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Google Maps vs. TomTom GO

Google Maps vs. TomTom GO

Google Maps and TomTom GO are two popular navigation apps. Google Maps is an all-rounder, and TomTom GO offers great features for driving.

How do both stand against each other? Let’s find out in Google Maps vs. TomTom GO comparison.

Routing

TomTom GO collects data from over 400 million cars, updated every two minutes. Google Maps collects data from various sources such as Android Phones and Google Maps.

I went for a test drive. TomTom GO was slightly behind in traffic, but the ETA was similar.

Winner: Tie | Score: Google Maps: 1 | TomTom GO: 1

Voice navigation

TomTom GO overtakes this round because it offers over 100 voice options in many languages. Google Maps has around 70 voices.

Winner: TomTom Go | Score: 2

Comparison: Waze vs. TomTom GO

Reporting features

Reporting in Google Maps
Google Maps Reporting Features

Reporting is one of the most critical sections of Google Maps vs. TomTom GO because reporting tools show the actual power of a navigation app.

Google Maps and TomTom GO Reporting Options

Winner: Google Maps | Score: 2

Transit options

Real-time Bus Tracking in Google Maps
Real-time Bus Tracking in Google Maps

There is no comparison in transport options because Google Maps is the clear winner. The all-rounder nature gives it an edge when it comes to transport modes.

Transport TypeGoogle MapsTomTom GO
Car✔️✔️
Bicycle✔️✔️
Public transport✔️
Taxi/ride-share✔️
Walk✔️✔️
Transit options comparison

The app also shows the live transport vehicles’ location in some cities, helping users leave their houses at the right time.

Winner: Google Maps | Score: 3

Offline navigation

TomTom GO Interface
TomTom GO Interface

Google Maps allows downloading some kilometer area at a time. You can download many locations on your device.

The app automatically updates the maps after some time, and you can go offline by tapping the offline button in the left menu.

TomTom GO requests to download the whole country’s map when you open the app for the first time.

The company is bringing new features to download a specific area, but ETA is unknown. You can also download the other nation’s maps.

Winner: Tie | Score: Google Maps: 4 | TomTom GO: 3

Contributions

A non-comparable feature of Google Maps is contributions. Users can contribute by reviewing and rating places, uploading photos, and answering questions.

The more you help, the more points you get. The points can be used to go to events organized by Google worldwide.

Read next: Sygic vs. Google Maps

Other features

Google Maps

Businesses

See reviews, ratings, and photos of millions of places.

Street view

Real-time street view can be activated while walking.

Public transport

Suggests whether public transport is busy using past data and real-time user feedback.

Busy area

Google Maps suggests if an area is busy.

GPS time

The app shows the GPS arrival time even when the phone’s time differs.

Phone’s sensor auto mode

Google Maps uses the phone’s sensor to enable the night mode. For example, the dark mode activates while driving in a tunnel.

TomTom GO

3D

TomTom GO 3D interface (looks super cool).

Vehicle type

Change vehicle type during navigation.

Common features

Availability

Both are available for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

Night mode

Night mode is available in both.

Lane suggestion

Both offer to show the lanes on the top and suggest which lane the driver should be in.

To enclose, TomTom GO offers 50 miles (75 kilometers) for free each month. After that, you will not use the app until you purchase or wait for the kilometers to reset.

Which one is to use where

The advantage Google Maps has is that it is free. You won’t find many differences in navigation if you live in a developed country.

TomTom GO will benefit more in a new city as it will inform about the safety cameras.

But, at the same time, Google Maps will help you find places and see ratings and reviews. So, it depends on what you want the app for.

Score: Google Maps: 4 & TomTom GO: 3

Links

Summary

The final score for Google Maps vs. TomTom GO is 4 over 3. Google Maps is old, and because of the giant tech company behind it, it is always up-to-date.

This is it for this article. Please let me know your thoughts in the comments below to discuss more.

Brian Watts

Sunday 30th of July 2023

I have used Google Maps on CarPlay, but now that TomTom GO is available on CarPlay and as I have been a TomTom device user for 12 years, I am pleased to pay the AU$29.99 for the app.

I spend a lot of time doing long car trips in Australia and other countries (Ireland, UK, USA, Canada, Germany, France, Norway, NZ) I find I need to plan all my routes on the MyDrive website before leaving home and saving them to my devices.

A great feature is that when routes and places are planned and saved on MyDrive, they also end up on the TomTom GO app, and are therefore ready to go on CarPlay.

On my recent 5 week trip to USA and Scotland I had 80 pre-planned routes saved to the GO app and were available on CarPlay for the 3500 km of navigation we did.

One slight annoyance is that My Routes are on the phone app, but are missing off the CarPlay version of the app. So the routes must be selected on the phone first, then will play well on CarPlay, just they can't be selected on CarPlay. More an annoyance rather than a deal breaker.

JJ

Tuesday 29th of August 2023

@Brian Watts, same here, had been with Tomtom over 10 years, hard to switch to another device

Bernie Swain

Sunday 15th of January 2023

I have both Google Maps and Tom Tom. Having discovered the power of Google Maps I rarely use Tom Tom. A big plus with GM is it shows everything you might need where you are, shops, cinemas, garages, etc, and all easy to find. Enter your destination before leaving and I find the need for a web connection rare. And it's free! Win, win.

Peter Cowell

Saturday 2nd of July 2022

Loved TomTom but not at Ā£19:99 a year or even the Ā£12:99 they just offered me for a third year. Google maps is great but some features like average speed would be a bonus

Brilliant and very helpful comparison Helped me in believing Iā€™m good with google maps for now šŸ‘šŸ»šŸ˜Š Thank you

Karen

Friday 24th of June 2022

my 2018 Subaru legacy has tomtom navigation and in 2022 i can't do map updates. Keep getting error message. I have contacted Subaru about this and it is still unresolved going on a month now. I have tried another browser too. The download takes 1 hour and 10 minutes to laptop then it goes to a USB drive and then to the car. Problem is keep getting error message. I am on Step 11 of the Update but can't get past the download part. My car dealer is short handed and doesn't have the time. they can't even answer their phone. Phone mailboxes are full. they have been bought 3 times out of the last 4 times. Not exactly a confidence builder.

Bernie Swain

Sunday 15th of January 2023

@Karen, I agree. Tom Tom updates are always a nightmare such that my device remains out of date.

n

Wednesday 26th of January 2022

Really, the only important point here is that they're virtually the same and one is free. makes the choice a no brainer really.