Comparison

Google Maps vs Waye Navigation & Live Traffic

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Google Maps

Navigate the world with real-time traffic data, turn-by-turn directions for various transport modes, and discover millions of businesses. Plan trips with Street View, Immersive View, and offline maps. Explore local places with user reviews and photos.

Highlights
  • Live traffic data
  • Turn-by-turn voice navigation
  • Public transport updates
  • Street View previews
  • Offline maps
  • Business discovery
  • Immersive View
Features
Read full description

Explore and navigate the world with confidence using Google Maps. Find the best routes with live traffic data and real-time GPS navigation for driving, walking, cycling, and public transport. Discover over 250 million businesses and places - from restaurants and shops to everyday essentials – with photos, reviews, and helpful information. Navigate the world, the way you want: • Get to where you need to go with fuel-efficient route options • Find the best route with real-time, turn-by-turn voice, and on screen navigation • Save time with automatic rerouting based on live traffic, incidents, and road closures • Catch the bus, train, and ride-share effortlessly, with real-time updates • Find bike or scooter rentals to get around more easily Plan trips and experiences effortlessly: • Preview an area before you go (e.g. parking, entrances) with Street View • Use Immersive View to experience what landmarks, parks and routes look like, and even check the weather so you can be ready in advance • Create custom lists of your favorite saved places and share with others • Order delivery and takeout, make reservations, and book hotels • Don't get lost with offline maps in an area with bad signal • Search for local places and things to do, and decide based on user reviews and photos Discover and explore like a local: • Explore with confidence knowing 500 million users contribute and keep the map up to date each year • Avoid the crowds by seeing how busy a place is before you get there • Use Lens in Maps to see walking directions overlaid on the real world • Filter restaurants by cuisine, hours, price, rating and more • Ask questions about a place, from dishes to parking, and get quick answers Some features not available in all countries or cities Navigation isn't intended to be used by oversized or emergency vehicles

About

Waye Navigation & Live Traffic

Navigate with real-time traffic updates, speed limit alerts, and hazard warnings. Offers parking assistance, a heads-up display for safer night driving, and turn-by-turn directions. Includes weather forecasts and local place discovery.

Highlights
  • Real-time traffic information
  • Speed limit alerts
  • Hazard and incident reporting
  • Parking assistance
  • Head-up Display (HUD)
  • Turn-by-turn directions
  • Weather forecast map
Features
Read full description

Waye Navigation provide exceptional navigation experience. Avoid traffic delays with real-time traffic information about situation on the road. Even if you know the way, Waye tells you instantly about traffic, construction, police, crashes, & more. Why Waye? • Speed limit of the next section, allowing you adjust your speed through the section accordingly. App tells you when (distance) the speed limit is going to change • The speed limit feature will show the maximum speed for the road • Get the speed limits of the current section and the speed limits of the next section. • Parking near your destination • Head-up Display projects navigation onto the windshield of your car, making driving at night safer • Turn-by-turn directions • Ability to report incidents to help other drivers • Reported alerts including accidents, hazards, road closures, and more • Warning sounds alerts to warn you of potential traffic problems near your location • Weather Forecast Map • Places Near your location • Auto Refresh Traffic Data • Siri Shortcuts • Apple CarPlay Connectivity - all navigation features on your car’s built-in display • Auto-zoom map according to your speed • Find the best time to leave • and more Information about the auto-renewable nature of the subscription - Every time in a month you can reach Standard or Premium feature and if you want to continue with these features, your subscription should be continued. - The subscription period is 1 month. Every 1 month your subscription renews. - The price of the subscription is $1.99 Standard, $3.99 Premium, - Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase - Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period - You can cancel your subscription via this url: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202039 - Privacy policy: https://bit.ly/3x7oE7P - Term of use: https://bit.ly/3RNsKeP

Screenshots

Google Maps4 screens
Waye Navigation & Live Traffic4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Google Maps at free with in-app purchases against Waye Navigation & Live Traffic's subscription. Google Maps also leads on review sentiment (43% vs 11%) and ratings volume (7.4M vs 353). Waye Navigation & Live Traffic's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Google Maps sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Waye Navigation & Live Traffic sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Google Maps holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Google Maps has 7.4M ratings behind it against 353, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 43% of Google Maps's written reviews are positive against 11% of Waye Navigation & Live Traffic's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Google Maps ships an update every 5 days, Waye Navigation & Live Traffic monthly. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Google Maps versus Waye Navigation & Live Traffic: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGoogle MapsWaye Navigation & Live Traffic
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (7.4M ratings) — better4.4 (353 ratings)
Positive reviews43.3% of reviews — better11.1% of reviews
Number of ratings7.4M — better353
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterMonthly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterSubscription
Best chart rank#1 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size465 MB38 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGoogleAppie s.r.o

Customer experience

Google Maps

All ratings7,442,308 ratings
Positive92.1%
Neutral2.7%
Negative5.3%
Written reviews10,420 reviews
Positive43.3%
Neutral6.5%
Negative50.1%

Waye Navigation & Live Traffic

All ratings351 ratings
Positive83.2%
Neutral5.4%
Negative11.4%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive11.1%
Neutral11.1%
Negative77.8%

Bugs and requests

Google Maps

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Inability to save/access favorite locations
  • Frequent crashes or freezes
  • Incorrect address/location detection
  • Voice navigation issues

Requested features

5 requests
  • Option to avoid tolls or specify vehicle type
  • Ability to manually edit/update maps
  • Better integration with public transit
  • Improved offline functionality
  • More customization options for routes

Waye Navigation & Live Traffic

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

7 purchases

Google Maps

Subscriptions7
  • 100 GB1 Month trial2 variants$1.991 Month
  • 100 GB$1.991 Month
  • 200 GB1 Month trial2 variants$2.991 Month
Show 4 more
  • 200 GB2 variants$2.991 Month
  • Google AI Plus (2 TB)$9.991 Month
  • Google AI Plus (2 TB)1 Month trial$9.991 Month
  • 100 GB1 Year trial$19.991 Year
2 purchases

Waye Navigation & Live Traffic

Subscriptions2
  • Standard: Live traffic, Places3 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • Premium - Speed Limits, Alerts3 Days trial$6.991 Month

Questions

Is Google Maps free?
Google Maps is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Waye Navigation & Live Traffic free?
Waye Navigation & Live Traffic is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Google Maps or Waye Navigation & Live Traffic?
Google Maps is rated higher. Google Maps averages 4.7 out of 5 from 7.4M ratings, while Waye Navigation & Live Traffic averages 4.4 from 353 ratings.
Do Google Maps or Waye Navigation & Live Traffic have ads?
Google Maps shows ads; Waye Navigation & Live Traffic does not.
Which is updated more often, Google Maps or Waye Navigation & Live Traffic?
Google Maps ships an update every 5 days, and Waye Navigation & Live Traffic monthly. Most recently, Google Maps was updated on November 6, 2026 and Waye Navigation & Live Traffic on November 6, 2026.

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