All In Map vs Google Maps: Which App is Better for Finding Travel Amenities?
Google Maps is the go-to navigation app for millions of users worldwide, but when it comes to finding specific public amenities like toilets, benches, and water fountains, specialized apps like All In Map offer unique advantages. Here’s how they compare for travelers seeking essential amenities.
Finding Public Toilets
All In Map is specifically designed to help you find public toilets with a comprehensive database focused on European cities. The app includes detailed information about accessibility, cleanliness ratings, and user reviews specifically for restroom facilities.
Google Maps can help you find some public facilities, but toilet locations are not its primary focus. Information may be incomplete, and you’ll need to search for specific businesses or facilities rather than having a dedicated database.
Winner: All In Map is superior for finding public toilets with detailed, specialized information.
Finding Benches and Rest Areas
All In Map includes thousands of bench locations across major cities, helping you find places to rest during your travels. You can filter for outdoor benches in parks or indoor benches in transit stations.
Google Maps doesn’t specifically track bench locations or rest areas, making it difficult to find seating options when you need a break.
Winner: All In Map is the clear winner for finding benches and rest areas.
Water Fountains and Drinking Stations
All In Map has a dedicated database of water fountains and drinking stations, which is especially valuable when traveling in cities where bottled water can be expensive.
Google Maps may show some water fountains if they’re marked as points of interest, but this information is inconsistent and not comprehensive.
Winner: All In Map provides much better coverage for water fountains.
Offline Functionality
All In Map offers robust offline map functionality, allowing you to download maps and access amenity locations without an internet connection. This is essential for international travel.
Google Maps also supports offline maps, but downloading maps for offline use can consume significant storage space, and some features may be limited offline.
Winner: Tie - Both apps support offline use, but All In Map’s offline maps are more focused on amenities.
Community Features
All In Map features a community-driven approach where users can add new locations, rate facilities, and share photos. This ensures the database stays current and accurate.
Google Maps has extensive user reviews and contributions, but these are more general and not specifically focused on public amenities.
Winner: All In Map’s community features are more specialized for public amenities.
Navigation and Directions
All In Map provides basic navigation to amenities, but it’s not designed as a full navigation app.
Google Maps excels at turn-by-turn navigation, route planning, and real-time traffic information.
Winner: Google Maps is superior for general navigation and directions.
Additional Amenities
All In Map includes:
- Public toilets
- Benches and rest areas
- Water fountains
- ATMs
- Trash bins
- Viewpoints
- Sports facilities
Google Maps shows various points of interest but isn’t specifically organized around these travel amenities.
Winner: All In Map is better organized for finding travel-specific amenities.
Cost
All In Map is completely free with no subscription fees.
Google Maps is also free, but some features may require a Google account.
Winner: Tie - Both are free to use.
Best For
Choose All In Map if:
- You need to find public toilets, benches, and water fountains
- You’re traveling in Europe
- You want specialized information about public amenities
- You need offline access to amenity locations
- You prefer a community-driven database
Choose Google Maps if:
- You need comprehensive navigation and directions
- You want real-time traffic information
- You need to find businesses and restaurants
- You’re looking for general points of interest
Conclusion
For travelers specifically seeking public amenities like toilets, benches, and water fountains, All In Map is the superior choice. While Google Maps excels at general navigation, All In Map provides specialized, detailed information about public facilities that Google Maps simply doesn’t focus on.
The best approach is to use both apps: Google Maps for navigation and All In Map for finding essential travel amenities. This combination gives you the best of both worlds - comprehensive navigation from Google Maps and specialized amenity information from All In Map.
For travelers who frequently need to find public toilets, benches, and other essential facilities, All In Map is an invaluable companion that complements your primary navigation app.