Hi everyone im new to the OSM community but eager to contribute. Im curious how many of you use OSM on android phones and how you interact with it. I’m interested both in terms of contributing but also using it for its map functionality e.g. navigation. Based in my early research so far the most popular apps seem to be:
- OsmAnd
- Vespucci
- Maps.me
- StreetComplete
- Organic maps
- Magic Earth
Im really looking for your opinions on what apps are worth using and for what purpose. Do you just use one app or multiple apps for different purposes. Which app would you recommend to your tech savvy friend and which to your mum? There’s probably a bunch more i haven’t mentioned so please also highlight them and any strengths or weaknesses they have. Thanks 😊
Fully degoogled myself over a year ago, tested every OSM-based map software I could find, here’s my short conclusion:
For non-techy users who wanna get rid of Google maps but want an easy no muss no fuss, Magic Earth. IMO, it’s the closest you can get to Google maps without using Google.
Has basic traffic routing, pretty good with addresses and locations, clean UI, overall very solid app.
I also use OSMand, it’s both better and worse than Magic Earth. It’s NOT for beginners IMO, the defaults are pretty horrible. Messy UI, confusing interface, slow and cluttered. But OSMand is a tinkerer’s app, if you have the time and interest, you can make it work very well and look pretty good too.