MyFavsMapStart with what you already have: Google Maps Lists
Before installing anything, know that Google Maps itself does more than most people use. You can create your own lists, give each one an emoji that becomes its pin icon, write a note on any saved place, show or hide several lists on the map at once, and share a list with friends who can add their own places to it.
For thirty or forty places across two or three lists, that is genuinely enough, and none of the apps below will change your life. What Lists cannot do is filter: with several lists switched on you get overlapping pins and one emoji each, no way to search across them, and no way to say “show me only the cafés near where I am standing”. That single missing feature is what every app below exists to solve.
1. MyFavsMap — to turn favourites into a map and itinerary
Ideal if you want to import your Google Maps favourites and see them on a clean map, sorted automatically by category and area, then build day-by-day itineraries. Web app (nothing to install), free offline mode and route optimisation, available in 5 languages. Less suited if you need reservation or budget management.
2. Google My Maps — for a quick, free custom map
Great for creating a small themed map and sharing it. Free and built into Google. Its limits: manual pin-by-pin building, no automatic sorting of your favourites, a 10-layer cap, and painful editing on mobile.
3. Mapstr — to save and discover with friends
A hugely popular social mobile app (3M+ users): save spots in one tap, tag them, and follow friends for their recommendations. Excellent for everyday discovery; lighter for building a real trip plan.
4. Wanderlog — for all-in-one planning
A full suite: itinerary, budget, flight and hotel reservations, group collaboration. Ideal for complex group trips. Note: offline and route optimisation are Pro-only ($39.99/yr), and the app is mostly in English.
At-a-glance comparison
| App | Best for | Type | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| MyFavsMap | Google favourites → map + itinerary | Web / PWA | Free + ~€2/mo |
| Google My Maps | Simple custom map | Web | Free |
| Mapstr | Social saving with friends | Mobile app | Free + Premium |
| Wanderlog | All-in-one planning | Web + app | Free + Pro $39.99/yr |
Transparency: MyFavsMap is our own tool. We've still compared it honestly, noting where the others do better.
How to choose in thirty seconds
Skip the feature lists and answer one question: what do you actually want to do with your places?
You want to keep saving spots and see them nicely on a map. Stay in Google Maps Lists. Really. Add the emoji icons and the notes and you are done, for free, with nothing to migrate.
You have hundreds of saved places and can no longer find anything. This is the filtering problem, and it is what MyFavsMap was built for: import once, get automatic sorting by category and area, then filter.
You are planning one complex trip with flights, hotels and a shared budget. Wanderlog, and accept the Pro subscription for offline and route optimisation.
You mostly want to discover places through friends. Mapstr. It is a social app first and a planning tool second, which is a strength if that is what you want.
You need one small themed map to share once. Google My Maps. Ten minutes of manual work, free, and no account for the person you send it to.
One warning that applies to all of them: check how you get your data out before you put years of places in. An app that cannot export is a trap, however good it looks today.
How to bring over your Google Maps favourites
Most of these apps import your places from Google Maps via Google Takeout. We walk through it step by step in our guide to exporting your Google Maps favourites.
