Best GPS App For Android | Offline and Online

Yes, most Android Phones have GPS apps and I can't think of any phone that would not have one like Google Maps installed on their Android devices. Some other phone also come with Navigon.

Some phones come with Telenav GPS Navigator. All three apps that I've mentioned so far are free of charge.

Both GPS apps are free but I wouldn't say they are the best. Personally, I think Navigon is a crap piece of app and I would rather use Google Maps any other day.

But would you rather use an android phone pre-loaded with Android Apps or a separate GPS device from Tom Tom or Garmin to guide you on the road?

Let's see what you guys think of it...

The Best FREE GPS App For Android Devices OFFLINE and ONLINE

NavFree App For Android has been touted as one of the best offline navigational apps for the Android OS platform. It is also known as a crowd powered application which means this app uses open source map (OpenStreetMap) data obtained from users all over the world. IMHO, I would say that NavFree app is the best GPS App for both offline and online users.

If not for some crashing and compatibility issues with certain specific android devices with the Sygic App mentioned above, Sygic would have taken this title.

The beauty of this app is that

• IT IS FREE! HOORAYY... :D

• You can use it offline unlike Google Maps Navigation

• Download maps you need without cluttering your storage space with unncessary map data

• Access these maps on the go without requiring a data connection!

• Turn by Turn Navigation with lots of advance notice. They are easy to understand as well.

• Easy navigation with its large button screens

Although it will not have street views or indoor views, the NavFree App for android has more than enough features to bring you to any destination as long as you have already downloaded the maps you require.

Access your maps offline means you safe battery power and you don't have to wait for your maps to load (which basically means saving time...)

The one minor issue with NavFee App is the limited Point Of Interests (POIs) that you will find in normal SatNav Apps or devices.

Best Paid GPS App for Android

Amongst all the paid GPS Apps out there, Sygic is the best and most recommended of all.

What makes Sygic GPS App different compared to the other GPS Apps out there is that it is packed with Tom Tom maps and it uses your voice to guide navigation.

I would say that it effectively replaces any need to buy a separate GPS navigational device. With the Sygic GPS app, you will get incredible detail with navigation, POIs, Speed camera notification, lane guidance, real time traffic and speed limit notifications.

The other good thing about Sygic is that you can use it offline once you have downloaded the maps for your country and it is much faster than Google Maps Navigation! You don't necessary have to get maps for all countries.

I've tried the Sygic GPS App on my Samsung Galaxy SII in Australia and it works seamless without a hitch. I was intitially sceptical about the offline feature but it really works. Once you have the maps installed on your phone, you can easily use it to guide you around places.

Take note that when using this app offline, you will not see images and real time traffic.

There are a few annoyances that you will need to know when using the Sygic GPS App:.

1) If you turn off your phone and try to use this app offline, you will not be able to use it unless you go online and verify the copy you've downloaded. Yup... not so much of an offline thing after all... :s

2) It isn't free. Yup, depending on where you live, prices of maps range between Euro9.99 to Euro54.99. The world map costs Euro79.99

I have also heard that some users have experienced problems using this app on other Android phones, so I am not too sure if this could mean that this GPS app may not be such a good thing for every Android users out there. So, be sure to test it out first.

Another Awesome Free GPS App For The Outdoors

GPS Essentials is another free Android based GPS app that has also recently gained a lot of favourable reviews. This OpenStreetMap app comes free but has some ads that my be of annoyance to some of you users.

The company calls it the "Swiss Army Knife of GPS Navigation". After having a look at the software, I can see that the company does lift up to the expectation of a GPS navigatin app plus a whole lot of other features that include showing navigation values such as Speed, Climb, Course, Date, Declination, Distance, ETA etc. It also has an in-built compass which works well most of the time. It also has the ability to record tracks, view it and export them onto other applications like Google Maps. It also gives you the ability to manage way points and create way points towards your destination. The Camera showing a HUD is one of the coolest features of this app and helps you take pictures and save them as well as showing your waypoints.

Check out The Video Of GPS Essential Apps Below!

The Free GPS App that is Second to NavFree GPS App

Google Maps Navigation is a familiar app on every android phone as mentioned earlier. I wouldn't blame you if you continue to use it without trying any other GPS apps on the Android store as it is packed load with features all for free.

Currently, Google Maps Navigation is still in Beta stage and I can only imagine that this app gets better over time. I have seen other paid GPS apps that just don't perform as well as this app

Some features you will find in its latest release are:

• street view, satellite view (something already familiar to most online Google Maps users)

• Voice guidance

• Indoor maps

• Offline maps

• Transit Navigation (new)

The offline map feature allows you to use downloaded map data to help you get around which is basically cached data. You may need to enable this feature by enabling the "Pre-Cache map area" on Google Maps "Settings"

You will still not be able to use it to navigate yourself around without an internet connection. Take note that not all countries support this offline map feature.

Another interesting feature that some of you might have already used is the Indoor Maps feature which is currently only available in a few countries like UK, US and Japan.

As a free GPS App for android phones, it is certainly simple and reliable enough to use.

But what about other free GPS apps on the market???

We'll have a look at them below