OSMAnd vs. Organic Maps
18 comments
·September 1, 2025neilv
Recent HN thread on the fork of CoMaps from Organic Maps:
risico
I've been trying really hard to get off Google Maps and almost managed to do it, but one thing that Google Maps offers and the others are not even close (at least for me) is discoverability.
For example if I am out riding some trails and then I want to pop out of the wilderness to grab a bite only Google has been able to provide good information of whats nearby (reviews help a lot as well).
Other than that I've been switching between OsmAnd and Gaia GPS (and Garmin built in device maps).
pferde
I guess that's country-specific. Over here, Google Maps has woefully outdated business info, apart from big names like McDonald or Starbucks. And I'm not even talking about building shapes, sidewalks, paths, or even roads.
Meanwhile in OSM, everything is much more detailed and kept up to date. I know, because I'm a mapper myself, and help keep it that way.
Google Maps seem like just another ad platform, for companies to pay if they want to be shown in higher zoom levels.
NoboruWataya
It calls Organic Maps new (and the article is recent) but Organic Maps has been around for a while now?
FWIW I prefer Organic Maps for casual usage - I think OSMAnd is very featureful but the UI is less intuitive IMO.
jraph
It's been around for some time and is a fork of Maps.me, which was called MapWithMe before this.
jraph
And now we have CoMaps [1], an Organic Maps fork.
I have both OSMAnd and CoMaps installed and started with OSMand, but I see myself reaching for CoMaps exclusively now.
Both apps are very good.
chris_overseas
There's some backstory to the CoMaps fork that is detailed here: https://openletter.earth/open-letter-to-organic-maps-shareho...
Disclaimer: I don't know anything about this other than having seen the above link mentioned in a comment elsewhere as to why people should switch to CoMaps.
orbital-decay
What I don't like in Organic (and by extension CoMaps) is curve and polygon rendering. If you put it side by side with OSMAnd, you can see how crude they look in Organic.
deepsun
One of the best map apps I saw is Mapy.com -- same OSM database, but works way smoother and looks better than OsmAnd. Less features, of course, but 99% of time I just need to see the map.
fisiu
It's better known as mapy.cz Indeed, works really well, I use it mostly when hiking or cycling, but it's also helpful when sightseeing. It provides all details from OSM tiles when needed.
vanous
Do note that mapy.cz is not open source and that they started moving more and more features into their subscription based paid offering... The beginning of enshittification.
timeon
Mapy are (that name is plural) cool but as I remember the app requires account.
charles_f
I have used osmand for a long time, but one thing that really broke it for me is when Android removed the ability for apps to read other apps data, thus making it impossible to backup track records with folder sync
I think it can be fixed by configuring where to save these. But I find it interesting that one os change in the api can have a somewhat remote impact on feature use.
charlie-83
An important thing to mention is that OSMAnd has multiple (somewhat confusing) paid tiers.
Since its FOSS you can presumably just compile it yourself if you wanted to bypass the paywall (the ethics of this are left as an exercise for the reader). However, Android Auto support is behind the paywall and Android Auto only works with apps downloaded from the play store.
OSMAnd definitely has more features (especially with the paid tiers) but, personally, I just wanted to get from A to B and I actually struggled to work out how to do that in OSMAnd which didn't give me a great impression of it.
I have both installed since I can imagine OSMAnd being better if I was planning a hike or something, but for day to day navigation CoMaps (Organic Maps fork with better governance)
sorenjan
One killer feature in OSMAnd is the ability to add new maps layers. It's possible to find Strava's heatmaps as overlays (unofficially), which can be really helpful for instance.
Vinnl
> Since its FOSS you can presumably just compile it yourself if you wanted to bypass the paywall (the ethics of this are left as an exercise for the reader).
You don't even have to do it yourself - F-Droid does it too. (Which is why it's called OSMand~, as a nod to OSMand+.)
nine_k
I frankly don't see any trouble in paying for open-source software once. I see it as a way to support the development. I often buy "premium" versions even if they add nothing on top of the OSS version.
As of OSMAnd, $40 might look like a steep price even for a lifetime unlimited license, but they regularly run sales where the same costs $25.
Personally I've settled on OSMAnd, due to its extra features (e.g. hillshading and map configurable hiking trail display) and better (IMO) map styles. The Topo style is one of my favourite styles for hiking.
It has two downsides not mentioned in the article: OSMAnd's maps are noticeably larger, and the renderer is much slower.