We built a route planner that picks the least-stressful route instead of the fastest one — free beta, looking for feedback
We built a route planner that optimizes for how stressful a drive is instead of how fast it is. It's free while it's in beta, and I'm hoping to get feedback here! Please let me know if this isn't the place to post!
It’s called GlideNav: https://glidenav.streamlit.app/
Why it exists: the "best" route on a map app is almost always the fastest one — even when it saves two minutes by sending you through unprotected left turns, lane-change gauntlets, and complicated intersections. The idea came from a co-founder's daily commute, where he'd compare three route options every morning and pick the one that just felt easier to drive, not the quickest. GlideNav automates that judgment call.
WHAT IT DOES
It's not a nav app. You type a start and destination, and it pulls the route alternatives Google already generated and re-ranks them using our own weights and factors such as left turns, expected congestion, and current congestion.
Then it hands you a Google or Apple Maps link with checkpoints so your map app keeps you on that route instead of quietly snapping you back to the fastest one. This isn't a safety product — none of what it measures is a crash-risk metric. It only identifies which route has the most friction according to our own weights and factors.
LIMITATIONS
- The left turn check is US-only (for now!) and limited by the data available in OpenStreetMap. Everything else works anywhere.
- Runs in your browser, not an app store — there's a page showing how to add it to your home screen.
PRICING, UP FRONT
Free right now as we look for feedback! At full launch it'll be $5/month.
WHAT WOULD ACTUALLY HELP
If you try it, the most useful things you can tell me:
Run a drive you know well. How does GlideNav's pick compare to the route you normally take — and would you actually be willing to drive its version tomorrow?
What stresses you out on a drive that we're not measuring at all? And what else would you have wanted to see in the tool?
Would you pay for this as a monthly product, or is it a nice-to-have?
Happy navigating!