OsmAnd
Offline maps and navigation app for Android and iOS built on OpenStreetMap data.
HN commenters like it for its deep, customizable power-user feature set,1234 topographic maps for hiking,567 and offline navigation.8910 The most common complaint is a cluttered, confusing interface that puts off casual users,1112131415 followed by slow map panning and route calculation.161718
Why people recommend it
Power-user features · 3
Commenters describe a very large, highly customizable feature set aimed at power users.
“OSMAnd has a genuinely insane featureset for a free software app that keeps surprising me every time I use it.”
“I have been a happy user of OsmAnd+ for over 15 years at this point, I can strongly recommend it if you need power user features.”
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“then OsmAnd's customizability is great!”
Hiking and topo · 3
Recommended for hiking because of topographic contours and relief shading.
“bite the bullet and get osmand”
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“OSMand App for topographic maps”
Offline and private · 3
Works offline and can run without network permission except for map updates.
“OSMAnd~ shows me where ALPRs are, so I can plan my routes around Flock.”
“manually create a route in OSMAnd~ (no Network permission) to avoid the cameras”
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“sometimes Osmand+ for offline navigation”
Driving navigation · 3
Used as a Google Maps replacement for driving, including on Android Auto, with sensible main-road routes.
“I've switched to OsmAnd for driving because it'll give a sensible main road following route.”
“I use OsmAnd very very frequently (it displays on my dash via Android Auto whenever I drive)”
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“I recently switched from google maps to osmand”
Cycling · 3
Used as a bike navigator and track recorder.
“I use osmand on my bike, it has a lock feature.”
“all I need is wifi to update OSMAnd and send me the tracks I recorded”
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“I love osmand. But every new update seems slower.”
OSM community · 3
Recommended by OpenStreetMap contributors and supports an open source project.
“So we recommend CoMaps and OsmAnd, and carry on mapping.”
“For navigation i use osmand”
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“I have been a happy user of OsmAnd+ for over 15 years at this point, I can strongly recommend it if you need power user features.”
Caveats and dissent
Confusing UI · 3
The interface is cluttered and hard to learn, and commenters say it is unsuitable for casual users.
“OsmAnd is a great powerusers app. I use it daily.”
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“OSMAnd is nice, but too cluttered, OM is much easier to use.”
Slow performance · 3
Some report slow map panning, slow route calculation, and that it is slower than CoMaps or Organic Maps.
“I love osmand. But every new update seems slower.”
“I love Osmand, but bugs like these are par for the course with the app.”
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“OsmAnd has more features, CoMaps and Organic Maps are much faster.”
Feature bloat · 2
The growing list of niche features makes commonly used features harder to find.
“I used OsmAnd for a long time, and it's a great app that I learned how to use well.”
“I use OsmAnd very very frequently (it displays on my dash via Android Auto whenever I drive)”
Map subscription · 2
Downloading maps now requires a subscription, which infrequent users find hard to justify.
“just downloading maps costs a subscription now”
“i use it every other year though and otherwise simply don’t.”
Bugs · 1
One user says bugs are par for the course with the app.
“I love Osmand, but bugs like these are par for the course with the app.”
Often compared with
Who recommends it in their own words
Threads where it came up
- CoMaps: The Offline App That Guided Rescuers Without a Signal in Venezuela 8 mentions
- Organic Maps 6 mentions
- CoMaps – FOSS Offline Maps 2 mentions
- OsmAnd's Faster Offline Navigation 2 mentions
- How Fairphone built the Fairphone Gen 6+ 1 mention
- Show HN: Open-Source eInk Bike Computer 1 mention
Also written as OsmAnd+, OsmAnd~. Data: osmand.json. Quotes are verbatim; the verdict and theme labels are written by a model from these comments, and every clause links to its sources.
All comments 28
“OSMAnd~ shows me where ALPRs are, so I can plan my routes around Flock.”
“sometimes Osmand+ for offline navigation”
“For navigation i use osmand”
“I used OsmAnd for a long time, and it's a great app that I learned how to use well.”
“i use it every other year though and otherwise simply don’t.”
“I use OsmAnd very very frequently (it displays on my dash via Android Auto whenever I drive)”
“I'm one of those who grew up with OsmAnd and got used to having all those features”
“just downloading maps costs a subscription now”
“OsmAnd is a great powerusers app. I use it daily.”
“then OsmAnd's customizability is great!”
“OsmAnd has more features, CoMaps and Organic Maps are much faster.”
“OSMand App for topographic maps”
“manually create a route in OSMAnd~ (no Network permission) to avoid the cameras”
“I use osmand on my bike, it has a lock feature.”
“all I need is wifi to update OSMAnd and send me the tracks I recorded”
“OSMAnd has a genuinely insane featureset for a free software app that keeps surprising me every time I use it.”
“So we recommend CoMaps and OsmAnd, and carry on mapping.”
“of course some of us love OSMAnd”
“bite the bullet and get osmand”
“OSMAnd is nice, but too cluttered, OM is much easier to use.”
“I use it mostly for hiking.”
“OsmAnd~ is great for hiking”
“I have been a happy user of OsmAnd+ for over 15 years at this point, I can strongly recommend it if you need power user features.”
“I've switched to OsmAnd for driving because it'll give a sensible main road following route.”
“The software I use (e.g.: OsmAnd)”
“I love osmand. But every new update seems slower.”
“I love Osmand, but bugs like these are par for the course with the app.”
“I recently switched from google maps to osmand”