Maps · alternatives
Alternatives to What3words
24 maps tools sit alongside What3words in this directory. Below is what separates each from What3words on the figures we hold, price, model, tier count and rating, and a direct comparison for every one.
- Alternatives listed
- 24
- With a free tier
- 15
- Cheaper to start
- -
- What3words starts at
- Free
Why people look past What3words
Nothing on the record flags a reason to move. What3words has a free tier. People still switch over fit and workflow, and those are not things a catalogue entry can measure, which is what the comparisons below are for.
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 What3words does not.
- Sold on a subscription model rather than freemium.
Location data platform for mobile and web applications
- Publishes an entry price of Free, where What3words does not.
Location data and technology company that provides mapping and location services to businesses globally
- Publishes an entry price of Free, where What3words does not.
Web mapping and navigation application developed by Apple Inc
Priced and rated the same as What3words on the figures we hold. The difference, if there is one, is in the feature records.
Serverless Python for geospatial: write a UDF, get a map tile endpoint and an HTTP API
- Publishes an entry price of $20/month, where What3words does not.
- Sold on a Per month by compute tier model rather than freemium.
Long-running open source geospatial analysis engine for raster, vector and terrain processing
- Sold on a Open source, no licence fee model rather than freemium.
Every What3words 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What3words (this page) | Free | Freemium | - | |
| Google Maps PlatformComprehensive set of APIs and SDKs that allow developers to embed Google | Free, then $100/month | Subscription | 4 | vs What3words |
| MapboxLocation data platform for mobile and web applications | Free | - | - | vs What3words |
| HERE TechnologiesLocation data and technology company that provides mapping and location services to businesses globally | Free | - | - | vs What3words |
| Apple MapsWeb mapping and navigation application developed by Apple Inc | Free | Freemium | - | vs What3words |
| Fused | Free, then $20/month | Per month by compute tier | 4 | vs What3words |
| GRASS GIS | Free | Open source, no licence fee | 1 | vs What3words |
| Cesium ion | Free, then $149/month | Per month by storage, streaming and gigapixels | 4 | vs What3words |
| Google Maps | Free | Free consumer app, funded by Google's advertising business | 1 | vs What3words |
| Felt | Free | Quote | 3 | vs What3words |
| Potree | Free | Open source, no licence fee | 1 | vs What3words |
| Emlid Studio | Free | Free of charge, no licence fee | 1 | vs What3words |
| Atlas.co | Free, then $23/month | Per user per month | 4 | vs What3words |
| Lonboard | Free | Open source, no licence fee | 1 | vs What3words |
| SAGA GIS | Free | Open source, no licence fee | 1 | vs What3words |
| Ride with GPS | Free | Freemium, per user per month | 3 | vs What3words |
| ArcGIS Survey123 | On request | Per user per year by ArcGIS user type | 3 | vs What3words |
| Foursquare Spatial Studio | On request | Quote | 1 | vs What3words |
| Correlator3D | $295/month | One-time purchase | 5 | vs What3words |
| Leica Infinity | On request | Quote | 2 | vs What3words |
| Global Mapper | $700/one-time | One-time purchase | 4 | vs What3words |
| onX Maps | On request | Separate per-product subscriptions, per user per year | 4 | vs What3words |
| Geographic Calculator | On request | Quote | 3 | vs What3words |
| Agisoft Metashape | $179/one-time | One-time purchase | 3 | vs What3words |
| ArcGIS Field Maps | On request | Included with an ArcGIS user type licence | 3 | vs What3words |
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 What3words badges page.
Cheaper ways to solve the same problem
Free to start (15)
These publish a tier that costs nothing, so they can be evaluated before any money changes hands.
- Google Maps Platform , Free, then $100/month
- Mapbox , Free
- HERE Technologies , Free
- Apple Maps , Free
- Fused , Free, then $20/month
- GRASS GIS , Free
- Cesium ion , Free, then $149/month
- Google Maps , Free
What you would be giving up
What3words is most often brought in for referring to a 3 metre square location with three words, adding location entry to a delivery or dispatch app, converting between coordinates and what3words addresses via api. 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 What3words is broadly right and the question is cost, the What3words 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.
What3words runs on 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 What3words alternatives
- What are the main alternatives to What3words?
- 24 other maps tools are listed in this directory, led by Google Maps Platform, Mapbox, HERE Technologies, Apple Maps. They are ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry, not by any Softwr ranking.
- What is the best free alternative to What3words?
- 15 of the alternatives listed here can be used without paying: Google Maps Platform, Mapbox, HERE Technologies, Apple Maps, Fused.
- Is there a reason to switch away from What3words?
- Nothing in the data flags one. What3words has a free tier. Fit and workflow are the usual reasons to move, and those are not things this record can measure.
- What would I give up by switching from What3words?
- What3words is most often brought in for referring to a 3 metre square location with three words, adding location entry to a delivery or dispatch app, converting between coordinates and what3words addresses via api. 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 What3words?
- 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 What3words 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 What3words against one of these directly?
- Every alternative below has a side-by-side page against What3words 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, 24 tools beside What3words. The category page lists the rest of the catalogue as it grows.