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Maps · head to head

Bing Maps vs What3words

Bing Maps logo

Bing Maps

Maps

Web mapping services with street maps, aerial imagery, and APIs for developers

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
What3words logo

What3words

Maps

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

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Bing Maps bing Maps for Enterprise is deprecated and will be retired by 6/30/2025 for free accounts and 6/30/2028 for enterprise accounts; What3words the free API plan includes no coordinate conversion, only AutoSuggest, and is rate limited to 5 requests per second
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Bing Maps and What3words actually diverge.

Attributes where Bing Maps and What3words differ
AttributeBing MapsWhat3words

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

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 Bing Maps

Nothing recorded that What3words does not also cover.

Only in What3words

Nothing recorded that Bing Maps does not also cover.

Both cover

  • Core Functionality
  • User Interface

What people use each for

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

Bing Maps

  • Driving directions and turn-by-turn navigation guidancenot What3words
  • Real-time traffic monitoring and road condition updatesnot What3words
  • Commuter route planning with live traffic intelligencenot What3words

What3words

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

Where each one falls short

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

Bing Maps

  • Bing Maps for Enterprise is deprecated and will be retired by 6/30/2025 for free accounts and 6/30/2028 for enterprise accounts
  • All implementations must migrate to Azure Maps to avoid service disruption

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

Bing Maps

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Bing Maps review.

What3words

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the What3words review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Bing Maps if

Nothing in the data separates Bing Maps from What3words on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Bing Maps review

Choose What3words if

Nothing in the data separates What3words from Bing Maps on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

What3words review

Questions people ask

Is Bing Maps or What3words better?
Neither clearly leads. Bing Maps 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, Bing Maps or What3words?
Bing Maps starts at On request and What3words at On request.
Does Bing Maps or What3words run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
What is Bing Maps best used for?
Bing Maps is most often used for driving directions and turn-by-turn navigation guidance, real-time traffic monitoring and road condition updates, commuter route planning with live traffic intelligence. Of those, driving directions and turn-by-turn navigation guidance and real-time traffic monitoring and road condition updates are not what What3words is typically brought in for.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Bing Maps: What happened to Bing Maps for Enterprise?

Bing Maps for Enterprise is deprecated and will be retired. Free account customers can continue using the service until 6/30/2025, while enterprise account customers can continue until 6/30/2028. Microsoft recommends migrating implementations to Azure Maps to avoid service disruptions.

Source
Bing Maps: When will Bing Maps for Enterprise be discontinued?

Bing Maps for Enterprise retires 6/30/2025 for free accounts and 6/30/2028 for enterprise accounts. All implementations using Bing Maps for Enterprise REST APIs and SDKs must be updated to use Azure Maps before the retirement dates.

Source
Bing Maps: What should I use instead of Bing Maps?

Microsoft is transitioning customers to Azure Maps, which provides consumption-based pricing with volume-based discounts and pay-only-for-what-you-use cost structure. Azure Maps offers all mapping features without throttling.

Source
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