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Maps · head to head

Felt vs Nominatim

Felt logo

Felt

Maps

Collaborative browser mapping with a free non-commercial tier and annual-only paid contracts

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Nominatim logo

Nominatim

Maps

Open-source geocoding tool for OpenStreetMap data, providing address search and reverse geocoding capabilities

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Felt has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Felt felt publishes no prices for Professional or Enterprise, so buyers cannot compare against ArcGIS Online or QGIS with hosting without entering a sales process; Nominatim the public API allows an absolute maximum of 1 request per second
  • They diverge on capability: Felt covers Real-time collaboration, Nominatim covers Core Functionality.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Felt and Nominatim actually diverge.

Attributes where Felt and Nominatim differ
AttributeFeltNominatim
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelquotefreemium
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb

Identical on both: 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 Felt

  • Real-time collaboration
  • Drag and drop data
  • Unlimited viewers
  • Field app with offline support
  • Dashboards
  • Live cloud sources
  • API and SDK

Only in Nominatim

  • Core Functionality
  • User Interface

What people use each for

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

Felt

  • An environmental consultancy that needs a client to view and comment on survey results without installing GIS softwarenot Nominatim
  • A utility field crew collecting asset condition offline and syncing to the same map the office is looking atnot Nominatim
  • A planning department sharing a proposal map with the public where the viewer count is unpredictable and viewer seats would be uncostednot Nominatim
  • A team of analysts who each hold data in different formats and want one map assembled in an afternoon rather than a weeknot Nominatim

Nominatim

  • Geocoding and reverse geocoding servicesnot Felt
  • Address lookup and location searchnot Felt
  • OpenStreetMap-based geolocation datanot Felt

Where each one falls short

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

Felt

  • Felt publishes no prices for Professional or Enterprise, so buyers cannot compare against ArcGIS Online or QGIS with hosting without entering a sales process
  • Paid tiers are annual contract only with no monthly option, which excludes consultancies that need a tool for a single short engagement and forces them to the free non-commercial tier they are not licensed to use for client work
  • The API, JavaScript SDK and live warehouse connections are enterprise-only, so a mid-sized team that wants programmatic access has to buy the top tier rather than pay for one capability
  • Analytical depth is limited: there is no meaningful geoprocessing, topology checking or model building, so Felt sits beside a real GIS rather than replacing one
  • The Professional tier caps data processing at 25 GB a month and map views at 100,000 a month, which are easy to exceed with raster imagery or a public-facing map, and the overage terms are not published either

Nominatim

  • The public API allows an absolute maximum of 1 request per second
  • Bulk geocoding must run in a single thread and cannot be distributed across machines
  • Scripts running longer than a day or on a schedule are limited to 4 requests per minute
  • Autocomplete search against the public API is explicitly prohibited
  • Systematic queries such as grid based reverse lookups and complete data downloads are prohibited
  • Reselling geocoding results or acting as an API intermediary is prohibited
  • Every request must send a valid HTTP Referer or User-Agent identifying the application, and default library headers are rejected
  • Results must be cached client side, and repeated identical queries can lead to blocking
  • Attribution to OpenStreetMap under ODbL must be displayed

Pricing, plan by plan

Felt

Free
  • PersonalFree
    • Free forever for non-commercial mapping
    • Map creation, upload and sharing
    • Not licensed for commercial use
  • Professional$undefined/year
    • 10 full-access seats with unlimited viewers
    • 25 GB of data processing per month
    • 100,000 map views per month
  • Enterprise$undefined/year
    • Live cloud sources including Postgres, Snowflake, BigQuery, Databricks and S3
    • REST API and JavaScript SDK
    • AI features

Nominatim

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Nominatim review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Felt if

  • You need real-time collaboration.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want drag and drop data.
Felt review

Choose Nominatim if

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

Questions people ask

Is Felt or Nominatim better?
Neither clearly leads. Felt starts at Free and Nominatim at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Felt or Nominatim?
Felt has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Felt and On request for Nominatim.
Does Felt or Nominatim run on more platforms?
Felt runs on Web, iOS, Android. Nominatim runs on Web.
Can I use Felt for free?
Yes. Felt has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Nominatim starts at On request.
What is Felt best used for?
Felt is most often used for an environmental consultancy that needs a client to view and comment on survey results without installing gis software, a utility field crew collecting asset condition offline and syncing to the same map the office is looking at, a planning department sharing a proposal map with the public where the viewer count is unpredictable and viewer seats would be uncosted, a team of analysts who each hold data in different formats and want one map assembled in an afternoon rather than a week. Of those, an environmental consultancy that needs a client to view and comment on survey results without installing gis software and a utility field crew collecting asset condition offline and syncing to the same map the office is looking at are not what Nominatim is typically brought in for.
What can Felt do that Nominatim cannot?
Felt covers Real-time collaboration, Drag and drop data, Unlimited viewers, Field app with offline support. Nominatim covers Core Functionality, User Interface.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Felt: What does Felt cost?

Felt does not publish prices for Professional or Enterprise. Personal is free but licensed for non-commercial use only.

Nominatim: Is Nominatim free?

Nominatim is open source software built on OpenStreetMap data. It appears to be free to use, though commercial usage may require separate licensing or terms. Check the project repository or contact support for clarity on licensing.

Source
Felt: Can I pay monthly?

No. Paid plans are annual contracts. There is a 7 day trial of Professional.

Nominatim: What is Nominatim's pricing model?

Nominatim does not publish a standard pricing model on its website. As open source software, it is available for free, but commercial or large-scale deployments may require reviewing their licensing terms or contacting project maintainers.

Source
Felt: Do viewers cost anything?

No. Viewer access is unlimited on the paid plans, which is the main reason organisations with large map audiences choose it.

Felt: Is there a nonprofit discount?

Yes, 30 per cent for verified United States nonprofits, and free access for verified students and classrooms.

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