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Fleet Management · head to head

AssetWorks vs What3words

AssetWorks logo

AssetWorks

Fleet Management

Fleet and enterprise asset management software built for government and public sector buyers, owned by Constellation Software subsidiary Volaris Group

From
On request
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite
What3words logo

What3words

Maps

What3words has divided the world into 3m squares and given each one

From
On request
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: AssetWorks pricing is entirely unpublished and reportedly often includes ancillary fees beyond the headline licence or subscription cost, making total cost of ownership hard to estimate before a formal quote.; What3words the free API plan includes no coordinate conversion, only AutoSuggest, and is rate limited to 5 requests per second
  • They diverge on capability: AssetWorks covers Fleet lifecycle tracking, What3words covers Core Functionality.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which AssetWorks and What3words actually diverge.

Attributes where AssetWorks and What3words differ
AttributeAssetWorksWhat3words
Pricing modelquotefreemium
CategoryFleet ManagementMaps

Identical on both: starting price (On request), free tier (No), platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in AssetWorks

  • Fleet lifecycle tracking
  • Preventative maintenance scheduling
  • Fuel management
  • Inspection and licensing compliance
  • Enterprise Asset Management integration
  • Public-sector procurement fit

Only in What3words

  • Core Functionality
  • User Interface

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

AssetWorks

  • A municipal or county government needing fleet management that integrates with broader roads, facilities and parks asset managementnot What3words
  • A public utility needing fuel, maintenance and compliance tracking suited to public-sector audit requirementsnot What3words
  • A government buyer wanting to procure through an existing competitively solicited group purchasing agreement rather than an independent RFPnot What3words
  • An agency wanting a stable, long-term software vendor backed by Constellation Software acquire-and-hold ownership model rather than a venture-backed startupnot What3words

What3words

  • Referring to a 3 metre square location with three wordsnot AssetWorks
  • Adding location entry to a delivery or dispatch appnot AssetWorks
  • Converting between coordinates and what3words addresses via APInot AssetWorks

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

AssetWorks

  • Pricing is entirely unpublished and reportedly often includes ancillary fees beyond the headline licence or subscription cost, making total cost of ownership hard to estimate before a formal quote.
  • Being owned by Constellation Software, known for acquiring and holding software businesses with limited reinvestment pressure, can mean slower feature innovation compared with venture-backed competitors racing to add AI and modern UX.
  • The platform is explicitly built and marketed around public-sector procurement and workflow needs, so a private commercial fleet may find it less tailored to their process than a fleet-first competitor.
  • Multi-year public-sector contracts reduce flexibility to switch providers even if requirements or the competitive landscape change during the term.
  • Choosing between perpetual licence and SaaS subscription is itself a significant decision with different long-term cost profiles, and neither option pricing is published to compare in advance.

What3words

  • The free API plan includes no coordinate conversion, only AutoSuggest, and is rate limited to 5 requests per second
  • Converting to and from what3words addresses starts on the Basic plan at $9.99 per month for 1,000 conversions
  • Priority and developer support require the Standard plan at $45 per month
  • 24/7 phone support requires the Plus plan at $125 per month
  • Custom invoicing and annual payment require the Premium plan at $300 per month
  • Overage pricing is not published; the page states only that a fair usage policy applies
  • The three word address scheme is proprietary and licensed rather than open data

Pricing, plan by plan

AssetWorks

On request
  • FleetFocus$undefined/year
    • Perpetual licence or SaaS subscription options
    • No published pricing, quote required
    • Contracts typically multi-year with ancillary fees reported

What3words

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the What3words review.

Which should you pick?

Choose AssetWorks if

  • You need fleet lifecycle tracking.
  • You also want preventative maintenance scheduling.
AssetWorks review

Choose What3words if

  • You need core functionality.
  • You also want user interface.
What3words review

Questions people ask

Is AssetWorks or What3words better?
Neither clearly leads. AssetWorks starts at On request and What3words at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, AssetWorks or What3words?
AssetWorks starts at On request and What3words at On request.
Does AssetWorks or What3words run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
What is AssetWorks best used for?
AssetWorks is most often used for a municipal or county government needing fleet management that integrates with broader roads, facilities and parks asset management, a public utility needing fuel, maintenance and compliance tracking suited to public-sector audit requirements, a government buyer wanting to procure through an existing competitively solicited group purchasing agreement rather than an independent rfp, an agency wanting a stable, long-term software vendor backed by constellation software acquire-and-hold ownership model rather than a venture-backed startup. Of those, a municipal or county government needing fleet management that integrates with broader roads, facilities and parks asset management and a public utility needing fuel, maintenance and compliance tracking suited to public-sector audit requirements are not what What3words is typically brought in for.
What can AssetWorks do that What3words cannot?
AssetWorks covers Fleet lifecycle tracking, Preventative maintenance scheduling, Fuel management, Inspection and licensing compliance. What3words covers Core Functionality, User Interface.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

AssetWorks: Who owns AssetWorks?

Volaris Group, a division of Constellation Software, which acquires and holds vertical-market software businesses long term rather than growing and reselling them.

AssetWorks: Is AssetWorks only for government fleets?

It is primarily built and marketed for public sector buyers, though private fleets can also use it; government-specific features like competitive group purchasing access are a key differentiator.

AssetWorks: Perpetual licence or SaaS?

Both options exist, but neither is priced publicly, so a buyer needs a quote to compare the two structures directly.

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