Roole Map: the ideal alternative to Waze and Google Maps for French drivers

Roole Map is now positioning itself as an ideal alternative to Waze and Google Maps for French drivers. Free to use and advert-free, it helps motorists cut costs on fuel, charging, tolls and parking. Since April, Roole Map has also allowed users to report incidents and receive alerts from the community.

In 2026, Google Maps and Waze are no longer the only options for navigation. A French alternative for motorists, designed to replace Google’s two apps, is already available - and proving highly popular. On the App Store, Roole Map, offered by the Roole motoring club, ranks among France’s top five navigation apps. According to its developer, it has reached 1 million downloads and 330,000 monthly users. Its recipe for success? Efficient, ad-free navigation combined with a commitment to user privacy.

A navigation app designed to save drivers money

Roole Map has also been developed with French motorists in mind. One of its flagship features is a fuel-station search tool, enabling drivers to locate the cheapest offers according to the fuel type they need. Electric-car drivers can use the app to find an available charging point.

The app can also identify car parks with spaces available. In addition, its developer promises “guaranteed savings” by displaying real-time prices for tolls, fuel, charging and parking.

Community reports, as on Waze

Earlier this year, Roole Map was already enjoying strong popularity in France, despite lacking Waze’s community features. That shortcoming has since been addressed: incident reporting was introduced through an iPhone app update in April.

This French rival to Google Maps and Waze now lets users report accidents, checkpoints, roadworks and hazards, while also receiving alerts from its user community. At the time of writing, these alerts are available in the Android app too.

Our view on Roole Map

At a time when the EU is seeking to reduce its reliance on American technology, it is positive that French motorists can do without Google Maps and Waze while benefiting from extra features. Roole Map does not, however, include every feature found in Google Maps, as it is aimed at a clearly defined audience.