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Bye Bye Big Tech: How I Migrated to an almost All-EU Stack (and saved 500โฌ per year)
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this post was submitted on 31 Dec 2025
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The hardest thing to drop is maps and navigation. Google maps is just so far ahead of anything else, especially on mobile.
The maps based on OpenStreetMap, for example Organic map and Co map, are better for paths when biking and hiking.
Yes, but for driving (by a gigantic margin used way more than hiking, biking, and walking) organic maps/comaps is quite shit. In Belgium, I absolutely cannot trust it to get me to a destination I am unfamiliar with because of the policy of openstreetmaps of updating extremely infrequently and encouraging contributors not to report any road closures that last less than 6 months or whatever.
Not to mention that it doesn't take reported road condition into account when routing so it will send you on tiny cobblestone roads where you have to drive 30 instead of 50 to save 10 seconds theoretically by going to a main road and continually route you via u-turns back to that tiny shitty road instead of choosing a better route when you pass it.
Even without any traffic data (so you never know approximately when you will arrive), it very often just not get you where you need to go. It is like using a GPS from 2005.
Here WeGo has great traffic data (as you would expect given that it's owned by Audi,BMW etc
Ok, when a road near me got rebuilt it showed up on Co maps before Google map. But it is only one occasion and Google map probably works even better in Belgium.
And another drawback for all maps based on OpenStreetMap is if you take the wrong turn and it needs to find a new route. For me, the OpenStreetMap navigation is not important since I use my car's built in navigation for that. So I have not experienced how it works.
They're fully adequate for that, I just wish it had business info and all those pics as well. Someone should pirate Google maps.
When comparing to Google maps I would say that they are better, not only adequate. In my experience they show much more trails than Google. But yeah for other cases Google map is better.
I've been contributing to OpenStreetMaps. The hardest part is that yes, Google Maps is superior, because of how much money they throw at everything. But the more people use and contribute to OpenMaps, the better it will be.
It's a circular problem.
For me the biggest thing missing from OpenStreetMap-based navigation apps is support for public transport routes and schedules :(
I use co maps based on openstreetmaps an actively help editing openstreetmaps. All i want is route guidance and it does that perfectly well. All those google features/overhead isn't worth going back to them. Not by a long shot!
I've been using Mapy.cz (now Mapy.com) for years without any major issues, the only time it made a mistake was in Tunisia when it told me to make a right turn on a road that were actually stairs.
At this point I've used it for driving and/or hiking in 30+ countries, including the US and countries in Asia and I can't be more pleased.
But did you drive up the stairs? It sounds like an exhilarating experience!
No, but later that day I accidentally drove into a military base, but it was their fault that they didn't close and guard the gate or put a sign up. I just wanted to go up the hill to see the view.
I heard that when you roll into a military base by accident, you can't just turn around and leave. Did they have to let you in and escort your vehicle out?
It was this place, we turned around when we saw the first signs of military facilities, when we arrived to the gate there was a truck full of soldiers and a 4x4 coming up so we just waived at them and went our marry way.
!CoMaps@sopuli.xyz is good for my needs!
I use mapy.com (EU made) which I find way, WAY better than google maps as far as maps themselves go. Because google maps are low contrast unusable trash. Mapy.com also works in android auto and has good pedestrian navigation too.
Have you tried Here WeGo. Itโs owned by a consortium of European car manufacturers, and has great maps, especially for traffic. The mobile experience is event, and integrated with Android Auto.
I'm planning to get a separate GPS device this year since I'm completely degoogling
Especially in the car.. Most EU car manufactures is in the Google software.