HERE WeGo

HERE WeGo is a free navigation app developed by HERE Technologies, one of the world's largest location data companies, headquartered in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Originally launched as Nokia Maps and later rebranded to HERE Maps before becoming HERE WeGo in 2016, the app has a lineage stretching back to the earliest days of smartphone navigation. Today, HERE Technologies is jointly owned by a consortium of German automotive companies -- Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz -- along with additional investors including Intel, Pioneer, and Bosch. This strong European automotive backing makes HERE WeGo one of the most genuinely European mapping solutions available.

The app is available on iOS, Android, and as a web application, covering all major platforms. HERE WeGo is completely free to use with no ads, no premium tiers, and no in-app purchases. This sets it apart from many competitors that either display advertising or push users toward paid subscriptions. The fact that HERE Technologies generates its revenue from B2B location services (selling mapping data and APIs to enterprises, carmakers, and logistics companies) means the consumer app does not need to monetize user data directly, which is a meaningful privacy advantage.

Offline Maps: The Standout Feature

The single most compelling feature of HERE WeGo is its robust offline mapping capability. Users can download detailed maps of entire countries or specific regions for use without any internet connection. Once downloaded, these offline maps include full address search, turn-by-turn navigation, point-of-interest data, and public transit information. This is not a stripped-down offline mode; the experience is remarkably close to what you get when connected. For travelers heading to areas with poor connectivity, for road trips across rural regions, or simply for anyone who wants to reduce their data usage, this feature is transformative.

The offline map download process is straightforward. Users can browse available regions from a download manager within the app, and maps are organized by continent, country, and sub-region. Download sizes are reasonable -- a full country map for a medium-sized European nation typically runs between 200 MB and 1 GB. The app intelligently manages storage and allows users to update or remove downloaded maps as needed. Having tried offline navigation on trips through areas with spotty connectivity, the reliability and completeness of HERE WeGo's offline data stands out as genuinely best-in-class among free navigation apps.

Multi-Modal Navigation

HERE WeGo supports navigation across multiple transportation modes in a single trip planning experience. Users can get directions for driving, walking, cycling, and public transit, and the app excels at combining these into multi-modal routes. For instance, you might see a route that suggests driving to a train station, taking a train, and then walking to your destination. This multi-modal approach reflects how many Europeans actually travel, especially in cities with well-developed public transit networks.

Public transit coverage is one of HERE WeGo's stronger points, with schedule data for over 1,900 cities worldwide. The app integrates real-time departure information where available and provides clear visual representations of transit routes including metro, bus, tram, and commuter rail connections. For commuters who rely on a combination of transportation modes, the ability to see all options side-by-side with estimated travel times and costs (in cities where fare data is available) is genuinely useful.

Driving Navigation Features

For drivers, HERE WeGo provides turn-by-turn voice guidance with lane suggestions, speed limit notifications, road sign displays, and safety camera alerts. The voice guidance works in multiple languages and is clear enough to follow without needing to look at the screen frequently. Route planning supports waypoints, allowing drivers to add intermediate stops to their journey. The app also displays real-time traffic conditions where available, adjusting routes to avoid congestion.

Parking assistance is another useful driving feature. In supported cities, HERE WeGo shows available parking areas near your destination, which can be a real time-saver in congested urban areas. The navigation experience is not quite as polished as Google Maps -- route suggestions can sometimes be less optimal, and traffic data coverage is not as comprehensive in all regions -- but for everyday navigation it performs reliably, especially in Europe where HERE's map data is particularly strong.

Map Data Quality and Coverage

HERE Technologies is one of the three major commercial mapping data providers globally, alongside Google and TomTom. The company maintains its map data through a combination of professional survey vehicles, satellite imagery, partner data, and community feedback. Map quality is generally excellent in Europe, North America, and major urban areas worldwide. HERE's automotive partnerships mean that road network data, in particular, benefits from the massive fleet data collected by BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Audi vehicles, resulting in highly accurate road attributes including lane counts, speed limits, and turn restrictions.

That said, map freshness can vary by region. In rapidly developing areas or less commercially significant markets, updates may lag behind Google Maps, which benefits from its enormous user community contributing edits and local knowledge. In Europe, however, HERE's map data is competitive with or sometimes superior to Google's, particularly for road navigation where the automotive data gives HERE a distinct advantage.

Privacy and Data Protection

As a Netherlands-headquartered company with majority European ownership, HERE Technologies operates under GDPR and European data protection laws. The company's privacy policy is relatively transparent, and the WeGo app collects notably less data than Google Maps. There is no requirement to sign in with a personal account to use the app's full feature set -- you can navigate, search, and use offline maps without creating any account at all. This is a significant privacy advantage over Google Maps, which heavily encourages (and sometimes requires) Google account sign-in.

HERE Technologies does collect some usage data for service improvement, including anonymized location data for traffic analysis. However, the scope of data collection is substantially narrower than Google Maps, and the data is not used for targeted advertising. For privacy-conscious users who want capable navigation without feeding their location history into an advertising ecosystem, HERE WeGo represents a meaningful improvement.

User Interface and Design

HERE WeGo has undergone several design refreshes, with the current interface being clean, functional, and easy to navigate. The map rendering is clear with good contrast, and the app handles different zoom levels smoothly. Points of interest are displayed without clutter, and the search function handles addresses, business names, and general queries effectively. The overall design is not as visually refined as Google Maps' latest iterations, but it is perfectly functional and free from the advertising and promotional content that increasingly clutters Google's mapping experience.

The app's interface is available in dozens of languages, and voice navigation supports over 40 languages. For international travelers, this multilingual support combined with offline capability makes HERE WeGo an excellent travel companion that works consistently across borders without needing to switch apps or deal with roaming data charges.

Limitations and Areas for Improvement

HERE WeGo is not without its shortcomings. The app's routing algorithm can occasionally suggest suboptimal routes, particularly in areas where traffic data is less comprehensive. Some users have reported that walking and cycling directions are less refined than driving directions, with occasional suggestions to take longer routes or use paths that are not ideal for pedestrians. The points-of-interest database, while comprehensive, is not as extensive as Google Maps' and may miss smaller or newer businesses, especially outside major urban areas.

Street View equivalent functionality is not available in HERE WeGo, which can be a limitation when trying to preview a destination or navigate unfamiliar areas. Real-time traffic data, while present, is not as granular or responsive as Google Maps' or Waze's crowd-sourced traffic information in many regions. The app's community contribution features are also more limited, meaning that errors or missing data are typically fixed through HERE's professional update process rather than through immediate user edits.

HERE WeGo vs. Google Maps

The core comparison most potential users will make is between HERE WeGo and Google Maps. Google Maps wins on points-of-interest data, real-time traffic accuracy in most regions, Street View, and the breadth of third-party integrations. HERE WeGo wins on offline maps (Google Maps' offline feature is more limited and requires more manual management), privacy (no Google account required, less data collection), European data sovereignty (Dutch headquarters, European ownership), and the complete absence of advertising in the navigation experience.

For daily commuters in European cities, travelers who value offline reliability, and privacy-conscious users who want to reduce their dependence on Google's ecosystem, HERE WeGo is a capable and genuinely European alternative. It may not match Google Maps feature-for-feature in every area, but it covers the core navigation use cases well and does so without the data collection trade-offs that come with Google's platform.

Final Verdict

HERE WeGo earns its place as one of the strongest European alternatives to Google Maps. The combination of completely free pricing, excellent offline maps, multi-modal navigation, and European data sovereignty makes it an easy recommendation for anyone looking to reduce their dependence on US tech giants for everyday navigation. The app's automotive industry backing ensures continued investment in map data quality, and the B2B revenue model means users are not the product. While it does not match Google Maps in every feature category, HERE WeGo is a polished, capable navigation tool that serves the needs of European users particularly well.