Maxim

Is Maxim safe to use?

Maxim gets you a cheap ride, but you know less about what happens to your data than on almost any other ride app we score. Its App Store and Google Play labels claim it collects little and shares nothing. Its own privacy policy says it shares location data and advertising identifiers with third parties for targeted ads, does not name the company responsible for your data, and lets it send that data to any country. We found no privacy fine anywhere, partly because no large privacy regulator seems to have looked. We score it 46/100, below Gojek (55) and inDrive (54) and close to Grab (47).

Maxim began in Russia and now operates mainly in Indonesia, Central Asia and other emerging markets, with car and motorcycle rides, delivery and other services. In Indonesia, where it has almost 900,000 App Store ratings, the app is published by PT. Sistem Informasi Transportasi Otomatis. Russian users get a separate app, maxim ru, from MAXIM.PLATFORM LLC.

Labels that do not match the policy

Apple's label for Maxim is one of the shortest we have seen for a ride app. Nothing is used to track you and nothing is linked to your identity; device ID, location and crash data are listed only as "not linked to you". Google Play goes further: it says Maxim shares no data with other companies and does not list location among the data it collects at all, which cannot be right for an app that sends a car to where you stand.

The privacy policy tells a different story. Maxim collects your location, trip and payment details, device information including advertising identifiers, and what you type into in-app chats. From drivers it also collects the IMEI number and the names of other installed apps. It shares data with subsidiaries and affiliates, marketing partners, analytics providers, research partners and insurers. It says it may share location data, advertising identifiers or a hashed email address with third parties "to facilitate the display of targeted advertising", and that third parties may combine data from Maxim's apps with data they already hold about you.

Under our rules we score privacy on the broader of the label and the policy, and here the gap is large. Privacy scores 35.

Where your data goes

The policy covers "Rides & Delivery Service Maxim" and all its apps and websites, but it never names a legal entity as the data controller. On international transfers it says only that your data may move from your home country to an "Alternate Country", and that you consent to this. There is no list of countries, no mention of safeguards and no data protection officer, just a general email address.

For a company of Russian origin that matters more than usual, because users cannot tell from the policy whether their trip history stays in Indonesia, goes to Russia or somewhere else. The policy keeps your data for as long as you have an account, and transparency and control score 40.

Driver checks and the Malaysian order

The one regulator finding about Maxim's operations comes from Malaysia. In May 2025 the transport minister, Anthony Loke, said the Land Public Transport Agency (APAD) had told Maxim and inDrive to stop operating from 24 July 2025. APAD said they had breached licence conditions under the Land Public Transport Act 2010, including the rule that every car on the platform needs a valid e-hailing vehicle permit. A riders' association had also alleged that some drivers lacked public service vehicle licences, e-hailing insurance and inspections. The minister said the companies could appeal; we could not confirm the final outcome.

Because the order was about licensing, it counts only as context in the regulatory score, which sits at 82. It does weigh on scams and harmful content (42): unlicensed or uninsured drivers leave passengers with less protection after a crash. The app has an emergency button that shares the trip location, but the policy accepts riders under 18 with a parent's consent while the app is rated 4+.

Security

We found no reported breach of Maxim user data and no regulator decision about its security. We also found little evidence of security work: no bug bounty on HackerOne or Bugcrowd, no published audits or certifications, and a security.txt file that lists a contact address but expired in February 2026. Google Play says data is encrypted in transit. The policy adds that Maxim "cannot guarantee" the security of data sent to it. Security scores 50.

How to ride Maxim more safely

1. Check the plate, car and driver photo in the app before you get in, and cancel if anything differs.
2. Use the emergency button if a ride goes wrong, and share the trip with someone you trust.
3. Keep chats inside the app, but do not send documents or payment details there.
4. Refuse tracking requests and reset or delete your phone's advertising ID in its privacy settings, to limit the identifiers Maxim can share.
5. Choose a licensed taxi or a more transparent app for airport runs and long trips.

How we scored it

Regulatory record (82) is the strongest factor: we found no privacy or consumer fine, and the Malaysian order counts as a licensing matter. Privacy (35) is the weakest, because the policy allows ad-related sharing of location and identifiers that the store labels deny. Transparency and control (40) reflects a policy with no named company, no destination countries and no clear deletion process.