Feb 11, 2010 | Comparing Navigon, TomTom and Sygic iPhone GPS apps

It's hard not to get lost and wonder how you could live life without GPS. While many people now have standalone GPS units or embedded systems within their cars, it helps to have GPS on a unit like the iPhone in order to keep tabs on parked car locations or simply navigating by foot. (And besides, who likes asking for directions, right?) I thought I'd give it a whirl and test the Navigon Mobile Navigator 1.4, the TomTom 1.2 and Sygic 7.71 and see how they compare.

Quick overview

	TomTom	Navigon	Sygic
Latest version	1.2	1.4	8.0.1
Startup Time (sec)	6.644	22.121	9.256
Cost	$79.99 (USA + Canada)	$69.99 (North America)	$59.99 (North America)
Size	1.30 GB	1.46 GB	1.80 GB
Text-to-Speech	Yes	Yes	Yes
Multiple languages	Yes	Based on iPhone operating language	Yes
Portrait/Landscape Views	Both	Both	Both

Navigon has a pretty sophisticated lane viewing system that allows you to visualize different exits

Real life scenario: I tested directions to a local restaurant, and interestingly I got three different paths. Sygic recommended taking an exit closest to the destination, as did Google and Navigon, doubling back just a bit. TomTom suggested taking an earlier exit.

For the same driver profile (take all tolls, avoid HOV lanes) on a longer trip to Philadelphia, TomTom suggested a route that takes 4:43 minutes (305 miles). Navigon suggested a 4:59 minute trip covering 304 miles, so basically very little difference there. Sygic suggested one that covered 304 miles with a trip time of 4:13. One notable peeve is that Navigon doesn't show you the details of the route it suggested through instructions or a demo.

TomTom suggested taking an earlier exit and using smaller roads to get to the destination. Sygic suggests a road that hits just one light (and a right turn) while both TomTom and Navigon suggest a route that hits one right and one left turn light, which can result in a slower ride.

Sygic used a fairly direct approach, the same path that Google Maps suggested.

Navigon went rather complicated.

Strong and weak points:

Navigon

Simple user interface, most clear and natural text-to-speech engine. Has ability to add traffic for a one-time fee.

Takes ages to load, doesn't remember last address entered, can't change speaker. Can't view route instructions or a demo.

TomTom

Rich interface with tons of options and fast to load. Most number of voices to choose from.
Expensive.

Sygic

Fast to load, lots of options, cheapest of the three GPS units
Doesn't take advantage of the iPhone's gestures to zoom in and out (this is available in the latest update). Doesn't remember last entered address.

Conclusion

So here's the problem. Each of the apps provide something the others don't, so none of them are the best. If only we could get the text-to-speech from Navigon, the price of the Sygic, and the features of the TomTom, we'd be set. I was impressed by Sygic more so than the Navigon, but if you're a frequent highway commuter and likely to miss exits, I would recommend Navigon for an intuitive view. I like being able to see in advance what roads I take in order to check up on traffic conditions, so Navigon's lack of instructions can be frustrating unless you buy their traffic add-on. If you're like me and want to have a bit of fun with different voices, TomTom is the way to go. If you're looking for a budget solution, Sygic is right up there with the big guys (apparently their latest version also includes information on police traps).

The bottom line is that each of these applications are bound to improve, but it's exciting to note that at least there's an app for everyone's tastes.