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Foursquare Places API vs What3words

F

Foursquare Places API

Software

Access to the world's most trusted location data, including points of interest

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
What3words logo

What3words

Software

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

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Foursquare Places API has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Foursquare Places API premium endpoint features like photos and ratings require paid calls with no free option; What3words the free API plan includes no coordinate conversion, only AutoSuggest, and is rate limited to 5 requests per second

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Foursquare Places API and What3words actually diverge.

Attributes where Foursquare Places API and What3words differ
AttributeFoursquare Places APIWhat3words
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelUnknownfreemium
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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 Foursquare Places API

Nothing recorded that What3words does not also cover.

Only in What3words

Nothing recorded that Foursquare Places API 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.

Foursquare Places API

No use cases recorded yet. See the Foursquare Places API review.

What3words

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

Where each one falls short

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

Foursquare Places API

  • Premium endpoint features like photos and ratings require paid calls with no free option
  • Entry-level free tier ($200/month) may be insufficient for high-volume applications
  • Limited real-time update frequency compared to enterprise solutions
  • Requires API key management and developer portal familiarity

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

Foursquare Places API

Free
  • Free TierFree
    • $200 monthly free credits
    • 500 free Pro endpoint calls
    • Access to standard place data
  • Pro Endpoints$0.00375/per call
    • Basic place search
    • Details and photos
  • Premium Endpoints$18.75/per 1000 calls
    • Photos
    • Tips
    • Hours

What3words

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the What3words review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Foursquare Places API if

  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
Foursquare Places API review

Choose What3words if

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

What3words review

Questions people ask

Is Foursquare Places API or What3words better?
Neither clearly leads. Foursquare Places API starts at Free and What3words at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Foursquare Places API or What3words?
Foursquare Places API has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Foursquare Places API and On request for What3words.
Does Foursquare Places API or What3words run on more platforms?
Foursquare Places API runs on Web, iOS, Android. What3words runs on Web.
Can I use Foursquare Places API for free?
Yes. Foursquare Places API has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. What3words starts at On request.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Foursquare Places API: How much free usage does Foursquare Places API provide?

All developer accounts receive $200 per month in free usage credits. After these are consumed, pay-as-you-go pricing applies. Pro endpoints have 500 free calls monthly, while premium endpoints have no free tier.

Source
Foursquare Places API: What data does Foursquare Places API provide?

Foursquare provides a dataset of 100M+ places across 200 countries with 50+ attributes per place, including venue details, categories, hours, ratings, photos, and tips.

Source
Foursquare Places API: What are the pricing tiers for premium endpoints?

Premium endpoints like photos, tips, hours, and ratings cost $18.75 per 1,000 calls with no free tier available. Pricing scales with usage.

Source
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Related pages

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