Google Maps and MapQuest Driving Directions Comparison

I realize that I’m probably just dating myself a little bit … but web-based mapping services like Google Maps or MapQuest just blow me away. Whoever figured out how to map any block on the planet in 5 seconds has to be rich … if not, they should be.

If you’ve never tried this wonderful service, visit maps.google.com right now. No matter where you go … the shortest, most up-to-date maps and driving directions are seconds away.

G-Maps has been my choice for a few years now. Knowledge in the field of geographic mapping has advanced remarkably, producing astonishing immediate maps of most of the planet and directions to almost anywhere in the world.

I’m going to do a brief review of these three, which will hopefully save you some browsing time when you enter the websites.

I switched to Google Maps after using MapQuest for almost 8 years (more on MapQuest below). What changed my loyalty after all those years was examining the directions on Google Maps. You know, when all else fails, read the instructions?

It is a wonderful piece of technology that will present you with maps of almost any part of the world and detailed driving instructions in many countries.

Trying to cover all of Google Maps in this review would fail, so let’s look at the core features of the site and you can discover the rest when you get there.

You can see satellite images of the Earth all over the planet and superimpose streets on those satellite images, it’s great. All key map categories are available to view.

You can see people wandering around the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona or read the home plate logo at Coors Field in Denver. In many parts of the world, it can also generate point-to-point driving directions.

Another exclusive feature of Google Maps is that it allows you to modify the route that has been traced for you, simply by dragging the route marking to another point. We often know alternative routes, learned from experience, that we want to stick to. The other services will not allow you to change the route … with Google Maps it’s easy.

Rand McNally has been making road atlases for a long time. Fred Flintstone is said to have used his atlas. They still favor the printed map or atlas and publish many of them. Next time you stop at a gas station and check the cash register, I bet you will find Rand McNally atlases for sale. Now having said that, they have excellent electronic maps and directions. I find them especially effective for comparing routes with Google or MapQuest as a kind of double check.

MapQuest has been around since the old days of the internet … 1996 … so by electronic standards it’s very old if not old. AOL bought it in 2000 and is still in charge.

I’ve used Map Quest thousands of times and they always deliver. They have excellent maps of the US, Canada and Europe, but they are weaker in the rest of the planet in quality and detail. US addresses are fully detailed and generally very accurate. In some areas of growth, they may be a little behind, simply because trying to keep up with new growth can be challenging.

The last main feature of MapQuest is that it will search for the least expensive gasoline or diesel no matter where you are in the US It’s a good way to control your fuel budget and it will only take you about 30 seconds.

Between the three of these websites, you should be able to target anywhere on the planet.