Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Google Maps VS OpenRouteService.org

Compare Google Maps VS OpenRouteService.org and see what are their differences

Google Maps logo Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

OpenRouteService.org logo OpenRouteService.org

The spatial services API with plenty of features.
  • Google Maps
    Image date //
    2024-01-08
  • OpenRouteService.org Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-22

Google Maps features and specs

  • Detailed Information
    Google Maps provides extensive details about locations, including photos, reviews, operating hours, and contact information.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    The platform boasts an intuitive design that is easy to navigate for both casual users and professionals.
  • Real-Time Updates
    Offers real-time traffic updates, accident reports, and road closures to help users avoid delays.
  • Multi-modal Directions
    Supports directions for driving, walking, cycling, and public transportation, offering flexibility for different commuting needs.
  • Street View
    Provides 360-degree panoramic views of streets, enabling users to virtually explore neighborhoods before visiting.
  • Offline Maps
    Allows users to download maps for offline use, which is useful in areas with poor or no internet connectivity.
  • Integration with Other Services
    Easily integrates with other Google services like Google Calendar, making it convenient to plan trips and appointments.

Possible disadvantages of Google Maps

  • Privacy Concerns
    The service collects extensive user data, raising privacy issues regarding how this information is used and shared.
  • Battery Consumption
    Real-time features and GPS usage can significantly drain the battery life of mobile devices.
  • Inaccuracies
    Despite frequent updates, some information may be outdated or inaccurate, such as business hours or road conditions.
  • Data Usage
    Uses a considerable amount of data, which can be problematic for users with limited data plans.
  • Overreliance
    Users may become overly dependent on the service for navigation, potentially reducing their ability to navigate without digital assistance.
  • Ad Integration
    Contains sponsored content and ads, which can sometimes disrupt the user experience.
  • Complexity
    Additional features and layers of information can make it overwhelming for users who just need basic navigation.

OpenRouteService.org features and specs

  • Free and Open Source
    OpenRouteService is free to use for basic functionalities and is open-source, enabling users to contribute to and modify the source code according to their needs.
  • Comprehensive Routing Options
    Provides a variety of routing options including car, bicycle, pedestrian, wheelchair, and heavy vehicle routing, catering to diverse user requirements.
  • Global Coverage
    Offers routing services worldwide, providing reliable navigation assistance no matter where the user is located.
  • Customizable API
    Provides a customizable API that allows developers to integrate routing services into their own applications, offering flexibility in service usage.
  • Detailed Route Features
    Includes detailed features such as road restrictions, elevation data, and accessibility information, enhancing the overall routing experience.

Possible disadvantages of OpenRouteService.org

  • API Rate Limits
    Imposes rate limits on its API, which can be restrictive for high-demand applications requiring numerous requests.
  • UI Complexity
    The user interface can be complex and overwhelming for new users, which might affect user experience negatively.
  • Dependency on OpenStreetMap Data
    The accuracy and detail of OpenRouteService largely depend on the availability and quality of OpenStreetMap data, which can vary significantly in different regions.
  • Limited Traffic Information
    Less comprehensive real-time traffic data compared to some commercial services, potentially affecting the accuracy of travel time estimates.
  • Scalability Issues
    Might struggle with scalability for very large applications or when handling a significant amount of simultaneous users, impacting performance.

Analysis of Google Maps

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Google Maps is widely regarded as a good and effective tool for navigation and location-based services.

Why this product is good

  • Google Maps is considered to be a highly reliable and comprehensive mapping service due to its extensive database, regular updates, user-friendly interface, and integration with other Google services. It offers real-time traffic updates, various map views, and detailed directions for driving, walking, biking, and public transportation.

Recommended for

  • Individuals seeking reliable directions and navigation.
  • Users needing real-time traffic and transit updates.
  • Travelers looking for local business information and reviews.
  • Anyone requiring integration with other Google services like Calendar or Contacts.

Google Maps videos

New Apple Maps Features That Beat Google Maps!

More videos:

  • Review - Unhelpful Google Maps Reviews - Sub Safari
  • Review - Epic Google Maps Reviews by Local Guides | The Review Review Episode 3

OpenRouteService.org videos

OpenRouteService.org - Emergency Route Service Special

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Google Maps and OpenRouteService.org)
Maps
98 98%
2% 2
Operating Systems
0 0%
100% 100
Web Mapping
100 100%
0% 0
Mapping And GIS
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Google Maps and OpenRouteService.org

Google Maps Reviews

Best Tools for Planning a Vacation to Ireland in 2025
Google Maps has been a popular navigation assistant for many years and offers not just driving directions but help finding local restaurants, accommodation and more.
8 Best Alternatives to Google Travel Trip Summaries
If you appreciated the ability to sync Google Trip Summaries with Google Maps, the closing of Trip Summaries doesn’t mean you can no longer sync itineraries to Google Maps. Wanderlog allows you to export any itinerary you create within the app to Google Maps, allowing you to see the location of every attraction you want to visit and gain information on how to travel between...
Source: wanderlog.com
The 8 Best Bike Navigation Apps Ridden & Rated
UX-wise, we’ve given Google Maps a near-perfect nine. The clutter-free layout and recognisable graphics. How would they score a ten? We’d love Google Maps to expand its immersive view (a flyby 3D model of a given route) beyond major cities like London.
Source: loop.cc
The Best Travel Apps for 2025
My number one go-to travel app is Google Maps. On the ground, it shows you where you are and how to get to where you need to go, whether by foot, public transit, car, or bicycle. Google Maps is equally helpful when you want to explore what's around, including hotels, restaurants, and gas stations. Often, the listing for sites and businesses include hours of operation,...
Source: www.pcmag.com
7 Alternatives to Google Maps for Navigation
Google Maps is often the go-to navigation app for many of us. But what if you’re looking for something a little different? There are many alternatives to Google Maps that provide similar features and functions.

OpenRouteService.org Reviews

We have no reviews of OpenRouteService.org yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, OpenRouteService.org seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 16 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Google Maps mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Google Maps yet. Tracking of Google Maps recommendations started around Mar 2021.

OpenRouteService.org mentions (16)

  • A community-led fork of Organic Maps
    I started using osmand a lot more lately while biking and I agree route calculation on the phone (hi Pixel 4a :) ) are super slow but for that reason you can configure alternative (online) routing engines in the settings https://osmand.net/docs/user/navigation/routing/online-routing/. I use https://openrouteservice.org/ which generates long routes in seconds and works great in general. - Source: Hacker News / 18 days ago
  • Geocoding APIs compared: Pricing, free tiers and terms of use
    No mention of OpenRouteService, which you can spin up locally yourself and which offers a variety of similar services: https://openrouteservice.org/. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 month ago
  • Maps Solution for iOS Solving the Traveling Salesman Problem
    There is no in-built routing with MapLibre and MapTiler yet, but you can easily integrate something like openRouteService (https://openrouteservice.org/) in combination with them to get great interface/base maps/routes inexpensively. - Source: Hacker News / 7 months ago
  • API for Geolocation and Distance Matrices
    If you don't need many calls, this is great: https://openrouteservice.org/. Source: about 2 years ago
  • o.map with routing
    The data for the routing are from https://openrouteservice.org/ to use this in o.map you have to get an api key from openrouteservice and insert it into o.map. Source: almost 3 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Google Maps and OpenRouteService.org, you can also consider the following products

Mapbox - An open source mapping platform for custom designed maps. Our APIs and SDKs are the building blocks to integrate location into any mobile or web app.

OSRM - Utilities, Application Utilities, and Mapping APIs

OSGeo - QGIS is a desktop geographic information system, or GIS.

pgRouting - Repository contains pgRouting library. Development branch is "develop", stable branch is "master" - pgRouting/pgrouting

OpenStreetMap - OpenStreetMap is a map of the world, created by people like you and free to use under an open license.

OPNsense - OPNsense® you next open source firewall. Free Download. High-end Security Made Easy™. Offers Intrusion Prevention, Captive Portal, Traffic Shaping and more.