OpenStreetMap-based apps are strong: Organic Maps and its community fork CoMaps are free with no ads, tracking or data collection, work fully offline, and use Apache-2.0 code. OsmAnd is also offline and open source but has a larger feature set and sells some features as Pro. The trade-off is data richness versus control. Google gives you reviews, opening hours and live busy-times, while open apps give you hiking trails and zero tracking but thinner business information. For travel abroad, download your region's offline maps before you leave, whichever app you use.
Google Maps
Free on the App Store with the richest business listings. Offline areas exist but are unavailable in some regions, and walking, biking and transit directions need a connection.
Price: Free (Free app per the App Store listing; offline areas can be downloaded but not in all countries, and offline transit, bicycling and walking directions are unavailable (Google support page)) (Google Maps pricing, checked 2026-10-24).
Platforms and license: Android, iOS, Web. Proprietary.
Best for: Everyday navigation and finding places.
Waze
Free community-driven navigation app with live traffic and hazard reports from other drivers. It requires a data connection, so it is no use offline.
Price: Free (Free per the App Store listing; needs a data connection for live traffic) (Waze pricing, checked 2026-10-24).
Platforms and license: iOS, Android. Proprietary.
Best for: Avoiding traffic jams.
HERE WeGo
Free per the App Store, with downloadable maps for offline use and CarPlay support. Smaller place database than Google.
Price: Free (Free per the App Store listing; maps can be downloaded to stay fully offline) (HERE WeGo pricing, checked 2026-10-24).
Platforms and license: iOS, Android. Proprietary.
Best for: Offline driving directions.
Organic Maps
Apache-2.0, free with no ads or tracking, fully offline after you download maps. Business info is thinner than Google.
Price: Free (Free open-source offline maps app built on OpenStreetMap data) (Organic Maps pricing, checked 2026-10-24).
Platforms and license: Android, iOS. Apache-2.0 (open source).
Project activity: 15.8k GitHub stars · latest release 2026.09.29-32-android (Sep 29, 2026) · last commit Oct 28, 2026
Best for: Offline travel and hiking.
Worth knowing: License verified from the repository LICENSE/COPYING file on GitHub on 2026-10-24; platforms listed from project knowledge, not re-verified on the project site.
CoMaps
Apache-2.0 community fork of Organic Maps; free, works with no internet and says it collects no data. Newer and with a smaller user base.
Price: Free (Free open-source offline maps app, a community fork of Organic Maps) (CoMaps pricing, checked 2026-10-24).
Platforms and license: Android, iOS. Apache-2.0 (open source).
Project activity: 598 GitHub stars · last commit Oct 27, 2026
Best for: Privacy-first offline maps.
Worth knowing: License verified from the repository LICENSE/COPYING file on GitHub on 2026-10-24; platforms listed from project knowledge, not re-verified on the project site.
OsmAnd
GPL-3.0 code, offline OpenStreetMap vector maps worldwide on Android and iOS. A free version exists; the page does not list limits and some features are Pro.
Price: Free (Most features are available in a free version; paid services extend functionality) (OsmAnd pricing, checked 2026-10-24).
Platforms and license: Android, iOS. GPL-3.0 (code); artwork CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 (open source).
Project activity: 6.1k GitHub stars · latest release 2.0.0 (Oct 15, 2019) · last commit Oct 27, 2026
Best for: Detailed offline maps and trails.
Which one to pick
- You need business hours and reviews: Google Maps
- You commute in heavy traffic: Waze
- You travel abroad with no data: Organic Maps
- You hike and want trail detail: OsmAnd
Limits of this review
Docs-only for Google Maps, Waze, HERE WeGo, Organic Maps, CoMaps, OsmAnd: we did not install or run them, so feature claims come from vendor pages. Vendor prices and free limits change; confirm on the linked pricing page before you commit.
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Kevin Fan
Kevin Fan is a SaaS founder. He runs Free Instead Of, which tracks free and open-source alternatives to paid software and checks each price and free-plan limit against the vendor's own pages.
Methodology
Based on official pricing, license and product pages checked 2026-10-24: Google Maps, Waze, HERE WeGo, Organic Maps, CoMaps, OsmAnd. Prices, free limits and licenses are the figures shown on those pages on those dates. No tool on this page was installed or run. No accounts were created.