Key Navigation Statistics
Top Navigation Apps
Navigation App Revenue
Google Maps Revenue
Navigation Revenue by Country
Navigation App Usage
Mapping and navigation apps are a ubiquitous element of smartphones and feature routinely in users' lives. They have become essential for commuters, holiday-makers, taxi services and anyone hoping to make it from point A to point B. iPhones come with Apple Maps pre-installed and Android phones with Google Maps so it's not even necessary to go to the trouble of downloading external apps.
Google has already managed to diversify its monetisation of Maps, with revenue from promoted search results, unique icons for businesses, referral fees and the sale of mapping data to other companies. Analysts predict that revenue is only going to continue to grow. Morgan Stanley estimated that revenue will hit $11 billion this year following the introduction of some new features in 2020.
These new features are being used for more than simply navigation between two places. Through the Google Maps app, users can book accommodation, find attractions and events, be directed to taxi services and receive traffic updates. You can read reviews, check menus, see opening hours and pin favourite haunts. There are so many features that some experts argue Google Maps will be the next superapp.
Earlier this year, Apple launched an advertising tool, Apple Business Connect, which is expected to lead to a significant boost in Apple Maps revenue. Brick-and-mortar businesses are now able to be featured more distinctly in the app by creating and updating their information in cards which represent them in Apple services. Following last year's privacy update which removed third-party app developers' abilities to track user clicks, Apple's ad efforts have been expanding as it seeks to be a $30 billion business.
Although Google owns traffic-tracker app Waze, the subsidiary does not share traffic data with Google Maps. Waze is a sizeable player in its own right, as is Citymapper. The latter is focused on public transport updates and route planning in European, North American, Asian and Australian cities.
Another genre of navigation app which has grown in popularity is location tracking. For reasons of safety, for finding lost items or even for the purpose of meeting up more conveniently, many people routinely share their location with a closed group of friends and family.
Life360, a self-described safety service, not only provides real-time updates on users' whereabouts, but also alerts when they enter or leave locations, directions to find members and driving reports. The iOS app offers some of the same features, and allows people to search for missing Apple devices. However, there have been warnings about privacy and the possibility of stalking.
Location pinpointing on navigation apps sometimes struggle with accuracy, particularly in areas with poor connections or where signals rebound between tall buildings. To combat this, and to help in emergency situations such as finding lost hikers, the business what3words was founded. Every 3 by 3 metre square in the world has been labelled with three words in a unique pattern. This system is now used by the emergency services in the UK, and as a replacement for postal codes in Mongolia.
We have collected data and statistics on the navigation app sector. Read on below to find out more.
Key Navigation Statistics
- The navigation app sector had a revenue of $16.2 billion in 2022. The majority of this revenue was from Google Maps
- The sector is forecast to generate $36.6 billion in 2028, growing at a rate of 14.8 percent
- Google Maps has 1.8 billion monthly average users while Moovit has around 1.5 billion users each day
