Waze to remain free with ads; Won't offer ad-free version

Offering an ad-free version could actually push users away to alternative products.

Waze is one of the top navigation apps in the world. The crowdsourcing app improves its turn-by-turn guidance and offers faster routes with increasing users as it allows them to contribute with traffic reports, which further helps the app find alternative routes.

The primary source of revenue for Waze is advertisements. So, increasing users not only help the drivers find faster routes but also enables the company to make more money. The advertisements are displayed in the form of small icons on the maps or via pop-ups when approaching an advertised location.

However, while most ads are said to be unintrusive, multiple users have reportedly requested Waze to offer an ad-free version in the form of a monthly subscription or a one-time fee. Users are reportedly willing to pay up to $5 for an ad-free version of Waze.

While the idea of offering an ad-free version has been around for a decade, the company has ignored all the requests. Now, a member of the Waze team has responded to the requests stating that there are no plans for an ad-free version. He further added that the ad-free version doesn't fit the company's roadmap.

Reports state Waze needs a large user community to work correctly and that a subscription wouldn't work. Offering an ad-free version could actually push users away to alternative products.

Source: AutoEvolution