Group test: what's the best satnav software?

5. Wayfinder Navigator

• Reviewed on: 21 August 08
• RRP: £40 a year
• Rating:

We've tried out a number of mobile phone-based mapping and navigation services in the past two years and Wayfinder Navigator is one of the most competitively priced. Assuming you'll be keeping the same handset for a couple of years, the £48 deal for paying up front is pretty compelling. For this you get all the live map updates, but you don't get the TMC (traffic management console) alerts or warnings about traffic cameras.

4. Mapyx Quo 2

• Reviewed on: 29 July 09
• RRP: From £6
• Rating:

The maps themselves are where Quo shines. You can buy 1:50,000 map tiles for 99p and 1:25,000 tiles for £1.95, and so build up the coverage you need, as and when you want it. Bewarned, though, that bought this way, the minimum order is for six tiles at a time; compared to real paper maps, these downloads will be more expensive. But most of the complete digital Landranger maps sold by Mapyx are in fact competitively priced (for example, compared to CD-ROMs from ISYS, an Ordnance Survey digital partner). For building up your own digital map library, Mapyx Quo 2 shows the way.

3. CoPilot Live

• Reviewed on: 12 May 09
• RRP: £39 inc. VAT
• Rating:

CoPilot Live is accurate and quick to calculate GPS position and routes. Installing on the HTC Touch HD only improved the experience as visual routes were displayed on the 3.8in screen. It’s great value for money too.

2. ViewRanger

• Reviewed on: 19 May 09
• RRP: £15 for the Ordnance Survey map covering any 3,200sq km of your choosing
• Rating:

While ViewRanger won’t give you turn-by-turn navigation to get from one destination to another, it’s the ideal solution of outdoor enthusiasts that want to pinpoint their location, take interesting walks or even have a back-up to ensure they can return if they get lost in a rural location.

1. Telmap Navigator

• Reviewed on: 14 May 09
• RRP: £4.99 a month (£39.99 a year) for UK and Ireland; £5.99 a month (£59.99 a year) for full European coverage
• Rating:

We were mighty impressed with the Telmap software. It updates quickly and in a timely fashion and we were never in any doubt as to where it expected us to turn. We were also pleased to find that there’s now a Europe-wide option. However, having got accustomed to larger-screen satnavs and smartphones, we found ourselves keener on using such apps on the Bold rather than the dinky Pearl.