Big companies love to buy smaller companies. There are countless small companies that have created useful Apple apps, but they were then bought out by Apple and turned into iOS features. Siri was born out of a voice assistant app, and the Weather app on your iPhone is based on the excellent Dark Sky app that Apple bought and then killed off. Apple isn't the only culprit, however. Google loves to buy other companies, big and small, as well.

Its major acquisitions include YouTube, Nest, and Fitbit. And, in 2007, Google bought the navigation software company Waze.

Unlike Apple, however, Google didn't steal the best bits of Waze and then kill off the original app. Instead, we find ourselves in the curious position where both Waze and Google Maps exist as rival apps owned by the same company. So, which app should you use for your navigation? It's a good question and one that isn't always that easy to answer. I use Waze, but I downloaded Google Maps again and put both navigation apps head-to-head to find their pros and cons.

Driving navigation

Both can get you from A to B

Waze is an app that's dedicated to driving navigation. This is also one of the primary functions of Google Maps, although it does have other navigation options which we'll look at in more detail later. How do the two apps compare when using them to help you navigate when driving?

Both apps allow you to select a destination and will then generate driving directions to that destination from your current location as determined by your phone. It's also possible to set a different starting point than your current location. This is far simpler to do in Google Maps; it's not immediately obvious how to change the starting point in Waze.

Once you’ve entered a destination, Waze will give you some alternative route options to choose from, with information about the distance and the estimated time of the journey. You can also see an outline of the routes on the main map screen.

Google Maps works in a similar fashion, but it will only give the information for what it considers to be the optimal route. You can see other routes on the map screen, along with their estimated journey times, but you'll have to tap each route on the map to see information such as the total distance.

Once you've selected a route and started navigating, Google Maps is focused on getting you from A to B on the route that it considers the best option. Unless something major occurs on the route it's chosen, you'll stick to that route for the whole journey. Google Maps will offer better route options if it finds them, but this is less frequent than with Waze.

Waze uses a slightly different approach; it will happily change the route if it believes this will get you to your destination more quickly. If there's an issue on your route reported by other Waze users, or traffic gets too heavy, Waze will offer to change your route and give you information about how much time you'll save by changing to the new route.

Google Maps vs Waze: Which should you use?

It depends on what you need, but both are free

There's no simple answer to this question. That's because there are horses for courses, and each navigation app has its strengths and weaknesses.

If you want to navigate somewhere on foot, by public transport, on a bike, or even by plane, then the decision is an easy one. Google Maps can offer directions for all of these circumstances. In comparison, Waze is only any use if you're driving from A to B.

If you are driving, however, then the decision becomes a lot tougher. If your goal is to get where you want to go as quickly as possible, the Waze has the edge. It's more proactive in rerouting you if there are issues with the original route that you've selected. Google Maps will update your route, but it's not nearly as frequent. If there are problems on your journey, Waze is likely to get you to your destination before Google Maps does.

Waze can also provide more details and up-to-the-minute information about hazards such as vehicles parked at the side of the road or traffic accidents. It means that your journey might be a little safer using Waze, too.

Personally, I've used Waze for years. However, recently I've started using Google Maps a little more, not least because of the strange errors in the journey time that have occurred a couple of times. The beauty is that both apps are free to use, so there's no reason why you can't keep both on your phone and use whichever one is most suitable at the time.

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