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Head-to-head Β· Maps

Google Maps vs HERE Technologies

Which one to pick in 2026 β€” comparing πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ Google Maps with the European alternative πŸ‡ͺπŸ‡Ί HERE Technologies on the things that actually decide who can read your data.

πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ Google MapsvsπŸ‡ͺπŸ‡Ί HERE Technologies

Verdict

  • Who has stronger privacy guarantees by law?

    HERE Technologies β€” GDPR-native and outside the US CLOUD Act / FISA 702 reach.

  • Which one encrypts your data end-to-end by default?

    Neither ships full E2E by default β€” check the table for nuance.

  • Which one tracks you for ads?

    Google Maps relies on ad tracking. HERE Technologies doesn't.

  • Which one is open source?

    HERE Technologies is not fully open source β€” check details.

Side-by-side

Google Maps vs HERE Technologies β€” full comparison

Criteria
πŸ‡ͺπŸ‡Ί HERE Technologies
πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ Google Maps
Headquarters
Berlin, Germany
Mountain View, CA, USA
Jurisdiction
Germany (GDPR)
USA (CLOUD Act, FISA 702)
Data location
EU (Germany primary)
Global, US-controlled
GDPR-native
Yes
No
CLOUD Act / FISA exposed
No
Yes
Ad tracking
No
Yes
End-to-end encryption
No
No
Open source
No
No
Ownership
HERE Global B.V. (BMW, Audi, Daimler consortium)
Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL)
Founded
1985
2005

Make the switch

Try HERE Technologies instead of Google Maps

German mapping platform β€” enterprise-grade location data from the BMW/Audi/Daimler consortium.

Other European alternatives to Google Maps

Spread the word

Help a friend switch β€” every share moves a European alternative forward.

πŸ‡ͺπŸ‡Ί European & decentralised