# Navigation/maps app with best traffic updates **URL:** https://discuss.privacyguides.net/t/navigation-maps-app-with-best-traffic-updates/24562 **Category:** Questions **Created:** 2025-02-01T00:18:49Z **Posts:** 6 ## Post 1 by @baby_bat — 2025-02-01T00:18:49Z Hey everyone, I’m gonna be visiting seattle and will be driving extensively between tacoma, bellevue, and snoqualmie pass including during rush hour traffic. Do you have any recs for the best privacy respecting navigation apps with the best real time traffic updates? Normally i use organic maps around my home state because there’s basically never any traffic so it works well, but i know seattle traffic can be absolutely insane and for my trip plans i’ll need precise updated etas for certain events. i also noticed organic maps is pretty slow to reroute after missed turns especially in big cities with lots of overlapping streets in tunnels or bridges or with parallel streets that run extremely close together. my threat model is lax enough that if there’s no better options than google maps or apple maps it won’t compromise my safety or security, i’d just prefer to find a better option if it exists. thanks a bunch :slight_smile: --- ## Post 2 by @Valynor — 2025-02-01T00:29:26Z Regarding traffic updates there’s nothing that comes close to gmaps/waze and perhaps Apple maps in the US simply because these services can only be as good as the number of ppl using them concurrently, the more the better. --- ## Post 3 by @crossroads — 2025-02-01T06:30:50Z MagicEarth and Here maps have traffic updates, but I would say not that reliable. And I think ME is better one. Though from my experience, gmaps are not so precise as well. --- ## Post 4 by @Regime6045 — 2025-02-03T14:57:20Z HERE WeGo and Magic Earth are probably the most private apps that have live traffic info. Some related links: > [@Here WeGo (Navigation)](https://discuss.privacyguides.net/t/here-wego-navigation/23752/): > > Check this box to affirm you have no conflict of interest. on Website Short description Spliting from the discussion on adding [Add Navigation (GPS) tools](https://discuss.privacyguides.net/t/add-navigation-gps-tools/13669)Why I think this tool should be added It seems to me that we should have a look at this app seperately from the dicussion on adding the category itself. Like dicussions already exist for the other options Section on Privacy Guides Navigation > [@Add Navigation (GPS) tools](https://discuss.privacyguides.net/t/add-navigation-gps-tools/13669): > > Thought i would bring this up since i saw no related results when searching. Since using GPS navigation is really common and rife with privacy issues, I think it would be nice to add a section about more private options. There are some applications that serve as alternatives to Google Maps for directions like OSMAnd, Organic Maps, Magic Earth, and others. And there’s Apple Maps as well for Apple users. I would also be interested in a discussion evaluating how good of an alternative (privacy-wi… > > > List of changes proposed in this PR: > > > Added another page recommending privac…y-respecting maps apps. > > The title photo is from Unsplash. Logos were optimized with scour and optipng. > > Also I removed the F-Droid link for Organic Maps as it is not an external repo provided by the developers, however they link to F-Droid on their website so I'm not completely sure if this kind of endorsement means we should still add the F-Droid link. --- ## Post 5 by @phnx — 2025-02-03T15:54:42Z I’m sure there are many ways to monitor traffic in a privacy-friendly way, someone smarter than me is going to have to come up with such a solution though. For now, I manage without traffic data (Organic Maps); in general, traffic patterns are extremely predictable and pretty easily to learn, save for accidents and acts of nature. --- ## Post 6 by @baby_bat — 2025-02-03T18:49:41Z I actually set up magic earth a few days ago and i’m digging it so far!! I’ll test drive the live traffic updates while i’m out in SeaTac