Best Road Trip Apps: The Few You Actually Need, Tested

Google Maps: start here

Best for: planning the whole trip and driving it. The catch: 9 stops at most.

We put in Chicago to the Santa Monica Pier, stopping at St. Louis, Tulsa, Amarillo and Flagstaff. Google Maps came back with 1 day 8 hours of driving, 2,145 miles and $10.80 in tolls. You can add up to 9 stops, including the last one (Google help). Here’s how to add and reorder them.

It also finds gas on the way. Tap Add stops, then gas stations, and you get prices along your route. Near Chicago, a bp showed $4.85 for regular and a Shell $5.60. If you just want to see prices, that may be all you need.

Three tips:

• Download the map before you lose signal. Offline you still get driving directions, but no traffic. The whole route must fit inside the download (Google help, our offline guide).
• Sign in first. Maps downloaded while signed out are deleted when you sign in. The app told us so.
• Long trips go the fast way. Ask for Chicago to Santa Monica in one go and Google skips Route 66 completely. Plan it in stages, like our Route 66 map.

Full routine: plan a road trip with Google Maps.

Apple Maps: same job on an iPhone

Best for: iPhone users. The catch: iPhone only.

Apple Maps is already on your iPhone and takes up to 14 stops, more than Google (Apple guide). Its offline maps also give walking, cycling and transit directions, not just driving, and they update themselves (Apple guide).

iExit: what’s at the next exit

Best for: interstate driving. The catch: little use off the interstate.

This was the most useful app we tried. Pick a highway and a direction, and it lists every exit with what’s there: gas prices, food, motels, campgrounds, and which side of the road they’re on.

On I-40 west at Exit 123, Seligman (a Route 66 town), it showed Chevron and Shell both at $5.29, with the date each price was reported. No account, no location needed.

iExit says it can show gas prices by exit as far as 100 miles ahead (iexitapp.com).

Waze: alerts, not planning

Best for: live alerts from other drivers on busy roads. The catch: only one stop per route.

Drivers report what they see, and Waze warns the people behind them (waze.com). But you can add only one stop per drive (Waze help), so don’t plan a trip in it.

It also won’t open until your phone’s location is on, unlike the other apps we tried.

PlugShare: for electric cars

Best for: finding chargers. The catch: ads, and trip planning needs an account.

PlugShare calls itself the most complete map of EV chargers in the world (plugshare.com). Filter by Available, 2+ Chargers or Fast, and each site shows its plug types and a PlugScore rating.

Its trip planner needs a free account and works on the web and iPhone. PlugShare says Android is still in development (PlugShare).

Organic Maps: no signal, no problem

Best for: national parks and desert roads. The catch: big downloads.

Free, no ads, and search and directions work with no signal at all (Google Play). You download maps by state: Arizona was 360 MB, so do it on Wi-Fi. Keep it as a backup to Google Maps. More in our Organic Maps guide.

GasBuddy: money off gas

Best for: saving on every fill-up. The catch: the real savings cost money.

Pay through GasBuddy and you get a discount per gallon (GasBuddy):

If you just want to see prices, Google Maps and iExit already show them. (GasBuddy isn’t offered where our test phone is registered, so this is from GasBuddy’s own page.)

In the UK, Google Maps shows petrol and diesel prices too.

Roadtrippers: ideas for stops

Best for: finding quirky stops before you go. The catch: the free plan holds just one trip with 3 stops.

Paid plans are $35.99, $49.99 or $59.99 a year for 20, 50 or 150 stops, with a 7-day trial on yearly plans (Roadtrippers). If you only need a few stops, Google Maps does it free.

What to install for your trip

• Interstate road trip: Google Maps + iExit
• National parks: Google Maps (downloaded offline) + Organic Maps
• Electric car: Google Maps + PlugShare
• Busy highways: add Waze
• Saving on gas: add GasBuddy

Before you leave: download your route offline (signed in), and remember the stop limits: 9 in Google Maps, 14 in Apple Maps, 1 in Waze.

How we checked: we installed these apps on an Android phone on 9 November 2026, with location off and no accounts. Apple Maps, GasBuddy and Roadtrippers come from each company’s own pages.