In the smartphone navigation market, T-map continues to hold the top position, while Naver Map has doubled its usage rate over the past three years, surpassing Kakao Navigation to claim second place. The growth has been driven primarily by users in their 20s and 30s.
According to a survey conducted by research firm Consumer Insight on 11,641 smartphone navigation users, T-map led with 71.9% usage, followed by Naver Map at 14.5% and Kakao Navigation at 9.2%.
In a similar survey three years ago, T-map held 74.5% of the market, with Kakao Navigation at 13.2% and Naver Map at 7.2%. Naver Map, which was in third place at that time, increased its usage rate by 7.3 percentage points to surpass Kakao Navigation this year.
The growth of Naver Map has been particularly notable among younger users. The usage rate among those in their 20s rose to 25.3%, an increase of 14.0 percentage points from the previous year, while the rate for users in their 30s climbed to 20.8%, up 12.4 percentage points. Users in their 40s also saw an increase to 15.4%, up 9.8 percentage points, indicating growth across all age groups.
Naver Map's strength lies in its ability to provide location searches, saving and booking features, and navigation all within a single app. This seamless integration allows users to search for destinations on the map and access navigation without switching to a separate app, appealing particularly to younger users.
Kakao is also responding by enhancing driving convenience and personalization features. Kakao Navigation now offers real-time closed-circuit television footage of congested areas and recommends frequently used routes based on drivers' past travel records. According to Kakao Mobility, the number of users nearly doubled in the two and a half weeks following the implementation of these features on September 28.
A representative from Consumer Insight noted, "Previously, the process began with entering a destination into the navigation system once in the car. Now, searching for and saving locations on smartphones has become the starting point. The ability to provide a seamless experience from search to parking tailored to individual preferences will be crucial in the competition among navigation apps going forward."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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