Which one is easier to use and more accurate, Baidu Map or Gaode Map?

Baidu Map and Amap are two of the most common navigation mobile applications in our lives. Many friends who travel by car or travel outdoors must have these two navigation software, so they are still very practical. , especially for novice drivers, which one of Baidu Maps and Amap is more accurate?

As for why we only choose these two apps for comparison, the main reason is that these two apps App

We will consider the number of downloads in major domestic application markets, daily use and discussion, and the deployment of the respective product lines of the two products. I won’t tell you that it’s because I’m too lazy to download other apps

. For the convenience of some friends who are in a hurry, I have put my conclusions in each scenario at the title, so you can read them as needed.

It should be noted in advance that since the data sources of various map apps on the market

are not the same, various differences based on the data level do exist. I am not an expert on this issue, and if I really had to write it, it would probably be too much for me to write an article.

Daily commuting: basically the same, choose according to your needs

This part mainly introduces the daily two-point and one-line commuting scene, mainly from the two different scenarios of self-driving and non-self-driving. Dimensions are highlighted. If you are not commuting by car, I recommend AutoNavi

There are many factors that influence whether you are willing to commute by car. But once you decide not to commute by car, the only means of commuting are taxis, buses, cycling and walking.

I personally think that the latter two are not suitable for using maps in the process

App. After all, if you choose to commute on foot, your destination should be not far from you and you go back and forth every day. It is impossible not to know the exact location of your destination;

The same is true for cycling. Generally, you will choose to ride if you have sufficient knowledge of your own riding skills, routes and road conditions. So we focus on the two modes of transportation, bus and taxi.

Bus commuting

In fact, both of these parts have fully satisfied what a map and navigation tool should do. For overall route information (ride route, time, walking distance, price, number of bus stops, etc.), changing to stations, segmented navigation (from the starting point to the station, during the ride, changing routes between stations, getting off the bus to the destination, etc. ) and other basic information that you use and don't use are all displayed very well, and I don't think there is anything to say in particular.

Display of bus planning on Amap (left) and Baidu Map (right)

In terms of daily commuting, based on my actual measurement experience in Hangzhou, Amap is It is even better in terms of ride code payment jump and real-time bus display. Amap can also directly call up the bus card.

To give a simple example, after I plan the route, I can directly see how many stops are left from the line I want to take in this part of the bus navigation. If I miss the current bus route, How long does the car have to wait before the next car can be seated, which can make users more confident in controlling their commuting time. When the bus arrives, I can directly click on the ride code and call Alipay

API through Amap. I can easily use Alipay to pay for the fare. The whole process does not require switching apps.

Of course, although in actual testing, Baidu Maps has not been able to call Alipay API

to complete fare payment or view real-time buses, but I don’t think these functions The lack of is the fatal flaw of Baidu Maps. After all, as I said above, if I commute every day, it is impossible for me to do a route planning before going downstairs. If I need to pay for the fare, I can directly open Alipay for the ride. Code, maybe your city only supports WeChat payment.

Taking a taxi to commute

If you choose to take a taxi to commute daily, the destination is usually not too far away. If you still choose to take a taxi if it is far away, I can only respect you as a wealthy person. There is a kind of pain called "I'm almost late and the chefs haven't taken my order yet". In addition to the traditional function of giving me a coupon or not, the function of taking a taxi deserves more attention. It should be whether I can get a taxi. In this scenario, AutoNavi has access to more third-party taxi-hailing platforms, but Baidu basically covers most mainstream platforms on the market.

Amap (left) and Baidu Map (right) are connected to third-party taxi-hailing platforms

And as far as the current experience during taxi-hailing is concerned, there is no need to pause during the taxi-hailing period. Amap, which can also add more car models and a taxi waiting page with more concentrated information, is even better.

The taxi waiting order page of Amap (left) and Baidu Map (right)

It’s still nonsense, because both apps are connected and can accept orders. They are mainstream platforms, so in a sense, whether you can get a car or not is basically the same.

Just like when I was in Qingdao during the May Day holiday, I couldn’t find a car even if I switched frequently between two apps

At this time, no matter how many platforms you connect to, no matter how good the experience is, it won’t help. , cannot solve the most basic and original needs. When commuting by car, I recommend Baidu

In fact, both apps have made many detailed optimizations for self-driving navigation.

For example, when you open the App during commuting time

you can check the traffic conditions with one click, perform light navigation without entering the navigation mode, and explore the path mode to display other available solutions in real time. These functions undoubtedly capture the pain points. , thus greatly improving the experience of driver students.

The pathfinding mode and radar mode of Gaode Map (left) and Baidu Map (right)

The reason why I recommend Baidu Map in this scenario is not because I hope that everyone will really The main force uses Baidu Maps for navigation (of course there is nothing wrong with this, but it is not the original intention of my recommendation), but Baidu is better in several details.

One of the points is that it may be useful in cities with limited traffic regulations. Both maps can determine whether there are traffic restrictions based on the starting point and end point, so as to plan routes that can avoid traffic restrictions as much as possible. However, in some more complex situations, Baidu Maps has a better experience.

For example, the traffic restriction period in Hangzhou is from 16:30 to 18:30, and the traffic restriction mode is to draw a circle in the city except for some elevated roads and tunnels, and vehicles with restricted traffic on that day are not allowed to enter.

Suppose I leave work at 18:00

for an appointment. The appointment location is within the restricted area, but my company is outside the restricted area. How can I plan my time to use my time more rationally? Departure time, this often bothers me.

Route planning of Amap (left) and Baidu Map (right) when the traffic restrictions are about to end

When you open the Amap at this time, you will usually be prompted "The destination is subject to traffic restrictions." "Within the restricted area, we cannot avoid it, please arrange your travel reasonably" or directly find you a route that completely avoids the restricted area, and this reminder will be until the end of the restricted area.

What Baidu Maps does is calculate when you can reach the restricted boundary, and then recommend that you go out at the right time, instead of having to wait until 18:30.

Start again.

After all, my company is not within the restricted area. There is still a certain distance from the company to the boundary of the restricted area. Isn’t reasonable arrangement of travel the most important thing to consider at this time?

The future time and travel planning functions of Amap (left) and Baidu Map (right)

Another function worth talking about is the future time of route planning, which actually specifies a future time. to check the journey time. This situation generally applies to long- and short-distance self-driving or some trips where the arrival time is not very critical.

Both map apps

have functionally implemented this scenario. Amap’s implementation of this function was much later than Baidu’s (so much so that I had to plan For future itineraries, I will have to open a Baidu map that is not my main use), and Amap will only display a route based on your starting point,

end point and the time you choose, while Baidu will use this information to display multiple routes, just like when planning in real time.

So even if Gaode Map implements this function, in some cases I may still choose Baidu Map for planning and reference of future itineraries. Indoor navigation: The difference is not obvious

After talking about commuting, it is inevitable to invite friends to go shopping in the mall after get off work and on weekends, and eat everything when you are hungry. At this time, the indoor navigation functions of the two major maps come in handy.

Indoor planning display of Amap (left) and Baidu Map (right)

In this scene, both of them are basically quite detailed. Select different floors of the mall and present a very detailed indoor map. Clicking on the corresponding merchant will also display the merchant's specific location, business hours, reviews, etc.

Baidu Map also thoughtfully attaches the traffic distribution of different merchants to help users make decisions.

I would say that the biggest difference is probably the level of support for data sources. For example, Xixi Yintai City, which was newly opened half a year ago, still does not have indoor navigation on Amap, but Baidu Maps already supports it.

Amap (left) and Baidu Map (right) support the interior planning of Xixi Yintai City for long-distance self-driving: Baidu is more user-friendly and Amap is more accurate

This part was originally I didn’t plan to write it. It happened to be during the May Day holiday and I didn’t catch the high-speed train, so I specially (wu) deliberately (nai) wrote a self-driving test of 1,000 kilometers one way

for this article. (tu) Comment (cao).

Nearly 10 hours of self-driving route planning on Amap (left) and Baidu Map (right)

For friends who drive long distances, not to mention the high-speed kilometer charges Planning (yes, it’s free on May 1st, how can I compare it), the most important thing is nothing more than prompts for the entire speed test, section speed test, illegal camera, service area instructions, hub instructions and other such information.

For basic violation camera tips, both Apps

are relatively complete (I have no way of verifying whether the data is complete), but for interval speed measurement, Baidu will The actual average speed of the vehicle, the speed limit value and the distance value of the speed measurement in the remaining interval are displayed. Compared to Amap, which displays the real-time vehicle speed, the actual average speed of the vehicle in the interval and the distance value of the speed measurement in the remaining interval, I prefer Baidu design.

After all, according to the display method of Amap, unless I am speeding or approaching the signs and voice prompts of the starting and ending points, I will not know the specific speed limit during the period. Friends who have driven long distances should know that the speed test in some sections can be as long as 100 kilometers.

The display interface of highway section speed measurement on Amap (left) and Baidu Map (right)

Baidu Map has indeed done a lot of optimization for this type of thing, which makes it feel more comfortable for me to use it. Humane.

Baidu Map supports viewing all service areas during navigation

However, in terms of data accuracy, Amap does a better job. During navigation, I will frequently switch between the two maps while ensuring safety. In the "Haizhou Bay Service Area", there are differences between the two apps in the service area. The Amap map shows "Haizhou Bay Service Area", while Baidu Map shows it as "Ganma Service Area".

When we arrived at the service area, we found that the service area was indeed called "Haizhou Bay Service Area" as shown on the Amap map. After checking the relevant information, it was found that the "Ganma Service Area" has been officially renamed as the "Haizhou Bay Service Area" in April 2019. Since the data sources of the two maps are different, this timeliness is very In terms of strong information, Gaode is even better.

After driving nearly 1,000 kilometers

, the actual time estimated by Amap is closer to the actual time than Baidu's. The congestion encountered on the highway during the period is also highly estimated. is more accurate. The accuracy of long-distance navigation should affect the usage habits of many people, so it is more recommended to use Amap here. Traveling to other places: one-stop tour guide

When I wrote this article, it coincided with the May Day holiday. Major tourist attractions across the country were crowded with people. If you are one of them, I don’t know whether you have used the automatic map in the map. What about the travel explanation mode?

Both Amap and Baidu maps are optimized for off-site travel scenarios. If you open the map and detect that you are in a scenic spot, you will be directly recommended to enter the travel mode.

In this mode, you can provide relevant explanations, review reviews, and purchase tickets for famous attractions. At the same time, you can also search for related supporting facilities around scenic spots, which is very friendly to tourists who are away from home.

The tourist attraction overview pages of Amap (left) and Baidu Map (right)

The two Apps have slightly different explanations of travel modes. Amap’s tour guide mode and guide guide The map is more like a personal travel map. You can directly use the App

to view a fully marked exclusive map of attractions similar to traditional paper. It is suitable for users who like to freely control the order of travel.

And Baidu Map’s AI

tour guide mode, after being turned on, can automatically explain the scenic spots to users based on the sequential tour routes generated by the scenic spots, and cooperate with real-time positioning. This function should It is more suitable for users traveling with their elders.

The tour map mode and AI tour guide mode of Amap (left) and Baidu Map (right)

As for the support for national attractions, they have basically been covered, but For larger scenic spots, the Amap map is adapted to be more detailed. For smaller classics, Baidu Maps is much more comprehensive.

For Qingdao, Amap (left) introduces significantly fewer scenic spots than Baidu Map (right) and other usage scenario in-vehicle apps

With the improvement of in-vehicle hardware quality, now More and more excellent third-party vehicle-mounted devices are entering the automotive aftermarket, and more people are beginning to use these smart devices. Even some car brands have pre-installed in-vehicle systems with on-board maps as early as the vehicles leave the factory.

Amap and Baidu Maps have slightly different development strategies for the automotive market. Amap has been involved in car maps for a long time. It has launched Amap car version and car mirror version that are suitable for installing on different vehicle equipment. They can be used with mobile App

, which is very convenient.

Because of this small ecology, I chose Amap without hesitation. I made inquiries the night before and learned about the places I needed to visit the next day, and shared them with the car version with one click. When the car is started, you will receive this push notification directly for navigation, which is very convenient.

Automap car-machine interface

As for Baidu Maps, it focused on car-machine interconnection earlier and launched Baidu CarLife, which is actually an Apple CarPlay-like existence and only needs to be connected through WiFi.

By linking the hotspot or data cable to the car's computer, the Baidu map in the mobile phone can be projected on the car's screen.

The two implementation methods are different, but both can meet the needs of users with different needs. Of course, in the past two years, Baidu has also begun to produce car-mounted maps and car-mirror versions of maps like Amap. If you are a user of Baidu Maps, you can now also use Baidu Maps

One-click App Push location information to the car.

Baidu CarLife’s official website introduces Street View

For maps, Street View is definitely the icing on the cake. At this point, Baidu Maps can basically surpass Amap by several streets. Whether you use Baidu Maps in App or Web

, you can view street views.

For those who want to travel to unfamiliar places, this is undoubtedly a good pair of "clairvoyance". Of course, this function is also a double-edged sword. The impact of excessive urban development is that certain streets will undergo great changes in a short period of time. Street scenes are generally taken from street photography, and maintenance and update costs are huge. , failure to update for a long time may cause certain misleading to users.

Baidu Map Street View supports both mobile App and Web modes

I accidentally saw a discussion on social media about using the "Starbucks Economy" to measure the degree of urban development. Although it is just a joke, it is indeed an Easter egg-style gameplay. By searching for some chain brands and then zooming in to the entire city or even the entire province, you may come to some different conclusions.

Using Baidu Map to search for Starbucks and then narrowing down the map to get the final selection

In fact, I have also revealed in the article that for myself, I will choose Gaode Map as my daily main map. . The reason is that Amap and Baidu Maps have almost the same experience most of the time, and I prefer to push geographical location information to the car through my mobile phone.

However, for certain scenarios (such as the navigation plan when traffic restrictions are about to end, future planned routes, etc.), I will still open the Baidu Map App for reference.

Except for these two apps that occupy a large market share

, I have not found any other map apps that can meet my needs in one stop. Maybe this is user psychology. Bar.