What is the most significant trade-off in selecting a pathfinding algorithm for an automated navigation system?

The Three Algorithms I Tested

I implemented three classic algorithms in Python using Pygame:

1. Dijkstra's Algorithm

Explores uniformly in all directions

Guarantees the absolute shortest path

Very slow; explores thousands of nodes

Best for: Offline planning

2. A *

Uses a heuristic to guide search toward the goal

Finds the shortest path, 80-90% faster than Dijkstra

Requires a good heuristic for optimal performance

Best for: Real-world navigation (Google Maps, Waze), video games, robotics

3.…