Google Maps and Waze are remarkably similar, but very different. This time, Google Maps is trying to steal Waze's toll road feature, which shows you exactly how much it costs to drive on a particular route.

While seemingly simple, this is a very useful feature. However, this is just another example of how disparate Google Maps and Waze are. After all, both have been operated by the same company for nearly a decade.

Google Maps has been telling people about tolls on their routes for quite some time, but the service never told people what the tolls actually cost. That was all for you to figure out on your own. Waze, on the other hand, has been doing so since 2019, which meant that Google's other map services had a slight edge when it came to driving in certain areas.

According to Android Police, this feature is not yet in the public version of Google Maps, nor is it in the preview program. Instead, Google is asking preview users how they would like to see toll fees implemented, suggesting that it is one of the next features to be included in Google Maps. This would make it much easier to calculate the cost of your trip ahead of time.

However, it appears that this feature will not be rolled out to all locations at the same time. Especially in countries like the U.S., where toll roads are fairly common, Google needs time to collect toll data. Therefore, it is expected that this feature will only be available in some regions before being rolled out to the rest of the world.

Nevertheless, this update clearly raises the question of why Google is running two different mapping services at the same time; Waze is well supported and updated, so Google Maps is not being prioritized and Waze neglected. Waze is not being neglected. Quite odd.

Of course, despite being owned by the same company and having much in common, Google Maps and Waze are two very different services. Google Maps is the more "professional" of the two services and is more data-driven.

Waze, on the other hand, gets most of its data from crowdsourcing and relies on user input to keep its maps up to date; without the historical data sets of Google Maps, Waze's goodness is up to its users; Waze is also, real-time user location data to gauge poor traffic conditions, but without historical context, it is only as good as the number of active users on the road.

Google Maps is also more versatile and does more than just get you to your destination. Likewise, it provides directions for pedestrians, public transportation, and cycling, and has support for navigation without a car.

However, Waze is more gamified, with a cartoon-like art style. The app also has something Google Maps does not: a more proactive way to reroute traffic to optimize travel time. While Google Maps can and does redirect drivers based on current conditions, especially for longer trips, Waze does it automatically, without worrying about how random the route may seem.

In other words, whereas Google Maps looks for the most direct route to your destination, Waze will take any number of random-looking side streets to get you there as quickly as possible. Even if it is to shave a few minutes off the time it takes to get to your destination. This is a major feature that Waze has that Google Maps does not, and is part of the reason why people like to use Waze.

But it doesn't explain why Google continues to run both services. In fact, simply adding a "Waze" mode to Google Maps would make it easier for those who want to continue navigating with Waze's own traffic-busting navigation. Certainly, it feels like Waze could benefit from the large amount of historical data from Google Maps, and blending the two services might be one way to make that happen.

It hasn't happened yet, nor is it likely to happen anytime soon. On the other hand, however, Google Maps and Waze are meant to be more similar, with a crossover of functionality between the two.