Verithiathe honest score on any app
Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
User consensusAlternativesIs it worth it?
The verdict on

Yandex Maps & Navigator

55
User verdict / 100 High confidence Divided

Yandex Maps & Navigator receives mixed recent reviews, with many users praising its accurate navigation and detailed maps, but a significant number are frustrated by excessive and intrusive advertising, unreliable public transport information, and performance issues.

4.6★ lifetime (34,910) Free + in-app purchases since 2009 by DIRECT CURSUS COMPUTER SYSTEMS TRADING LLC updated 0.2 mo ago recent negative 59% 120 reviews across 4 regions
Advertising Public Transport Performance & Stability User Interface Navigation Accuracy VPN Compatibility
5★96
4★22
3★25
2★28
1★175
recent reviews across 4 regions, vs the 4.6★ lifetime average

Yandex Maps & Navigator is a navigation app with a lifetime rating of 4.6 stars, but recent reviews indicate a negative trajectory. Users appreciate its detailed maps and navigation accuracy, but widespread complaints about intrusive ads, inaccurate public transport data, and performance issues are common.

What users like

  • Accurate and detailed maps with precise traffic informationR13R14R61R63
  • Helpful for finding places and planning routesR3R9R20R53
  • Includes useful features like offline maps and camera warningsR63R90R118R131

What users complain about

  • Excessive and intrusive advertising, even for paid subscribersR10R18R23R42
  • Inaccurate and unreliable public transport informationR11R19R26R33
  • Frequent crashes, lag, and performance issuesR5R62R197R217
  • Poor user interface and navigation experience, especially with recent updatesR5R36R38R51
  • Geolocation inaccuracies and issues with VPN compatibilityR12R15R16R43
  • Large app size and high battery consumptionR5R41R49R115
  • Problems with CarPlay functionality, including choppiness and arrow sizeR67R318

Latest update · v29.8.2

What the developer says changed (the verdict above weighs this against what reviewers report):

Make the most of those warm summer days on a cozy terrace. With Yandex Maps, you can easily find cafes and restaurants with outdoor seating, check their ratings, and book a table in just a couple of clicks.

Recurring themes

Advertising negative
Many users are highly frustrated by the overwhelming amount of advertising, including pop-ups and banners that obstruct the map and interfere with navigation, even for those with paid subscriptions.R10R18R23R42
Public Transport negative
A significant number of reviews highlight issues with the accuracy and reliability of public transport information, including incorrect arrival times, missing buses, and routes not being displayed.R11R19R26R33
Performance & Stability negative
Users report frequent app crashes, lagging, slow loading times, and general instability, especially on iOS devices.R5R62R197R217
User Interface negative
Recent updates have led to complaints about an inconvenient and cluttered interface, difficulty viewing full routes, intrusive search bars, and issues with map interaction.R5R36R38R51
Navigation Accuracy mixed
While many users praise the app for accurate routes and traffic information, others report incorrect routes, leading to longer travel times or wrong destinations, and issues with geolocation.R5R13R14R15
VPN Compatibility negative
Several users report that the app does not work when a VPN is active, or actively detects and interferes with VPN usage.R12R16R50R72

Who it's for

Yandex Maps & Navigator is for users who prioritize detailed maps and real-time traffic information in Russia and surrounding regions R63R90. It is not for users who are sensitive to intrusive advertising, rely heavily on accurate public transport schedules, or use a VPN R10R11R12.

Evidence note: The recent reviews skew heavily negative (58.7% recent-negative), which contrasts with the high lifetime rating. Many positive reviews are very short and generic, while negative reviews provide more specific details. The developer's notes for the latest update are vague and do not address the main issues raised in recent reviews.

Frequently asked

Does Yandex Maps & Navigator have a lot of ads?
Yes, many recent reviews indicate that Yandex Maps & Navigator has excessive and intrusive advertising, including pop-up banners that interfere with navigation, even for users with a paid 'Plus' subscription R10R18R23R42.
Is public transport information accurate in Yandex Maps?
No, many users report that public transport information, such as bus arrival times and routes, is frequently inaccurate or unreliable, leading to missed connections and extended waiting times R11R19R26R33.
Does Yandex Maps work with VPN?
No, several users report that Yandex Maps either does not work at all or actively detects and interferes with VPN connections on their devices R12R16R50R72.
Are there performance issues with Yandex Maps?
Yes, users frequently report that the app crashes, lags, and experiences general instability, with some noting slow loading times and choppy performance, particularly on iOS devices and when using CarPlay R5R62R197R217.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R13] 5/5 · US I give it 5 stars: A very convenient app. Routes are built quickly and accurately, and navigation is clear. I use it often and it has never let me down. · translated
  2. [R14] 5/5 · US Review: The app is excellent, it shows everything correctly and accurately. I recommend it to everyone, you can use it. · translated
  3. [R61] 5/5 · US Great app: Simply a wonderful app, it has saved me many times with maps, loads quickly, and shows the area perfectly. · translated
  4. [R63] 5/5 · US Review: Excellent app, I use it constantly. The maps are very detailed, roads and houses are accurately drawn, traffic jams are shown very precisely, indispensable for the city. I particularly like the organization search: it almost always has up-to-date opening hours, phone numbers, and reviews. The navigator verbally warns about cameras and accidents, and plans routes taking into account real traffic. I also like the "layers" function (for example, · translated
  5. [R3] 5/5 · US .: I really like this app, it helps me 💗💗💗 · translated
  6. [R9] 5/5 · US Very good app: Helps on the road · translated
  7. [R20] 5/5 · US Me: Good suggestion, I recommend it to everyone, it helps you find any place and not get lost in unfamiliar places, easy to figure out. · translated
  8. [R53] 5/5 · US Thank you very much for helping me plot a route to the toilet :) · translated
  9. [R90] 5/5 · US Excellent app!: Convenient interface, accurate routes, and up-to-date information on traffic jams and public transport. I especially like the offline mode and detailed maps, it always helps me on trips. Recommended! · translated
  10. [R118] 5/5 · US Perfect: Very convenient app, shortest routes, cool that you can download a city map, I recommend it. · translated
  11. [R131] 5/5 · US Excellent app!!!: This app has many useful functions, such as: the ability to find a place on the map (stores, houses, streets, parks), the ability to plot a route from one point to another, built-in information about road congestion, the ability to plan a trip in advance and avoid traffic jams. · translated
  12. [R10] 1/5 · US Ads: Ads and more ads here, and also ads here, this could have been a review, but it will be an ad, because using maps has become impossible, half of the interface is ads, it's impossible to build a route on your own because when you zoom in, a bottom window with the route pops up, I lower it and the whole route is shown, and I zoomed in for a long time and looked for my place where there was an ad again. The ads are annoying. · translated
  13. [R18] 1/5 · US Too many ads: The app has turned into a dump. Ad banners get in the way. I'll wait until this dump is removed from the App Store! · translated
  14. [R23] 1/5 · US Stupid ads: Why aren't all places marked and why... WHY DO ADS FOR SOME RANDOM APARTMENT POP UP WHEN I'M DRIVING?!!!!!!! If it's ads, make them more for drivers! WHY DO I NEED AN AD FOR A 3-ROOM APARTMENT GOD KNOWS WHERE ON 20% OF THE SCREEN AT 80 KM/H?!! DO YOU EVEN THINK ABOUT DRIVER SAFETY? · translated
  15. [R42] 1/5 · US I'm fed up with your ads and recommendations: Based on your replies to comments, having a subscription does not affect disabling ads. A reasonable question arises: why doesn't it affect it? Why, if I don't want to see ads, can't I just disable them? I'm paying for a subscription. Second question: why is there no way to disable recommendations? They are so annoying and irritating. I only need maps, well maybe t · translated
  16. [R11] 1/5 · US Transport: Bus arrival times are set randomly. · translated
  17. [R19] 3/5 · US .: I was looking at buses and it showed that the bus I needed would arrive in 2 minutes. About 5 minutes passed, no bus arrived. I went back to check, it disappeared and it showed it would arrive in 25 minutes. · translated
  18. [R26] 1/5 · US Terrible app: Poor route selection. Incorrect bus schedule. · translated
  19. [R33] 2/5 · US Schedule: Bus schedules change every second, it's impossible to decide. · translated
  20. [R5] 1/5 · US Inconvenient: Button placement is inconvenient, extremely high power consumption, doesn't load quickly, provides theoretically the fastest route, but often not the fastest and definitely not convenient. · translated
  21. [R62] 3/5 · US It constantly crashes lately! + a very inconvenient part of the interface: The reason is absolutely unclear. I have to constantly restart it. What happened there, fix it! Regarding the interface: there is no way to simply close a built route with an 'x', you have to go back using the arrows, which is extremely inconvenient and slow! It also bothers me that when viewing a built route, it constantly pops up. · translated
  22. [R197] 3/5 · US Lags: Whoa whoa guys, what's wrong? The FPS in the app dropped to 30 after 10 seconds, that's not normal. For reference, the phone was not charging or overheating, power saving was off. iPhone 15 iOS 18.7.2 App version is the latest. · translated
  23. [R217] 3/5 · US Review: The app is not optimized for iOS 15, it opens incredibly slowly and lags a lot. · translated
  24. [R36] 1/5 · US "Step-by-step" function: Today I was unpleasantly surprised to learn that the step-by-step function is forcibly enabled by the app and does not allow viewing the entire route. It's no news that the app makes mistakes and the built route can be quite "exciting" for Yandex.Maps. But the fact that I was restricted from disabling the inconvenient step-by-step function today led to me not seeing. · translated
  25. [R38] 2/5 · US WHAT IS THIS UPDATE?: I never write reviews, but this has gotten out of hand. Yandex Maps is the best app for navigation, but what have you done with the latest update?! Everything was perfect before! Why can't I see the entire route when building one? There used to be such a function, now they've made stupid steps, and you can't see the whole thing. · translated
  26. [R51] 4/5 · US Latest update: I use maps for public transport trips. In the latest update, you can't see the full route to compare it with others. You can't even take a screenshot of that route. The route is broken into pieces, you have to swipe the screen, and it's really hard to figure out without this annoying voice assistant. This "commentator" turned on for some reason. It's unclear when you'll arrive. · translated
  27. [R12] 1/5 · US Unstable operation: I've been using the app for over 20 years. It refuses to work with VPN, and constantly switching back and forth is annoying. Google Maps works more stably. RIP. · translated
  28. [R15] 1/5 · US The maps are trash, constantly confuses geolocation and navigation is trash: Trash. · translated
  29. [R16] 1/5 · US Doesn't work with vpn: Doesn't work with vpn
  30. [R43] 1/5 · US Good development vector👍: Does not work abroad. If you are not in Russia, this app is not for you. · translated
  31. [R41] 1/5 · US Update 799 MB size?!: Developers! Have you completely lost your minds?! With each update, the size of the update itself gets bigger and bigger! One of the heaviest apps on iPhone! · translated
  32. [R49] 1/5 · US The app size: Are you crazy there? 750MB??? What’s next? 5GB? Idiots
  33. [R115] 5/5 · US Eternal problems: Constantly shows ghost public transport, distorts schedules, builds car routes only based on traffic jams despite the corresponding setting, shows speed limits with a delay, drains battery like crazy, has only gotten worse in 7 years of use. · translated
  34. [R67] 1/5 · US 📛: After canceling Plus, Carplay cannot be used. Well, that's a bummer.😋 · translated
  35. [R318] 3/5 · CA CarPlay experience is choppy: Signed up for Yandex plus to get a Yandex maps on CarPlay and discovered that the overall usage experience through CarPlay is very choppy. It seems like graphics moves by frame. I’m using latest software updates on iPhone 11 Pro Max and latest. Don’t have that issue with other navigation systems, everything works fluid. Additionally the arrow could’ve been smaller f
  36. [R50] 1/5 · US Doesn't work: The app simply doesn't work, with or without VPN, maps are always offline, even with home internet! This is just some kind of mockery. · translated
  37. [R72] 1/5 · US Searches for VPN: Searches for VPN on the device using 4 detection methods. · translated

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store