HERE WeGo vs Google Maps: Which One To Go For?

Here we go with the ultimate HERE WeGo vs Google Maps comparison review.

This piece will highlight the differences between the two navigation apps and answer the question – did Google Maps finally get a superior alternative?

Google Maps hardly needs an introduction, as it has over a billion users worldwide and has been around for a long time.

Meanwhile, HERE WeGo is less known. It was launched over a decade ago by HERE Technologies. The app has received nearly half a million reviews on the Google Play store, with an average rating of 3.6 stars.

Although the score isn’t that high, it’s worth exploring the app as a Google Maps alternative.

Let’s begin!

HERE WeGo vs Google Maps: Feature Comparison

Feature-wise, the WeGo app has everything you need to get around – whether by car, public transportation, bike, or on foot.

So, what is the difference between Google Maps and HERE WeGo? The table below shows the key difference between the two apps:

Feature	HERE WeGo	Google Maps
Transportation modes	Driving, walking, cycling, public transport, motorcycling	Driving, walking, cycling, public transport, flights
Route customization	Excellent	Good
Street View	No	Yes
Door-to-door navigation	Yes	No
Real-time traffic data	No	Yes

Now, let’s explore these features in more depth.

User Interface

Google Maps has an intuitive interface. It allows you to select your starting point by tapping a place on the map. You can add your destination just as easily by selecting it on a map or typing it into the search bar at the top of the screen.

Below that, you can choose the means of transportation, and on the right side of the screen, you can access layers and search places along your route. The layers icon is where you’ll find satellite view, biking routes, air quality data, and Street view.

For route customization, Google Maps uses a drop-down menu at the top-right.

HERE WeGo, on the other hand, looks similar to Google Maps, matching the latter’s clean design.

However, the WeGo app has a more consistent layout.

You can select places by pressing and holding any point on the map. All app features and customizations are at the bottom of the screen. These include route points, transportation modes, and layers.

You can also expand the tab at the bottom of the screen, which will reveal available routes for your trip.

Here, you’ll also find Route Preferences, so you can easily customize your route.

Overall, the HERE WeGo mobile app has a slightly better user interface, which focuses on bringing the app features as close to the user’s fingers as possible.

By contrast, the navigation service‘s web version is slow, giving Google Maps an admirable advantage in this area. Additionally, the latter lets you adjust your route by dragging the route line, which you can’t do in HERE WeGo.

So, Google Maps offers a better web-based experience, whereas HERE WeGo does a better job with its mobile app.

Map Coverage

The Google Maps navigation service extends to 220 countries and territories. The mapping data comes from government entities, transportation agencies, organizations, and over 1 billion monthly active users.

HERE WeGo covers over 200 countries and territories. The navigation app gathers its data from over 80,000 sources, including its users.

In comparing HERE WeGo vs Google Maps, Google’s navigation app has better map coverage.

Route Planning and Customization

This section of my HERE WeGo vs Google Maps review will discuss the navigation apps’ route planning features and customization options.

Starting with the map view, Google Maps lets you switch the map type from the default view to satellite and terrain.

Besides that, you can view biking-friendly routes, public transit, and traffic conditions, and explore places via Street View.

HERE WeGo also lets you switch the default map type to satellite. Like in Google Maps, you can view public transportation and traffic information. Meanwhile, the WeGo app doesn’t have Street View and doesn’t display biking routes.

Next, both apps offer several ways to help you navigate to your destination. The routes can be customized for cars, bicycles, public transit, and walking.

The one area where they differ is that Google Maps shows flights. The tech giant incorporated its flight booking service, Google Flights, into Google Maps.

HERE WeGo, meanwhile, doesn’t have flight data, but it has a separate section for motorcycles. The Google Maps alternative considers motorcycle size, and, based on that, shows routes including or excluding highways.

When it comes to suggested routes, Google Maps typically shows the fastest one.

HERE WeGo lets you choose between the fastest and shortest ones. It also has more route customization options. If you travel by car, you can avoid ferries, toll roads, and highways, which you can do in Google Maps, too.

However, WeGo, also lets you skip U-Turns, tunnels, and unpaved roads.

Another feature worth mentioning is rerouting. Google Maps strives to provide the best route for you, which means that it will occasionally change your initial route. While helpful, this feature can be annoying if you don’t want to change your route. And in Google Maps, there’s no on and off button for this feature.

By contrast, HERE WeGo has thought about rerouting. It lets you choose whether you want the app to change your route automatically. It’ll also take a faster route if you don’t cancel it within 10 seconds. But you can also turn off automatic reroutes, and stick to the initial one.

Another highlight of the HERE WeGo navigation app is door-to-door navigation, which does exactly as the name suggests. The app offers directions from the moment you walk out of your home to your exact location along with the walking directions from your vehicle.

Before we move on to the next section, let’s briefly discuss points of interest these two apps offer.

In Google Maps, you have abundant information about cafes, restaurants, tourist attractions, and similar places.

HERE WeGo shows these places as well, although it doesn’t have as much information as Maps. It fetches data from its users and TripAdvisor. Still, it can’t compete with the influx of information the most popular navigation app in the world gets for its significantly larger user base.

Now, let’s move on to the navigation features offered by these two apps.

Navigation

HERE WeGo, much like Google Maps, offers turn-by-turn directions and voice-guided navigation.

The advantage Google Maps has is Google’s voice assistant and the seamless integration between these two products. The app’s language support is impressive, especially compared to the several languages HERE WeGo offers.

As far as traffic data goes, Google Maps offers more accurate live traffic data. As mentioned earlier, Maps gets live updates from its one-billion user base. Additionally, the app makes it easy to report traffic conditions, which is reflected in high-accurate traffic updates.

HERE WeGo users can also leverage real-time traffic information. Still, it can’t compete with Google’s user base.

Offline Maps

One of the essential features of navigation apps is the offline mode.

The good news is that both apps let you download a map you can use offline.

HERE WeGo has a better approach to how it handles data. It lets you download map data on a country and continent level.

Google Maps, meanwhile, lets you select part of the map only.

So, if you find yourself in a place with bad reception, you’ll have more complete navigation data with HERE WeGo.

Support

Another aspect worth highlighting in this HERE WeGo vs Google Maps review is app support.

Google Maps has a knowledge base with an abundance of help articles. Users can also rely on the product’s community, which offers solutions to issues other users have experienced.

HERE WeGo has a knowledge base, too. Another option to get in touch with the navigation app’s support is via their ticketing system. It allows you to ask a question, request a feature, or leave feedback about the app.

HERE WeGo vs Google Maps – Verdict

Who wins in the HERE WeGo vs Google Maps comparison?

Based on my experience with these two navigation apps, Google Maps is better for navigating and exploring places. It has more accurate traffic information, and its Street View is irreplaceable for getting around unfamiliar areas.

On the other hand, HERE WeGo is better in route customization and an ideal choice if you use a motorcycle for getting around. The navigation app will also serve well to delivery services and anyone who relies on offline maps heavily.

Do you use either of these two navigation apps? If you do, let me know which one you think is better in the comments.