What is Waze used for?

Waze is a community-driven GPS navigation app that gives driving directions based on live traffic and hazard reports from other drivers. It is a good fit for avoiding traffic jams on a daily commute and reporting hazards for other drivers.

No. Waze is proprietary (closed-source) software and can't be self-hosted. Open-source alternatives to Waze include Organic Maps and OsmAnd.

What are some alternatives to Waze?

Waze competes with Google Maps, Apple Maps and Sygic. For open-source options, see Enlisted's ranked list of open-source Waze alternatives.

Waze: features, pricing and alternatives

About Waze

Waze is a navigation app focused on driving. It gives directions to a destination using real-time traffic information that comes from other drivers, who also report hazards, accidents and other road conditions along the way. The route can change as conditions change, so the suggested path reflects what is currently happening on the road.

The service relies on its community to keep information up to date, and the official site presents it as a way to get the best route from fellow drivers. Waze is available as a mobile app and a web map. It is a hosted product, now part of Google, and it is free to use, supported by in-app advertising.

Key features

Turn-by-turn driving directions
Real-time traffic from other drivers
Community hazard and accident reports
Live road condition updates
Mobile app and web map

Good fit for

→Avoiding traffic jams on a daily commute
→Reporting hazards for other drivers

Tags: navigation; gps; traffic; driving; crowdsourced; mobile-app; maps

Waze: questions and answers

What is Waze used for?: Waze is a community-driven GPS navigation app that gives driving directions based on live traffic and hazard reports from other drivers. It is a good fit for avoiding traffic jams on a daily commute and reporting hazards for other drivers.
Is Waze free?: Yes. Waze is free to use.
Is Waze open source?: No. Waze is proprietary (closed-source) software and can't be self-hosted. Open-source alternatives to Waze include Organic Maps and OsmAnd.
What are some alternatives to Waze?: Waze competes with Google Maps, Apple Maps and Sygic. For open-source options, see Enlisted's ranked list of open-source Waze alternatives.