There are plenty of free GPS apps out there, but not all of them work offline. CoPilot is technically free, but in order to get maps, voice-guided navigation, and other features like traffic, you must pay for them within the app. I purchased the CoPilot Premium HD USA version for $14.99, which includes voice-guided navigation and a year of traffic alerts. The app has a great, easy-to-use interface, but unfortunately, serious navigation errors makes it difficult to recommend. You're better off investing in a paid app like Garmin, or sticking with truly free apps such as our Editors' Choice, Google Maps.
Pricing, Interface, and Points of Interest
As mentioned above, I paid $14.99 for the Premium HD USA edition, which comes with one year of free traffic alerts and voice navigation. After a year, traffic alerts cost $9.99 per year, and voice guidance starts at $0.99 for 30 days. Offline 2D street maps are always free.
Setting up CoPilot is easy. First you choose your language, country, and preferred text-to-speech voice (U.S. English, U.K. English, etc.). Then it asks for your name; I expected the app to address me by name at some point, but that never happened. Finally, you can download the maps you need, first by selecting a continent, then a region. You can download the entire U.S. map, or just sections (like Eastern U.S.). The app has profiles for auto, bicycle, motorcycle, RV, and walking.
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On the map screen, CoPilot shows your current location and displays a compass, which is helpful, since, in unfamiliar areas it's not always obvious which way is north. There's also a button for adding points of interest (POI) icons to the map view, or Wikipedia icons, which lead to entries about places in the area. When searching for a destination, you can input an address, a saved place (including home, work, and recent destinations), a point of interest, a contact, or even coordinates. You can also browse the map. When searching for an address, you have to start with the city or zip code and work backward to the house number, which I find tedious. But I like that you can choose an intersection if you don't know the exact address.
CoPilot's POI database is robust, containing most of the restaurants I searched for, though it's missing a nearby park and grocery store. You can search by category, or select all categories at once and search from Google, Wikipedia, and Yelp right from the app.
A free feature called CommuteMe helps you manage your commute with daily traffic alerts, similar to Scout's traffic reports. You choose the days and times that you commute and the app will warn you of traffic issues along your route. This requires a traffic subscription.
CoPilot (for iPhone)
Car Navigation
On my first trip with CoPilot, I navigated to a local restaurant about a mile away. Oddly, the app didn't offer a voice prompt until I got to my first turn. I prefer apps that tell you what to do first, even if it's just to go straight or drive south. I know there are two equally convenient ways to get to this restaurant, so when I was directed to a nearby highway, I ignored that command and proceeded to a surface road. The app continued to direct me to go back to the highway, even when I was mere blocks from the restaurant. Worse yet, while route recalculation was quick, much of it was inaccurate or dangerous. For example, in an effort to get me to turn around, the app told me to take a left turn down a one way street going the wrong way, then to take a left into a park, and finally down a street with a dead end. Knowing the area, I was able to ignore these cues, but I can imagine it would be scary for someone from out of town.
Eventually, CoPilot stopped trying to get me on the highway, but then sent me past the restaurant and stopped recalculating. That was a very frustrating trip. On another trip to Fairway in Harlem, CoPilot got me there, but not in the most direct way, choosing a service road of sorts that runs parallel to the highway, which exits right in front of store. At least it was accurate.
Pedestrian and Cycling Navigation
Walking directions don't fare much better. When I asked for directions to a restaurant in Harlem, it sent me down a stretch of street that's not at all pedestrian-friendly; it lacks both sidewalks and walk signs. When navigating to park in Fort Lee that's just across the George Washington Bridge, CoPilot sent me downtown to take a ferry, even though the GWB is accessible for pedestrians. This tripped up Apple Maps as well. Oddly, CoPilot did know that the bridge is bicycle-accessible, though.
CoPilot Is Promising, but Needs Fixes
CoPilot GPS has potential. I really like its interface and offline features, but it falls short on its main job: navigation. When driving and walking, I encountered some dangerous errors. Its maps need to be fixed and updated before I can really recommend the app. For now, I'm sticking with Google Maps and Waze.
While the CoPilot GPS app offers comprehensive navigation and traffic alerts, its navigation errors are a significant drawback.
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