Best iOS Navigation Apps for your iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch

While opinions are different when it comes to the best navigation apps, we all agree on one aspect – their utility! These having been said, let’s place my statement into a context and get to work. It all started with Apple’s decision to replace Google maps on the  iPhone 5 and in iOS 6, and then their implementation of this decision, which automatically resulted into users’ discontent with the new app’s way of functioning, indicating inaccurate search results that create confusion. Once starting to realize the gravity of the situation, Apple has released reports stating that they have already initiated a search for the former Google Maps engineers to contribute to the improvement of the app, but we have not yet had a deadline for the end result or even a confirmation of this process having been started. So if you are at some point in a critical situation or during an emergency, then remember our piece of advice suggesting that Apple’s new Maps shall not exactly be your best friend, or the most reliable for that fact.

What we can do in the meanwhile is try to make it work with the tools we have, and when it comes to navigation apps for iOS, these tools aren’t few. What developers did here was to analyze and read the market, and detect a “virgin” territory to conquer. Well perhaps that statement was exaggerated, so let’s just stick to their having smelled (and experienced most likely) the weaknesses of Apple’s new Maps and then trying to make a better app that would outrank this one. The 2 main features that requested immediate attention were, of course, giving better directions and also better search results. As mentioned, there is an entire universe of nav apps that might catch your attention, and their price range can vary considerably (some are for free, but some can be purchased for pretty costly numbers). We want to make it easier for you and present you with some of the best options out there and help you have a better experience with this type of app!

So pick a destination, let’s buckle up and hit the highway!

For the beginning, let me tell you what the factors of the best app have been calculated on. We are interested in getting directions from one place to another, testing the app for specific destinations that might be a little more tricky to find and also testing the apps’ voice directions for direction in to specific addresses, and I also place importance on extra innovative features. You get the idea. The journey in itself has been an enjoyable and interesting one, and I hope the final result shall be constructive for you.

Now that we have established the methodology, let me diverge for a second and have you ask yourself if you really need a Nav app. Well if you only have as purpose going from A to be B and you do have an idea about how to get there, then probably not. For Android – you have Google’s turn-by-turn nav built into its maps for quite a while now, and you can have Siri read out a route for iOS users via Apple Maps. But if you are really passionate about finding specific destinations which you have no idea whatsover in terms of reaching (all you know is that you have to be there otherwise you can miss an important business opportunity or your mother’s 70th anniversary), then you definitely need a navigation app, and a good one! We all know that the places we need to be at aren’t always the most convenient or popular ones, so guidance is not only required, but mandatory. Moreover, one of the real and most important perks of a navigation app is that it can find things (either a restaurant, or a particular shop) in an area that you couldn’t spot in a detailed map, so you need an app to do this for you in an effortless manner, no matter what your coordinates are at that time. Another one of their advantages is the easiness with which you can access them! They are only a click away (in comparison to Apple Maps who actually isn’t that great even at launch). These new apps we are talking about have an incredible capacity to store a very detailed map data on your phone and you can access it easily even if your connection is not that great.

We are really set now. We shall proceed.

1. Magellan RoadMate USA ($40, 1.6 GB size)

I normally hate to break it to you from the beginning, but this time I will make an exception and start with the best app.

Yes, when tested, Magellan RoadMate USA has come out first in users’ preferences (or at least in top three) and I will tell you why. First of all, its price is $10 less than every other navigation app than most of the apps users have tested,  and there isn’t actually any real term of comparison between this one and its peers. Whatever the other nav apps do, you can bet Magellan RoadMate does it better.

When talking about its layout and “look”, then you will see that it has a simple and clean design, not exactly the most elegant of all, but who doesn’t prefer a clear design when wanting to get something done fast. What is great at this section of design is its use of the 3D perspective. If you zoom in, it uses this perspective. Once you zoom out over a certain  point however, then you get a very clear 2D bird’s-eye view. There is no need for you to manually select the perspective you want to see from, the app already knows how to adjust it, so this is quite a novelty from the other apps of its type.

The main feature that makes it stand out is called One Touch, and it certainly brings a different touch to the app. This app is actually translated into a customizable screen that will in no time load the destinations you normally want the app to guide you towards. You can find One Touch on both the main menu and also on the map itself, which makes it actually very easy to access, so it scores again! When it comes to presetting- this nav app lets you preset the searches you know you are always asking to have performed, and you will not see it fail you. Ever (as far as most users have tested it).  The app does about everything you have in mind for a nav app to do. Developers have made a  special effort to have customization as a focus for this app, and therefore there are different features that can be easily personalized to make your experience unique and very fast and effortless. So you can very easily have your favorite icons configured on the main screen of the app, and you can use the tapping function to switch between the “distance to go”, “ETA” and also “heading” on your map’s dashboard.  If you do a single tap on the map, then you can access the turn-by-turn directions. If you want to see the turn-by-turn list right before your eyes, than just make use of the icon that seems to be able to do this for you. You also have a “history” function here and it is also here where you can check the names and addresses of your recent destinations, and also the most recent searches you have performed. How cool is that. If you want it to be even more accurate, then check this out. Once you go back to the search for “point of interest”, then what remains saved there would be your last search item and from there on you can browse through your other options. No need to start a new search, and yes, it’s effortlessly.

2. Garmin USA ( $50, 1.8 GB size)

This is a very good app that will take you out of trouble when you need it to. Don’t be scared when launching it for the first time if it might seem complicated, you will gradually and quite fast start to get accustomed to it and learn where to go for the info that you need.  And you can be sure that if you want to know something, Garmin will give it to you. Let’s take one of its super cool functions for instance. The destinations that you have saved on your list show their distance and you can see the direction they are located to in respect to your position. When I am referring to destinations on your list, we can include both points of interest and recently found spots, just to be clear. So if you know that you are headed west, then you can very quickly decide and assess (due to this cool feature) if you are willing to go all the way your route shows you to, or if it is worth giving the time involved in it. This might not be something that major for the ones of you not that familiarized with these types of apps, but it makes a spicy and interesting details for habitual users.

It is quite easy and simple to get to a place with this app. You will see that the lists will memorize and show the street addresses of the respective destinations, and if you want to know more thoroughly how to do it pay good attention. You can start the navigation to a new destination of your desire with only two touches, you can check the turn by turn option by simply one touch (but what is weird here is that this can only be done from within the list) and you are only one touch away from a 2D route overview as well. The screen might be a little bit crammed up with a series of rarely used features (such as stopping navigation, a link for buying extra features from Garmin, a button to report a traffic camera at any intersection), but the overall 3D display is quite clear, offering you a neat aspect. What is however great, on the other hand, is that there is no clutter when it comes to the main screen. You have a very clean and lean display there, where the “Where To?” button earns its place.

3. Navigon USA ($50, 472 MB as configured)

Navigation USA also ranks high in the top of most users’ preferences (very high) and mainly due to its easy to use and clean aspect. It also ticks all the boxes when it comes to a good destination guidance, starting from access to great turn-by-turn directions that also highlight to you the amount of distance you need to travel on each leg of the route, and also specific and clear instructions on next turns. Very accurate overall. There is also a 3D perspective it possesses, and using the 3D map is a very easy process to follow. Follow the app’s intuitive features and you will get it right. You can actually use this app even outside your car, when you are walking around the city so you are doing a bit of walking or even taking public transportation, as the app has available directions for this as well. The maps it has look very good with day and night modes, so this is exciting.

There is a slight disadvantage to the app unfortunately, and that is that it has it is cluttered with a series of things that you do not actually need, and I will now take you through this theory. You have an iPod control placed on the map screen that can take you back to your music, if you want. Then you have the “Reality Scanner” – a nice feature in theory – this function points the phone camera at eye level in any direction, and the app can then tell you what points of interest lie 2,000 feet away. If only it was all that easy and this really worked properly! If you point it a particular shop you see in a 25 feet away range, the app will not detect it if that venue is not in its ecosystem. Now that you have a better idea of what too many extra features means, perhaps you agree with us that it makes it more difficult for it to get the simple things done. For instance it affects the navigation launch – you will be asked to perform no less than 5 steps to actually get to the point when you can start the navigation. But this inconvenience pales in comparison to the rest set of really great features.

But let’s come back to the positive side and give another one of its perks away. It actually is the only app (out of the ones generally tested) that gives you the option to download the maps of certain states for an offline storage. You can save a lot of phone space if you need directions for California, let’s say.

A lot of the users rank this as the best premium GPS app. Just like CoPilot (you will hear about it later on), Navigon offers you multiple different versions depending on geographic needs. This one offers maps for the U.S., Mexico and Canada. It uses Google search engine to find points of interest and offers 3D maps that look great. It also offers complex routing control like CoPilot. You can save favorites and press the quick “Go Home” button to find the way home with one tap.  The user can install only the maps they know they need by selecting this by state or territory. You can not install the other maps up to the point when you actually need them and know you are going to take a trip there.

If you get some in-app purchases you can have better traffic data and also Zagat Restaurant Guides, but of what we have heard the majority of people will get by with the basic app forgoing the in-app add-ons. You also have a few extra cool features such as parking nearby available info, or walking and public transit navigation and park and then walking directions for the big cities.

4. TomTom USA ($50, 1.4 GB size)

When it comes to TomTom, can’t say it is that exquisite, and there are more issues to address here. For one, you can not really manipulate the 3D map via touchscreen and you are taken right back to the main menu if you do a swipe. Up to the point when the auto-zoom feature is disabled, then expect that pinching a map will zoom in temporarily and then it will settle back to its own preset level of zoom a second later. You can adjust the 2D map interface, but it is not really the best one to work with.

You will only be given a total mileage by the turn-by-turn directions, if we get back at the routing section. If you want to check how many miles you have to travel on each of the roads you need to take, well – you will not be able to do so. Oh yes, and something else you might want, but will not get with this app – are the compass directions for each leg of the route (what you get is just “turn right” or “turn left”). Moreover, if you navigate to a particular point of interest, you will most likely be listed the street addresses of the destination at the outset of the trip. All good until now. However, when it comes to checking the address once you are en route, it all gets blurry. It is actually impossible. The app also does not store any info or address on the recent destinations and you will be forced to start the navigation from the very beginning at all times, and you will then only see that address once. This app can sometimes give you headaches and also waste your time, so just make sure you read all the facts before purchasing it.

5. Waze (free)

Now we have reached one of the free apps. You can get Waze for free and have a great experience with it! It has both GPS navigation and traffic information, and you will be able to use it effortlessly. What it has interesting is that it extracts traffic notices from the user community. This is very useful and accurate as long as the user leaves in the proximity of other Waze users, so notifications can be somehow limited if you are in the semi-rural area, for instance. But we do suggest checking this app out, especially since it will cost you nothing to get it.

If you are not impressed with it from the beginning, then rest assured it will start to grow on you. It learns most common routes you use and most frequent destinations, so how not to like this. Another advantage of the community setup is that you can get cheap places to buy gas from, for instance, based on the community recommendations. You will also learn in advance about construction roads or police radar traps, and you can get all the directions via a voice-guide if you wish as well, the app can offer you this. You can keep safe by using the voice commands when you need to find places and directions. Moreover, once a missed turn is detected by the GPS, then the app will re-route the directions. Cool.

We have not yet mentioned anything about the social aspect of the nav apps. Well, for those of you who are actually looking for a feature of this type in an app, then check Waze out. You can create and discover meet ups with Waze, and can also share destinations to social networks, so if you want to help one of your friends to get there faster, you can share with him the ETA for the route. Another cool feature of this app is that you can submit some suggestions to help improve the apps (in terms of maps and directions).

6. GPS by Telenav (Free)

GPS by Telenav is  the second free navigation app for the iPhone we are suggesting in this post, but it does perceive a subscription when it comes to the advanced features. You can find included in the free app the following features:

• You can navigate with visual turn-by-turn directions without voice
• You can search for points of interest (including gas stations with a database of gas prices)
• You have access to up to date maps and traffic info

Once you pay the $2.99/month or $9.99/year in-app purchase price you can get more app. What this subscription introduces is voice searching and announced directions making it easier for us to be more focused and pay attention to the road only. If the app discovers a bad route, traffic and road hazards, then the app will also re-route the directions based on that. It can also give you warnings for speed traps, traffic light cameras and can also tell when a user must change lanes to get their next exit. Forgot to mention that the user can connect to the dash system if he uses a Sony auto stereo system.

This is practically one really nice app that we would recommend you get and its price isn’t that bad at all for all the cool features it provides. If the 3 free features are enough for you, then stick to them, but if the other draw your attention, don’t hesitate to purchase it and you shall not regret it.

7.Motion X GPS ($.99)

We have now reached another low-cost GPS navigation app – Motion X GPS. Not only can you use this app for driving, but also under different situations that do not involve the driving part, when you are walking, running, or using a boat, etc. There are different versions of this app however, and if you want to get the one that has driving focused navigation you can get the Motion X GPS Drive and the price you have it for is the one mentioned above as well, $0.99.

The app has the turn-by-turn directions as default, and if you want to get the voice version as well you can for an extra fee of $9.99 per year, which is not that bad. If you know in advance that you don’t really need the voice version for the full year, but you really want it for a shorter period (or a specific trip you have in mind), then you are offered the option to get the app for 30 days at the price of $2.99. Cool alternative to pay for the exact time you are leaving on your holiday. There are also other voices available with this app for $.99 each.

If you are interested in what this app can do in terms of social networks, then you will be pleased to know that via its search wheel you will be able to share your location on these. The search wheel also also functions for searching for different types of information, and you can also control the iPhone music app via the music control icon at the bottom.

8. Copilot Live Premium HD – USA ($12.99)

CoPilot is a great and diverse app, as it offers a quite a few versions of apps, among which we will highlight the one designed for trucker drivers in particular, that can be purchased for $149.99, and another version that has maps of both the US and Canada and this one is available for a slightly higher price than the first mentioned app. What the truck version does is that it considers the special navigation needs that truck drivers have, as they are not able to drive on all the roads car driver will in their vehicles. Users love this app!

What this app does is that it helps you with you don’t want to stream maps via the web, so it gives you high-end GPS solution for users who want the maps stored on their iPhone. From this description you pretty much get it, the app is mostly addressed to people who live in areas where the internet and data connections are very low, or even for those who use a limited bandwidth data subscription. If you identify with any of the two situations, then you might want to look into getting this app for daily usage, it will do you wonders.

The set of features Copilot is armed with is pretty attractive to say the least. You have there a complete database of points of interest and you will effortlessly learn how to find them with voice turn-by-turn directions. Not to worry – the app will show you how to use this. If you are a fan of both 3D maps or 2D maps, then Copilot manages to meet your needs – it offers both the exciting 3D perspective and also the standard and traditional 2D one. The app serves its purpose well when long trips are involved too, and you actually have a greater control over the route by using this app. You can easily find all sorts of detours and very quick interim destinations, if this is what you are looking for. If you feel tired or even a little bit hungry and you want to fix this on the spot, then the app will help you find a place nearby where you can grab a bite and enjoy the scenery at the same time. You name it and CoPilot does it for you.

As you might have already figured out – the app comes with a full set of US maps, and you can also get Canada maps too, it will however cost you an extra $2 more.

Conclusion

As you have seen – there are multiple choices when it comes to the best navigation apps. To make sure we get it right, although I have expressed my opinion when it comes to the best app, the rest of the app are presented to you unbiased and in an aleatory manner. I have integrated the best ones there are with some of the less popular (see TomTom), but I leave the final decision up to you. I particularly add Navigon, Copilot and Magellan to my top of preferences (and most of the users’ for that matter) and will surely be confident to depend on any of them for any driving trips and not only. But there is a great variety of other apps too, so just check them out and let us know which one is more suitable for you.