Maps · alternatives
Alternatives to Google Maps
20 maps tools sit alongside Google Maps in this directory. Below is what separates each from Google Maps on the figures we hold, price, model, tier count and rating, and a direct comparison for every one.
- Alternatives listed
- 20
- With a free tier
- 11
- Cheaper to start
- -
- Google Maps starts at
- Free
Why people look past Google Maps
Only what the record supports. Each point below is a figure on the Google Maps entry measured against the tools listed beside it.
There is only one tier
Google Maps publishes a single plan, Free at Free. There is no smaller tier to drop to if the fit is wrong or the budget moves.
What each alternative does differently
Ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry. Differences are drawn from price, pricing model, tier count and rating, the fields the category listing carries. For a feature-level difference, follow the head-to-head link on each card: those pages read both full records.
Comprehensive set of APIs and SDKs that allow developers to embed Google
- Publishes an entry price of $100/month, where Google Maps does not.
- Sold on a subscription model rather than Free consumer app, funded by Google's advertising business.
- 4 tiers to Google Maps's 1.
Serverless Python for geospatial: write a UDF, get a map tile endpoint and an HTTP API
- Publishes an entry price of $20/month, where Google Maps does not.
- Sold on a Per month by compute tier model rather than Free consumer app, funded by Google's advertising business.
- 4 tiers to Google Maps's 1.
Long-running open source geospatial analysis engine for raster, vector and terrain processing
- Sold on a Open source, no licence fee model rather than Free consumer app, funded by Google's advertising business.
Hosted 3D geospatial tiling and streaming, metered by storage, streaming and gigapixels
- Publishes an entry price of $149/month, where Google Maps does not.
- Sold on a Per month by storage, streaming and gigapixels model rather than Free consumer app, funded by Google's advertising business.
- 4 tiers to Google Maps's 1.
Collaborative browser mapping with a free non-commercial tier and annual-only paid contracts
- Sold on a quote model rather than Free consumer app, funded by Google's advertising business.
- 3 tiers to Google Maps's 1.
Open source WebGL viewer for publishing very large point clouds in a browser
- Sold on a Open source, no licence fee model rather than Free consumer app, funded by Google's advertising business.
Every Google Maps alternative at a glance
A dash means the catalogue entry carries no figure, not that the answer is nothing.
| Tool | Entry price | Model | Tiers | Head to head |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Maps (this page) | Free | Free consumer app, funded by Google's advertising business | 1 | |
| Google Maps PlatformIf you are a developer needing to embed maps, geocoding or routing into your own product rather than using the consumer app | Free, then $100/month | Subscription | 4 | vs Google Maps |
| Fused | Free, then $20/month | Per month by compute tier | 4 | vs Google Maps |
| GRASS GIS | Free | Open source, no licence fee | 1 | vs Google Maps |
| Cesium ion | Free, then $149/month | Per month by storage, streaming and gigapixels | 4 | vs Google Maps |
| Felt | Free | Quote | 3 | vs Google Maps |
| Potree | Free | Open source, no licence fee | 1 | vs Google Maps |
| Emlid Studio | Free | Free of charge, no licence fee | 1 | vs Google Maps |
| Atlas.co | Free, then $23/month | Per user per month | 4 | vs Google Maps |
| Lonboard | Free | Open source, no licence fee | 1 | vs Google Maps |
| SAGA GIS | Free | Open source, no licence fee | 1 | vs Google Maps |
| Ride with GPS | Free | Freemium, per user per month | 3 | vs Google Maps |
| ArcGIS Survey123 | On request | Per user per year by ArcGIS user type | 3 | vs Google Maps |
| Foursquare Spatial Studio | On request | Quote | 1 | vs Google Maps |
| Correlator3D | $295/month | One-time purchase | 5 | vs Google Maps |
| Leica Infinity | On request | Quote | 2 | vs Google Maps |
| Global Mapper | $700/one-time | One-time purchase | 4 | vs Google Maps |
| onX Maps | On request | Separate per-product subscriptions, per user per year | 4 | vs Google Maps |
| Geographic Calculator | On request | Quote | 3 | vs Google Maps |
| Agisoft Metashape | $179/one-time | One-time purchase | 3 | vs Google Maps |
| ArcGIS Field Maps | On request | Included with an ArcGIS user type licence | 3 | vs Google Maps |
Ratings are aggregated from third-party sources and imported with each catalogue entry; Softwr hosts no reviews of these products. How each figure is used is set out on the Google Maps badges page.
Cheaper ways to solve the same problem
Free to start (11)
These publish a tier that costs nothing, so they can be evaluated before any money changes hands.
- Google Maps Platform , Free, then $100/month
- Fused , Free, then $20/month
- GRASS GIS , Free
- Cesium ion , Free, then $149/month
- Felt , Free
- Potree , Free
- Emlid Studio , Free
- Atlas.co , Free, then $23/month
What you would be giving up
Google Maps is most often brought in for getting turn-by-turn driving or transit directions to a destination, searching for and comparing nearby restaurants, shops or services with reviews, downloading an offline map before travelling somewhere with unreliable data coverage, checking real time traffic conditions before or during a drive. Anything replacing it has to cover the ones you actually depend on, and a cheaper tool that misses one of them is not cheaper.
Two things this page cannot settle. It compares on price, model, tier count and rating, because those are the fields the category listing carries, feature-level differences need both full records, which is what the head-to-head pages load. And the ratings are third-party aggregates imported with each entry rather than reviews written here, so a 0.2 difference between two tools is noise rather than a finding.
If Google Maps is broadly right and the question is cost, the Google Maps pricing breakdown covers every tier and what each one adds. If you want the whole field rather than a shortlist, the Maps category lists everything the directory holds, and best maps tools ranks them.
Google Maps runs on ios, android, web. Platform coverage is not carried on the category listing for the alternatives, so it is one more thing to check on each head-to-head page rather than here.
Questions about Google Maps alternatives
- What are the main alternatives to Google Maps?
- 20 other maps tools are listed in this directory, led by Google Maps Platform, Fused, GRASS GIS, Cesium ion. They are ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry, not by any Softwr ranking.
- What is the best free alternative to Google Maps?
- 11 of the alternatives listed here can be used without paying: Google Maps Platform, Fused, GRASS GIS, Cesium ion, Felt.
- Why do people look for an alternative to Google Maps?
- On the figures on record, one thing stands out: there is only one tier. Each is set out with the numbers behind it above.
- What would I give up by switching from Google Maps?
- Google Maps is most often brought in for getting turn-by-turn driving or transit directions to a destination, searching for and comparing nearby restaurants, shops or services with reviews, downloading an offline map before travelling somewhere with unreliable data coverage, checking real time traffic conditions before or during a drive. Anything you replace it with has to cover the ones you actually rely on, the side-by-side comparisons linked from each alternative below put the two feature records against each other.
- Is there an open-source alternative to Google Maps?
- None of the maps tools listed here are recorded as open source. That is what the licence field on each entry says, and the field is not always filled in, so it is worth checking directly for any tool you are serious about.
- How were these Google Maps alternatives chosen?
- They are the tools filed in the same category, Maps, ordered by the aggregated rating on each entry. There is no editorial shortlist, and nothing on this page is paid: no sponsored placement runs on alternatives pages and the order cannot be bought. Softwr has not used these products.
- Where can I compare Google Maps against one of these directly?
- Every alternative below has a side-by-side page against Google Maps covering price, platforms, features and what each one is used for. Those pages read the full record for both products rather than the summary shown here.
- Does this list cover every maps tool?
- No. It covers what this directory holds in the Maps category, 20 tools beside Google Maps. The category page lists the rest of the catalogue as it grows.