What is the difference between the Route Manager and the Location plugins

The Route Manager plugin supports the creation of routes using a Google Map, while the Location plugin supports the listing of specific locations or points of interest using Google Map. You can combine them together to create a joint view which shows both routes and locations on the same map

Using the Route Manager plugin, you can also place locations along the route and add descriptions and images per these locations. The Location Manager supports this functionality but is more focused toward building a point of interest or location finder solution rather than a route information solution.