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Google Maps vs Waze: which app has fewer problems?

We compared 300 recent App Store reviews of Google Maps and 300 recent App Store reviews of Waze, each classified by AI into 7 complaint themes (samples from up to 6 storefronts, latest review 2026-10-22). Waze has the fewest complaints overall: 24% of its recent reviews contain a complaint, vs 47% for Google Maps.

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Ratings at a glance

App	All-time US rating	Ratings	Avg in our sample	Reviews analysed	Reviews with a complaint	Sample dates
Google Maps	4.7★	7.4M	2.72★	300	47%	2026-10-01 – 2026-10-22 (22 d)
Waze	4.8★	3.2M	3.67★	300	24%	2026-09-03 – 2026-10-22 (50 d)

Complaint themes side by side

Share of all analysed reviews that mention each theme (review count in brackets). Bold = lowest. A review can mention several themes.

Theme	Google Maps	Waze
Bugs	34% (102)	19% (57)
Crashes / freezes	8% (23)	1% (3)
Performance	3% (10)	3% (9)
UX / design	20% (59)	6% (18)
Pricing / subscription	2% (5)	0% (0)
Ads	1% (3)	0% (1)
Feature requests	17% (51)	12% (35)

Verdict: which one has fewer problems?

Across the latest 600 App Store reviews we collected, Waze has the lowest share of reviews with a complaint (24%) and Google Maps the highest (47%). The biggest single difference is in bug complaints: 34% of Google Maps reviews mention them, vs 19% for Waze. Each app's own biggest complaint theme: Google Maps, bugs (102 reviews); Waze, bugs (57 reviews). Average star rating in the samples ranges from 2.72★ (Google Maps) to 3.67★ (Waze). Time span of each sample: Google Maps 22 days (2026-10-01 to 2026-10-22); Waze 50 days (2026-09-03 to 2026-10-22). The samples cover comparable periods, so the comparison is reasonably like-for-like.

Fewer bug problems: Waze, 19% of its reviews vs 34% for Google Maps.
Fewer crash and freeze problems: Waze, 1% of its reviews vs 8% for Google Maps.
Performance (slowness, battery, storage) complaints: roughly tied (Google Maps 3%, Waze 3% of reviews).
Fewer UX / design problems: Waze, 6% of its reviews vs 20% for Google Maps.
Pricing and subscription complaints: roughly tied (Google Maps 2%, Waze 0% of reviews).
Ad complaints: roughly tied (Google Maps 1%, Waze 0% of reviews).
Fewest feature requests: Waze, 12% of its reviews vs 17% for Google Maps.

Gaps under 3 percentage points are called a tie. Samples are recent reviews only, so this is a snapshot of current problems, not all-time quality.

Top 3 specific issues for each app

Google Maps

Improve content quality (65 reviews, severity 2.0/3)
Soften the redesign backlash (57 reviews, severity 2.0/3)
Ship the most requested feature (29 reviews, severity 1.8/3)

Biggest theme: bugs. Free PDF

Waze

Improve content quality (47 reviews, severity 2.1/3)
Soften the redesign backlash (18 reviews, severity 2.2/3)
Ship the most requested feature (19 reviews, severity 1.9/3)

Biggest theme: bugs. Free PDF

FAQ

Which has fewer problems overall: Google Maps or Waze?

In the most recent App Store reviews we analysed, Waze had the lowest share of reviews with a complaint (24% of 300) and Google Maps the highest (47% of 300). Google Maps: 141 of 300; Waze: 71 of 300.

Which has fewer bug complaints: Google Maps or Waze?

Waze. Google Maps: 102 of 300 recent reviews (34%); Waze: 57 of 300 recent reviews (19%).

Which has fewer crash and freeze complaints: Google Maps or Waze?

Waze. Google Maps: 23 of 300 recent reviews (8%); Waze: 3 of 300 recent reviews (1%).

Which has fewer pricing and subscription complaints: Google Maps or Waze?

In our samples they are roughly tied: Google Maps: 5 of 300 recent reviews (2%); Waze: 0 of 300 recent reviews (0%).

Which has fewer ad complaints: Google Maps or Waze?

In our samples they are roughly tied: Google Maps: 3 of 300 recent reviews (1%); Waze: 1 of 300 recent reviews (0%).

Which is rated higher on the App Store: Google Maps or Waze?

All-time US App Store ratings: Google Maps 4.7★ from 7.4M ratings; Waze 4.8★ from 3.2M ratings. Waze is highest, but all-time ratings move slowly; the recent-review samples above show current problems.

How recent is this Google Maps vs Waze data?

Each sample is the most recent public App Store reviews we could collect (from up to 6 storefronts): Google Maps: 300 reviews over 22 days (2026-10-01 to 2026-10-22); Waze: 300 reviews over 50 days (2026-09-03 to 2026-10-22). It is a snapshot of current problems, not all-time quality.

What is the most common complaint about Google Maps and Waze?

Google Maps: bugs (102 of 300 reviews), top-ranked fix: “improve content quality”; Waze: bugs (57 of 300 reviews), top-ranked fix: “improve content quality”.

Full reports

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