iExit | What the Tech? App of the Day

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (WHAT THE TECH?) — How many times has this happened to you? You’re driving down the interstate and needing a bite to eat. At the next exit are a few fast food restaurants and they sound good but what’s at the next exit? And the next?

You don’t know if there are other choices coming up or how long you might have to drive to find something else. Unless you see a billboard, there’s no way of knowing. Unless you have the app iExit on your phone.

iExit is a popular app for frequent travelers and in the RV community for good reason.

Opening the app iExit looks similar to other map apps as it follows you down the highway, provided you give it GPS permission. Only the iExit app shows you exactly what’s coming up at the next exit and even exits.

Here’s an example:

Using the app on Interstate 65 through Kentucky, I could see at Exit 22 there were several fast food places including Hardees, McDonald’s, Wendy’s, and Cracker Barrel. If I can wait for another 6 miles iExit shows a few local eateries plus more than a dozen other fast food places.

Without the app, I might have pulled off at Exit 22 and then wished I had waited.

In addition to food, iExit shows everything at each exit from gas stations, hotels, shopping centers, and banks. Each entry also displays which way to turn at the exit and how much farther you’ll need to drive.

Entries link to their Yelp reviews and gas stations also list prices so you can find out if you should wait or gas up when you get to the next exit.

iExit is crowdsourced and the app says users upload over 350,000 updates each month.

Unlike many apps these days, iExit does not require a monthly subscription. It is free to use if you don’t mind a banner ad at the bottom of the screen. If you’d like to remove the ad and support the app developers, a premium version is just $2. Not $2 a month, but a lifetime license.

iExit is available for iPhone and Android devices and can be found in Apple’s and Google’s app stores. If you’ve got a road trip planned with the rest of the family it’s an excellent app to have on your home screen.