Navigation is a key element in this era, and many companies have tried to dominate the market. Right now, Google Maps is the most popular, but others are trying to give their best. The blog post takes a look at two growing navigation apps Sygic and TomTom Go. How do both stand? The blog post covers Sygic vs. TomTom Go (2021).
Traffic and routing
After testing both on different locations, I felt that one performs better depending on the time and location. Both handle the traffic condition fine, but the Sygic was more accurate than TomTom Go. The lane displaying and suggesting feature of Sygic is a great addition as you get to see the total lanes and the recommended lane.
Sygic uses TomTom Go’s services to display the traffic and other types of data on the maps. Even though the traffic data is from the same company, both manage and display it differently. The video further down shows the navigation of both apps. A few features both offer while you navigate. Sygic:
- Suggests if there is a better route available
- Shows the parking nearby
- Offers to preview the route
- Shows rideshare vehicles close by
TomTom Go contrarily:
- Shows a progress bar with fuel stations, safety cameras, car parking, and more
- Suggests if a better route is available
Winner: Tie | Score: Sygic: 1 | TomTom Go: 1
Related: Waze vs. TomTom Go (2021)
Interface
Sygic uses more light colours than TomTom Go. You can browse petrol, restaurants, and parking spots nearby. Both apps automatically enable the dark mode, but you can manually enable it. Moreover, you can zoom in out on the interface. The left menu comes with many options to customise the apps.
Winner: Opinion-based (tie) | Score: Sygic: 2 | TomTom Go: 2
Voice navigation
Sygic offers over 75 voice options in English, Italiano, Deutsch and more. TomTom Go app comes with over 100 voices in over 45 languages. Both apps download the voices from the server so they can work properly when offline.
Winner: TomTom Go | Score: Sygic: 2 | TomTom Go: 3
Offline navigation
The offline navigation feature makes both powerful. When you open both for the first time, you are requested to download the maps. A slight issue with both is that you can’t use the app without downloading the maps for the first time.
After downloading the maps for South Australia, Sygic took 73 MB of storage, and TomTom Go downloaded the 77 MB of data.
Winner: Tie | Score: Sygic: 3 | TomTom Go: 4
Related: HERE WeGo vs. Google Maps (2021)
Reporting
In the next round of Sygic vs. TomTom Go, we are comparing the reporting features both provide. The table below covers both. Some features are location-dependent, so they might not be available in your region.
| Feature | Sygic | TomTom Go |
|---|---|---|
| Static speed camera | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Speed limit | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Vehicle’s speed | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Mobile speed camera | ✔️ (limited locations) | ✔️ (limited locations) |
| Crash report | ✔️ | ❌ |
| Police | ✔️ | ❌ |
| Traffic report | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Congestion | ✔️ (limited countries) | ✔️ (limited countries) |
| Roadworks | ✔️ | ✔️ (limited countries) |
| Road closure | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Accident blackspots | ❌ | ✔️ |
| Risk/Danger zones | ❌ | ✔️ |
Winner: Sygic | Score: Sygic: 4 | TomTom Go: 4
Transit options
Both are primarily developed for private cars, but both offer other vehicle types as well. Sygic supports the walking route, and TomTom Go supports walking and cycling modes. You can change the vehicle mode while navigating for the single trip or in the settings menu for all trips.
Winner: TomTom Go | Score: Sygic: 4 | TomTom Go: 5
Video
Additional features
Here are some of the additional features which might make this Sygic vs. TomTom Go comparison easier.
Sygic
- SOS feature shows your coordinates and can help you connect to emergency services nearby
- Store to purchase premium features:
- Dashcam uses the mobile’s camera to record the road.
- Real view navigation is a helpful add-on for people travelling to new locations. It shows how the path looks like as you drive.
- The Cockpit can help show the altitude, direction, and G-force indicator, which shows that the passengers in the vehicle are comfortable or not.
- The Head-up display changes the screen layout and makes it bright so you can place the phone under the windshield and see the navigation on the windshield. It works only at night.
TomTom Go
- 30 days of a free trial
Common
- Suggests if a better route is available
- 3D buildings while navigating look very good
- Find the closest parking
- Both support Apple CarPlay
Winner: Tie | Score: Sygic: 5 | TomTom Go: 6
Pricing
Sygic has always been a paid app. You get a 7-day free trial to explore the features, but you will need to subscribe to the premium plan to continue navigating after seven days.
TomTom Go used to be a free app for 50 kilometres every month, but now it’s no longer a free app. You get 30 days of a free trial, and in the last week, you are requested to sign up for one of the subscriptions. Depending on the location, the monthly plan costs around $10, and the yearly costs about $30.
Winner: Sygic | Score: Sygic: 6 | TomTom Go: 6
Which one is for you?
Final Score: Sygic: 6 | TomTom Go: 6
Usually, I start with the pricing and suggest the free one initially. Still, as both are paid apps, and both use the same services, it somehow comes to the other features. I like how Sygic guides the lanes regarding the interface, warns about the traffic lights, tram/train tracks, police, etc. Also, the fact that you only have to pay a one-time fee to unlock the maps for your country makes me prefer Sygic.
Try
Summary
Sygic vs. TomTom Go blog post covered the essential features of both navigation apps. I hope the information was helpful. Please let me know what you think of both in the comments and subscribe to the newsletter for future updates.
A glaring weakness of Sygic: search requires accurate spelling, which is non-trivial especially when in a foreign country. I therefor prefer Google Maps (GM) with its limited download feature over Sygic (which I paid good money for).
What happens re: traffic reports when there’s no cellphone reception? With GM you get none; and with Sygic and Go Navigate? probably the same, but the blog fails to discuss this issue.
Other features: Late for a meeting? With Waze and GM you can send your location and your partner can follow your route. How is it with Sygic and GoNav? Waze’s POI are updated almost daily, at least in Israel, so it will lead you safely to a newly opened facility, and warn you if you’re headed to one that’s just been shut down.
Google Maps constantly sends me to the wrong location when using Android auto. I type in the correct address, and it “thinks” it’s the same street address in a different town. There is no confirmation to this “feature”. I have been late for things when traveling a few times and will never use google maps again.
Sygic is expensive and has a lot of different packages. They need to keep it simple. It has android auto compatibility.
Tomtom works perfectly in my testing. Pricing is simple. Downloading maps is simple. More simple than google maps. Just select a state. However, no android auto.
I’ve had garmin and tomtom standalone units before. Garmin, I gave to my dad. I liked the tomtom, but it stopped working after many years of use. Debating whether to just get a standalone tomtom again, or use the app.
The last time I check, the TomTom company was still working on Android Auto. Not sure it will come to Android Auto. Sygic is a bit expensive, but if you are thinking of getting a TomTom device, Sygic would be a cheaper option.