The Top Five Open Source Navigation Apps

"Web browsers and messaging tools may grab the bulk of mobile software headlines, but navigation and routing apps are arguably more important — after all, they tend to be among the biggest data consumers, and a bad one can leave you seriously lost. Unfortunately, the default mapping apps on most mobile devices — even Linux-based phones — are usually proprietary and rely on commercially-licensed maps. If you care about software freedom and open data, here's a guide to the best mapping and navigation apps for handhelds.

"For Android Users: OsmAnd

"The clear leader on the Android platform is OsmAnd. Despite the less-than-mellifluous name, OsmAnd runs smoothly on a wide variety of devices. The feature set is impressive, including support for multiple map sets (most notably the free OpenStreetMap data set), routing and turn-by-turn navigation, separate navigation modes for car, bicycle, and pedestrian travel, and (optionally) both auto-zoom and auto-rotate while in motion. OsmAnd supports overlaying several data types on top of the actual map, including multiple categories of points-of-interest (POIs), public transport stations, user-defined favorites, and traffic data from Yandex."

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