Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNETFollow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. ZDNET's key takeaways Google Maps wins for fast routing, AI, and rich discovery features.Apple Maps is cleaner, simpler, and geared toward Apple users.Both apps are close, but Google Maps is more powerful overall.I'll admit it: I'm a Google Maps person. I use it for driving, walking, looking up restaurants and businesses, checking out what a parking lot looks like, travel planning, and occasionally falling into a Street View rabbit hole that might begin with "What does my old childhood home look like today?" and end with me exploring the ancient streets of Rome, dreaming of visiting one day.But I once preferred Apple Maps. As a longtime Apple user (I got my first Mac when I was 14, nearly 25 years ago, and I switched from Verizon to AT&T in 2007 just so I could get the first iPhone), I will always try everything Cupertino releases. So, back in 2012, when Apple Maps first launched, I gave it a shot. I can't remember how long I used it for, but it was a couple of years at least. Also: 10 Google Maps settings I immediately change on every new phone - and whyI ignored the haters. Let's be real, Apple Maps was a punchline after its disastrous launch. But at some point, I followed the crowd. Over time, I became entrenched in Google apps. Eventually, it became obvious that Apple Maps was my backup maps app, the one I'd accidentally open instead of Google Maps. But I know Apple Maps has steadily improved. I'm a tech editor by day, so I've seen and written about countless updates to Apple Maps over the last decade. For example, with iOS 26, Apple added a Preferred Routes feature, which learns the routes I take most often and warns me about delays before I leave. With these kinds of updates in mind, I set aside my Google Maps bias and compared both apps feature by feature. Which one is better in 2026? Which one should I actually use? Has Apple Maps finally done enough to make me quit Google Maps for good? Is Google Maps or Apple Maps better? Let's look at all the major features of both apps to find a winner. I'm judging them on navigation, travel modes, traffic reports, speed alerts, offline maps, interface, AI, EV support, Street View and historical imagery, and compatibility. Apple Maps is genuinely good at turn-by-turn navigation now. It gives clear lane guidance, stop sign and traffic light cues in supported areas, speed limit info, route overviews, and multi-stop directions.I also like Preferred Routes, which learns where you typically drive, such as a work commute, and warns you about traffic delays or closures before you leave. So, if I always take a back road because I like to stop at a coffee shop, Apple Maps should learn that instead of push me onto the highway. Also: 41 hidden Google Maps settings you should knowGoogle Maps remembers my route to a point, but it doesn't learn my routine in the same way. Instead, it defaults to the fastest route. It still does nearly everything Apple Maps does for navigation, including letting me save trips, choose between routes, add stops, or avoid tolls and highways.Where Google Maps really shines is its depth of traffic data. It has live conditions and alerts, road type awareness, route comparisons, including eco-friendly options, and deep integration with search and place data. It even takes my vehicle into account. So, if you drive an EV, it can prioritize routes with charging stations.I also like that it explains why a route is faster, slower, more fuel-efficient, or if there are issues ahead, like road jams or stops. Google has a feature called Immersive Navigation, which provides realistic 3D route previews, clear lane context, and easier-to-understand route trade-offs.Google Maps can even use landmarks to provide navigation directions instead of just distances, so I might hear "Turn left after the Shell station," rather than "Turn left in 600 feet," which, in my experience, is very useful.Apple Maps is clean and effective, but Google Maps feels like it's doing a lot more to get me from A to B faster and smarter, not just based on my usual route. Google Maps gets my vote here, but Apple Maps has come far.