Head to head
ABRP or Chargemap: where they actually differ
Two products with different jobs. A Better Routeplanner is a dedicated route planner — its job is deciding where you stop and for how long; Chargemap is a roaming and payment product — its job is one account across many networks.
Where they differ
| Capability | ABRP | Chargemap |
|---|---|---|
| Plans a charging route | ● Yes | ◐ Partly |
| Models the charging curve | ● Yes | – Unverified |
| Adjusts for weather and temperature | ◐ Partly | – Unverified |
| Reads the car | ◐ Partly | – Unverified |
| Preconditions the battery | – Unverified | ○ No |
| Turn-by-turn navigation | ◐ Partly | – Unverified |
| CarPlay or Android Auto | ◐ Partly | – Unverified |
| Pays for the charge | ○ No | ● Yes |
| Compares session prices | – Unverified | ◐ Partly |
| Food, restrooms and facilities | ◐ Partly | – Unverified |
| Driver check-ins and reviews | ◐ Partly | ● Yes |
Where they agree
On the remaining 3 capabilities these two are recorded the same way. Rows where both are unverified are agreement about our own ignorance rather than about the products.
Which to choose
Choose A Better Routeplanner if you need a planned charging route rather than a map of chargers and charging-time estimates that hold up. Choose Chargemap if you need to start and pay for charging in the app and driver check-ins from the last people there. Price and platform decide the rest, and both are in the table on each product’s own page.
Or both
Most people end up with two of these — a router and either a payment card or the car’s own navigation for the last leg, which is the only thing that reliably preconditions the battery. Using one tool for everything is a preference, not a requirement.