Why people leave MAPS.ME
- The 2020 ownership change. After Mail.ru sold MAPS.ME to Daegu Limited, the app added accounts, in-app purchases, ads, and a wallet feature. Long-time users felt the offline-only spirit slipped.
- Aggressive prompts on launch. The free tier shows promo screens for Pro, premium guides, and partner offers more often than the older versions did.
- Slow OpenStreetMap pulls. The community-built map data underneath is fresh, but releases that fold the new data in have come less frequently than Organic Maps, the OSS fork.
- Routing quality on long drives. Users on Reddit and the OpenStreetMap forum mention nonsensical detours through service roads on multi-day road trips.
- Privacy questions. The app collects identifiers tied to ad networks, which sits awkwardly with the offline-traveler audience MAPS.ME built.
If those changes drove you to look elsewhere, here are 7 MAPS.ME alternatives worth installing.
Which app should you choose?
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Organic Maps if you want the original MAPS.ME experience without ads, accounts, or trackers. A community fork made by the original developers.
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OsmAnd if you want power-user controls, terrain layers, GPX tracks, and contour lines. Steeper learning curve, deepest feature set.
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HERE WeGo if you want polished offline maps with public transit and live traffic where available. Country-sized downloads.
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Google Maps if you accept account sign-in for the broadest place catalog and live transit. Offline regions cover most travel needs.
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Sygic if you want premium turn-by-turn driving offline worldwide. TomTom map data, paid tier.
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Komoot if you hike, cycle, or run and want curated outdoor routes with elevation profiles. Region packs are paid once, then yours.
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Magic Earth if you want free privacy-friendly turn-by-turn navigation with no account. Lightweight and ad-free.
Stay on MAPS.ME if you already paid for Pro and use the bookmark sync, premium guides, or the wallet. The free tier alone is harder to recommend.
Comparison table
| App | Best for | Source data | Offline | Cost | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Organic Maps | Original MAPS.ME feel | OpenStreetMap | Yes | Free, donations | 4.7 |
| OsmAnd | Power users, hikers | OpenStreetMap | Yes | Free, paid Plus | 4.4 |
| HERE WeGo | Polished offline | HERE | Yes | Free | 4.3 |
| Google Maps | Place catalog | Yes (regions) | Free | 4.0 | |
| Sygic | Premium driving | TomTom | Yes | Free trial, paid | 4.4 |
| Komoot | Hike, bike, run | OpenStreetMap | Yes | Free, paid regions | 4.6 |
| Magic Earth | Privacy nav | OpenStreetMap | Yes | Free | 4.3 |
1. Organic Maps — the original MAPS.ME without ads or accounts
Organic Maps is a community fork started by the original MAPS.ME developers after the ownership change. The interface, gestures, and bookmarks system feel identical because they share the same lineage. The difference is what is missing: no ads, no account, no in-app purchases, no trackers. The funding model is donations.
MAPS.ME vs Organic Maps is the most direct comparison on this list. Hikers, drivers, and cyclists who want the 2019 feel of MAPS.ME pick Organic Maps and rarely look back. The trade-off is the smaller team: feature additions land slower than they would at a commercial vendor.
Advantages:
- No ads, accounts, trackers, or in-app purchases
- OpenStreetMap data refreshed regularly
- Driving, walking, cycling, hiking modes
- Open source under Apache 2.0
Disadvantages:
- Smaller place catalog than Google
- No live traffic
- Donation-funded development pace
Pricing: Free, accepts donations.
2. OsmAnd — power-user offline maps with terrain and GPX
OsmAnd is the maximalist OpenStreetMap app. Hill shading, contour lines, custom map styles, GPX track recording, ski pistes, hiking and cycling networks, public transit overlays, and weather all sit inside one app. For travelers who plan multi-day backcountry or cycling trips, OsmAnd’s data depth beats MAPS.ME by a wide margin.
The catch is the interface. OsmAnd is dense, with menus stacked inside menus and a paid Plus tier that unlocks extra map downloads, contour lines, and the Wikipedia layer.
Advantages:
- Deepest feature set on OpenStreetMap data
- Hill shading, contour lines, and overlays
- GPX track recording and route planning
- Public transit and cycling networks
Disadvantages:
- Steep learning curve
- Free tier limits the number of map downloads
- Some advanced features behind Plus
Pricing: Free with map limits, Plus tier as one-time purchase or subscription.
3. HERE WeGo — polished offline maps with transit
HERE WeGo is the closest commercial match to MAPS.ME’s offline-first promise, with a smoother UI than the OSM-based options. Country downloads work without a SIM, and the app includes public transit in major cities, walking, cycling, and driving modes.
The map data comes from HERE Technologies, which licenses to most major car brands. Live traffic is available in supported countries but is patchier than Google Maps.
Advantages:
- Free fully offline maps for whole countries
- Public transit in major cities
- No account required for offline use
- Cleaner UI than the OSM apps
Disadvantages:
- Live traffic less reliable than Google or Waze
- Smaller place catalog than Google
- Slow update cadence
Pricing: Free.
4. Google Maps — broadest place catalog and live transit
Google Maps is not offline-first the way MAPS.ME is, but the offline regions feature covers most realistic travel: download a city or region, and driving, walking, and place search work without a connection. The trade-off is the account: full features need a Google sign-in, and search results lean toward sponsored places.
The advantage is the place catalog. Restaurant photos, hours, reviews, and live transit are deeper than any OpenStreetMap-based app.
Advantages:
- Largest place catalog with reviews and photos
- Live public transit in most major cities
- Offline regions for driving and walking
- Multimodal: driving, transit, walking, cycling
Disadvantages:
- Account sign-in for full features
- Sponsored search results
- Offline maps cover regions, not whole countries
Pricing: Free.
5. Sygic GPS Navigation — premium offline driving
Sygic is the polished paid-offline driving app. MAPS.ME vs Sygic is mostly about budget: Sygic uses TomTom map data, ships voice prompts that read Latin street names well, and includes lane assistance, head-up display, and speed camera alerts in Premium. Maps download per country and run without any connection.
The free tier is limited. Most useful features sit behind Premium.
Advantages:
- TomTom map data with regular updates
- Strong on long routes and remote areas
- Head-up display windscreen mode
- Speed camera and lane guidance in Premium
Disadvantages:
- Useful features behind a Premium subscription
- Driving only
- Heavier app size
Pricing: Free trial, then a Premium subscription.
6. Komoot — hiking, cycling, and running on real terrain
Komoot is the planning app for outdoor routes. Hiking trails, cycling networks, gravel routes, road cycling, and running courses are scored by surface, elevation, and difficulty. The community contributes user routes and tour reports, and the offline region packs work without a SIM.
For people who used MAPS.ME mainly for hiking, Komoot is the upgrade. The trade-off is region pricing: each map region is a one-time purchase after the home region included with a free account.
Advantages:
- Curated routes for hike, bike, gravel, road, run
- Elevation and surface ratings on every route
- Offline region packs
- Strong community of route creators
Disadvantages:
- Region packs are paid one-time
- Less useful for driving
- Best in Europe and North America; thinner elsewhere
Pricing: Free home region, paid region packs and World Pack.
7. Magic Earth — free privacy-friendly turn-by-turn
Magic Earth is the under-the-radar choice for travelers who want offline maps with proper turn-by-turn voice navigation, no account, and no ads. The app uses OpenStreetMap data, includes lane assistance, and offers a head-up display mode at no charge.
It is not as polished as Sygic or HERE WeGo, but the free price and the privacy stance make it an easy install for users tired of ad-supported apps.
Advantages:
- Free turn-by-turn driving with voice
- No account or sign-in
- Lane assistance and head-up display included
- OpenStreetMap data
Disadvantages:
- Smaller community than Organic Maps or OsmAnd
- Map detail varies by region
- Place search thinner than Google
Pricing: Free.
How to choose
Pick Organic Maps if you liked MAPS.ME before the 2020 changes and just want the same app without ads or trackers. It is the lowest-friction migration on this list.
Pick OsmAnd if you plan multi-day backcountry trips and need contour lines, GPX recording, or terrain overlays. The learning curve is real but the depth is unmatched.
Pick HERE WeGo if you want a polished free app and care more about driving and transit than hiking. Country-sized offline downloads cover most travel.
Pick Google Maps if your offline use is more occasional and the place catalog matters. Reviews, photos, and live transit are the reasons.
Pick Sygic if you drive long distances on patchy connections and a yearly fee for premium driving features is acceptable.
Pick Komoot if hiking, cycling, or running is the main use case. The route library is the best.
Pick Magic Earth if free privacy-friendly turn-by-turn driving is the entire spec. No account, no ads, no fee.
FAQ
What is the difference between MAPS.ME and Organic Maps? Organic Maps is a community fork built by the original MAPS.ME developers after the 2020 ownership change. It removes the ads, account, in-app purchases, and trackers that were added to MAPS.ME and stays focused on offline OpenStreetMap navigation.
Is OsmAnd better than MAPS.ME? For power users, hikers, and cyclists, yes. OsmAnd has contour lines, terrain shading, GPX tracking, and overlays that MAPS.ME does not. For casual offline travel, MAPS.ME or Organic Maps is simpler.
Are there any free MAPS.ME alternatives? Organic Maps, HERE WeGo, Google Maps offline mode, and Magic Earth are all free with no feature gates that block routing. OsmAnd is free with a cap on the number of map downloads.
Can I import my MAPS.ME bookmarks to Organic Maps? Yes. Export bookmarks from MAPS.ME as a KML file and import them into Organic Maps. The transfer is direct because the bookmark formats match.
Which MAPS.ME alternative is best for hiking? Komoot for curated routes and elevation profiles, OsmAnd for raw map detail and GPX recording. Organic Maps handles trail navigation well if your route is already planned.
