Here We Go is the non-Google map app I didn’t know I needed

Earlier this year, I started to become concerned about how much of my personal life was tied to the big tech companies, especially my Google account. And Google Maps was one of the biggest culprits. It had steadily changed from a clean and dependable navigation tool to a cluttered mess filled with ads. Worse, it sat at the heart of Google’s ecosystem and I knew I had to find a real alternative.

I wanted something different. I went looking for a navigation app that respected me as a user. It had to be simple, and didn’t require me to sign in with a Google account. That search led me to Here We Go, a map app from Europe that has a lot of what Google Maps offers but without all the drawbacks. So I gave it a test drive.

I installed Here We Go from the Play Store on my RedMagic 10 Pro and connected it to Android Auto with no problems. Over the following weeks, I used it for everyday city driving here in Ottawa and on a camping trip in rural areas along Lake Huron, and I also compared it to Google Maps every step of the way.

I liked Here We Go’s user interface right away. It reminded me a little of Waze; everything was nicely laid out and intuitive to find. Using it was even more of a breeze. Turn-by-turn guidance was clear and easy to follow, with great instructions arriving at just the right time before a turn. The on-screen prompts were large enough to read at a glance, and it had more of an Apple Maps vibe thanks to its driver-friendly, uncluttered interface. Lane guidance was about as good as Google Maps. There’s one spot in the Saint Laurent area of Ottawa that no map can seem to tackle, so I wasn’t upset when Here We Go failed to get me in the right lane as well.

Overall, it was an enjoyable map to use when driving. It didn’t steer me wrong throughout Ottawa or my long six-hour drive to Lake Huron. That’s all I want from a map app.

I was using Here We Go the same way I always used Google Maps and Waze. Walking, transit, dealing with traffic, etc. I paid close attention to these features because I wanted to know how well it handled all of those things I need from a maps app.

The app had all the navigation types I expected from a modern map tool. For walking, Here We Go did a surprisingly good job. Routes were accurate and included helpful details like finding pedestrian-only areas. It didn’t have all the paths marked, but once I went along one, it was able to reroute me.

The transit feature was hit or miss, but I blame that on Ottawa’s transit system. The bus and train times were up to date but not live because Ottawa’s buses are never on time. Google Maps has the same problem. I didn’t use Here We Go to check for last-minute delays (for that, I used the Transit app), but it worked as well as Google Maps for planning a trip in advance.

Traffic data matched reality in Ottawa. This city was built for a much smaller population than the 1.4 million people it now has, and Canada’s fourth largest city faces a real traffic problem. Here We Go seemed to understand that. When it said there was congestion, there was congestion. It didn’t offer alternate routes like Waze or Google Maps, so I just had to sit in the jam and seethe.

I didn’t test it in smaller cities so I’m not sure if the same level of accuracy would hold elsewhere. It got me through the mid-sized city of Orillia without issues on my way to my campsite, though, so that’s a plus.

Results for businesses and landmarks were accurate, at least whenever I searched for them. The app didn’t display the business’s hours, but it did say “Open Now” or “Closed.” Great for finding a coffee shop.

The app pulled data from Trip Advisor and included customer ratings, phone numbers, and websites. I found it less cluttered than Google Maps, but also didn’t see as many businesses listed, particularly newer businesses. The new Italian cafe I’m obsessed with in Ottawa’s Little Italy wasn’t on the map yet.

It also features 3D landmark models. Here in Ottawa, that was the Parliament Buildings, but I found it had amazing details about landmarks all over the world, from the Empire State Building to the Taj Mahal.

The biggest annoyance to me in Here We Go was the voice directions. The app’s default English voice is a shrill robotic female voice that scared me every time it fired up. There were no options to change it so I just turned it off and went purely visual.

It could also be slow in loading directions. When I entered directions for a location, it would think for a moment or two before loading them. Not a deal breaker, but not as instantaneous as Google Maps. Also, lane guidance could use some refinement. It occasionally lagged just enough to create uncertainty as I approached a high-density intersection.

More importantly, the map’s details out in rural areas were lacking. Sure, it gave me the correct roads, but it was just a blue line cutting through a white background. There were no businesses, farm roads, lakes, or anything else on it. At least Google Maps, for all its faults, never made me feel I had fallen off the edge of the earth.

I might keep using it

Here We Go met my needs for privacy and simplicity. It was more than capable of handling my travel needs throughout a large urban area. For outside the city, I would stick with Google Maps though because I feel safer with Google’s rural directions. But most importantly, Here We Go let me travel without feeling like I was an extra data point for a big tech conglomerate, and that allowed me to enjoy my drive just a little bit more.