Whenever a person decides to buy a satellite navigation system the first thing that comes to their mind is Garmin vs TomTom, which one to buy.
The thing is that both the devices are extremely capable and provides a top-notch service of accurate GPS navigation. I have used many devices from both the manufacturers for my own personal use and still find it very hard to answer the question of which one is better.
I think this is a very common question among many of the people out there. So that is why I thought I should write an article about Tomtom vs Garmin and let you people decide which one is better.
But I think there are some readers who are hearing these two terms for the first time. So for them, I will give a brief introduction about both Gamin and TomTom and then we will move on to the main focus of our topic which is Garmin vs Tomtom which one is better.
Garmin – Take a Brief Look
Founded in October 1989 that is 30 years from now, Garmin has delivers its best service through its top-class products like GPS receivers, avionics, and wearable technology.
Basically, Garmin is an American GPS and navigation product manufacturing company that specialized in GPS technology designed for the automotive, aviation and marine industries. But not only these they also have a huge product range in outdoor and sports activities.
With the introduction of wearable technology, they have also launched some products like live activity trackers and smartwatches. With the advancement of technology, the company has developed and manufactured a lot of top-notch products according to the trend.
TomTom- A Brief Look
Founded in 1991, TomTom is a dutch multinational development company that mainly focuses on developing and creating location technology and consumer electronics.
From the headquarters of Amsterdam, the company first released its first generation of satellite navigation devices in the year 2004. The major products developed and manufactured by TomTom include navigation devices, digital maps, software, and services.
With a range of top-class navigation products, TomTom has made a major mark in the global market.
Garmin vs TomTom – Clash of the Navigation Beasts
Now that you know what Gramin or Tomtom are and what purpose they serve, so we can discuss the topic of our article that is Garmin vs Tomtom which one is better.
First, let us see how Garmin and tomtom differ from each other in terms of specifications. You can see the difference in the below table.
| Specifications | Garmin | TomTom |
| Display | TFT -Color (4.3 inch) | LCD -color (5inch) |
| Resolution | 800×480 | 480×272 |
| Weight | 4.2 oz | 8.5 oz |
| Connectivity | USB and Bluetooth | USB and Bluetooth |
| Software | Garmin city navigator North America NT | TomTom Live Services |
| Pre-loaded maps | USA, Canada, Mexico | USA, Canada, Mexico |
| Voice Function | Navigation instructions Voice recognition | Navigation instructions Voice recognition |
| Features | Emergency Assistant Garmin Locate myTrends with route technology Junction view Lifetime Maps update Speed limit warning Photo navigation 2D and 3D maps Garmin garage Hands -free calling Photo viewer Custom POIs |
Google Local IQ routes Lane guidance Lifetime maps update Fuel prices Emerge Assistance LIVE Sevices Custom, Preinstalled and Downloaded POIs |
| Price | $ 349.99 | $ 249.95 |
So that was the major specification difference chart between Garmin and tomtom. Now we will discuss the fact of how Garmin and tomtom differ from each other in other fields. So let us get started.
Garmin vs TomTom: Costing and Budget
So this is the major point that every person thinks about when they think about buying a satellite navigation device. Here the plus point of using Gaming or tomtom is that both the devices come at a budgeted price.
But still, it is all upon you that what product you will choose between Gamin or Tomtom according to your budget. Both Garmin and Tomtom have a huge range of products so that the buyer can choose their preferable product according to their preference and budget.
At this point, the choice totally depends on your purpose. If you want to just type in address and go and do not want any hassle then I would recommend you should go for tomtom. But you want to more stuff on your navigation system then you can take a look at the products of Garmin.
Garmin vs TomTom: Ease of use
Using a navigation device is pretty much easy for everyone. But the point of difference comes when you are talking about the user interface. As I have used both the devices for my personal use so I would say ( and by the advice of many other users) that the user interface of Garmin is better than that of TomTom.
A user interface of a navigation device can be judged by many factors like its graphics, icons, voice assistants and many more. When you enter an address in the search bar of the device the software will always show the shortest route to the destination.
In this field, both Garmin and Tomtom are equally capable and you will reach your destination without any kind of hesitation. The reason why the user interface of Garmin is better than that of Tomtom is because of the graphical content.
The most positive part of Garmin is its graphics and on-screen icons. The icons are very clear and easy o understand. That is exactly what you need while driving. But on the other side tomtom displays low graphical content making it less easy to use while driving. Still, the voice assistant of tomtom provides a lot of information to the driver while driving.
Though in some cases Tomtom is a better option to choose. Tomtom has a better capability to find routes fast and it works very fast when rerouting your destination map.
Garmin vs TomTom- Live Traffic Information and Updates
Live Traffic news and updates are very important when you are going to an unknown destination. That is why you bought the navigation device right? So it is necessary that you should get the most accurate traffic updates on the go.
So while talking about Tomtom vs Garmin I can say that both the manufacturers deliver the best in class and accurate navigation and traffic updates by TomTom traffic and Garmin Digital Traffic. But here we are talking about the differences, right? so we have to decide which one is better and why.
According to my opinion, I would say that at this point TomTom is the hands-down winner. Tomtom always provides a better experience for the driver and is more accurate in terms of giving live traffic updates.
Garmin vs TomTom: Places of Interest
Everyone has some places of interest. And that can be anything from restaurants to the supermarket and many more. So I think these are the features that make the difference between two navigation devices like Garmin and Tomtom.
It is always easy to find a place of interest from the device than searching for the destination on the internet. So there are differences between the capabilities of Garmin and tomtom when the user is searching for some points of interest.
So in this case too Tomtom provides a better service than that of Garmin. From my personal experience, I would say there are a lot more features available on tomtom to choose from. In a tomtom device if you are searching for a place to shop then the device software will list down numerous large stores around you.
This makes it easier for you to look for your preferred destination. But on the other hand, the process of finding a point of interest in Garmin is reverse. The Garmin device will drill down into a point of interest for more and more information.
But with Garmin, you will get a feature called Foursquare. With the help of this feature, you can find the trendy places that everyone is talking about.
So Finally…
We can now say that whether it be Tomtom or Garmin, both have made our life easier on the roads by providing the most accurate and reliable GPS navigation system devices. I started the topic by saying that it is very hard to differentiate between Garmin and tomtom.
And now you will understand why I said that. The above article tells you how Garmin and Tomtom differ from each other in terms of specification and also in other terms. But now it is completely your decision about what company you will rely on for your GPS navigation assistance.