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Maps · head to head

Foursquare Spatial Studio vs MAPS.ME

Foursquare Spatial Studio logo

Foursquare Spatial Studio

Maps

The product formerly sold as Unfolded, now a Foursquare platform rather than a standalone company

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
MAPS.ME logo

MAPS.ME

Maps

Free, offline maps application based on OpenStreetMap data

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only MAPS.ME has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Foursquare Spatial Studio unfolded no longer exists as a product or a contracting entity, so buyers researching under that name find documentation, pricing discussion and comparison material that no longer applies to what Foursquare sells; MAPS.ME mobile-only - no web or desktop navigation client
  • They diverge on capability: Foursquare Spatial Studio covers Browser rendering at scale, MAPS.ME covers Core Functionality.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Foursquare Spatial Studio and MAPS.ME actually diverge.

Attributes where Foursquare Spatial Studio and MAPS.ME differ
AttributeFoursquare Spatial StudioMAPS.ME
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquoteUnknown
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebiOS, Android
FoundedUnknown2011

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 Foursquare Spatial Studio

  • Browser rendering at scale
  • H3 spatial indexing
  • Data joins
  • Time animation
  • Map sharing and embedding
  • Cloud data connections
  • Foursquare data access

Only in MAPS.ME

  • Core Functionality
  • User Interface

What people use each for

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

Foursquare Spatial Studio

  • A retail property team comparing catchment overlap between candidate sites using hexagonal aggregation rather than drive-time polygonsnot MAPS.ME
  • A telecommunications planner visualising a national dataset of measurements in the browser without building a tile pipelinenot MAPS.ME
  • An analytics team that already writes deck.gl in-house and wants a hosted environment so non-developers can explore the same datanot MAPS.ME
  • A marketing group that wants Foursquare places and movement data joined to its own customer geography in one toolnot MAPS.ME

MAPS.ME

  • Downloading offline maps for travel without connectivitynot Foursquare Spatial Studio
  • Turn-by-turn driving, walking, and cycling navigation without datanot Foursquare Spatial Studio
  • Finding points of interest and hiking trailsnot Foursquare Spatial Studio
  • Following built-in travel guidesnot Foursquare Spatial Studio
  • Hotel booking via Booking.com integrationnot Foursquare Spatial Studio

Where each one falls short

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

Foursquare Spatial Studio

  • Unfolded no longer exists as a product or a contracting entity, so buyers researching under that name find documentation, pricing discussion and comparison material that no longer applies to what Foursquare sells
  • Pricing is not published at all, and because access to Foursquare datasets can be bundled into the same agreement, separating the cost of the software from the cost of the data requires explicitly asking for a split quote
  • Much of the visualisation capability exists in kepler.gl and deck.gl, which are free and open source, so the paid product must justify itself on hosting, collaboration and data rather than on rendering
  • Foursquare's core business is selling location data, which means the analytics roadmap follows what makes that data sell, and a customer using only its own data is not the priority segment
  • It is analysis and visualisation, not a spatial database or an editing environment, so organisations still need PostGIS, a warehouse or a GIS for the authoritative data and its maintenance

MAPS.ME

  • Mobile-only - no web or desktop navigation client
  • Free tier limits offline map downloads and shows monetization prompts
  • No native Windows, macOS, or Linux app
  • Map data comes from the OpenStreetMap community rather than a commercial map provider

Pricing, plan by plan

Foursquare Spatial Studio

On request
  • Foursquare Spatial Studio$undefined/year
    • Quoted by users, data volume and which Foursquare datasets you take
    • Cloud warehouse connections on the higher tier
    • Not published

MAPS.ME

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the MAPS.ME review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Foursquare Spatial Studio if

  • You need browser rendering at scale.
  • You also want h3 spatial indexing.
Foursquare Spatial Studio review

Choose MAPS.ME if

  • You need core functionality.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, Android.
  • You also want user interface.
MAPS.ME review

Questions people ask

Is Foursquare Spatial Studio or MAPS.ME better?
Neither clearly leads. Foursquare Spatial Studio starts at On request and MAPS.ME at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Foursquare Spatial Studio or MAPS.ME?
MAPS.ME has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Foursquare Spatial Studio and Free for MAPS.ME.
Does Foursquare Spatial Studio or MAPS.ME run on more platforms?
Foursquare Spatial Studio runs on Web. MAPS.ME runs on iOS, Android.
Can I use MAPS.ME for free?
Yes. MAPS.ME has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Foursquare Spatial Studio starts at On request.
What is Foursquare Spatial Studio best used for?
Foursquare Spatial Studio is most often used for a retail property team comparing catchment overlap between candidate sites using hexagonal aggregation rather than drive-time polygons, a telecommunications planner visualising a national dataset of measurements in the browser without building a tile pipeline, an analytics team that already writes deck.gl in-house and wants a hosted environment so non-developers can explore the same data, a marketing group that wants foursquare places and movement data joined to its own customer geography in one tool. Of those, a retail property team comparing catchment overlap between candidate sites using hexagonal aggregation rather than drive-time polygons and a telecommunications planner visualising a national dataset of measurements in the browser without building a tile pipeline are not what MAPS.ME is typically brought in for.
What can Foursquare Spatial Studio do that MAPS.ME cannot?
Foursquare Spatial Studio covers Browser rendering at scale, H3 spatial indexing, Data joins, Time animation. MAPS.ME covers Core Functionality, User Interface.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Foursquare Spatial Studio: Can I still buy Unfolded?

No. Foursquare acquired Unfolded in 2021 and sells the product as Foursquare Spatial Studio. There is no Unfolded contract.

MAPS.ME: Is MAPS.ME free to download and use?

MAPS.ME is available as a free download for both iOS via App Store and Android via Google Play. No pricing information is published on the MAPS.ME website, suggesting a free service model.

Source
Foursquare Spatial Studio: Is kepler.gl the same thing?

No. kepler.gl is the free open source visualisation library from the same original team. Spatial Studio is the hosted commercial platform built around it.

MAPS.ME: What features are included in MAPS.ME?

MAPS.ME is marketed as 'not just an app but a friend in all your adventures.' Full feature details require downloading the app from App Store or Google Play. Specific limitations or premium features are not disclosed on the website.

Source
Foursquare Spatial Studio: What does it cost?

Foursquare does not publish pricing. Ask for the software and the data licences to be quoted separately.

MAPS.ME: How does MAPS.ME make money if the app is free?

MAPS.ME does not publish pricing or monetization details on its website. The app is available free on both iOS and Android platforms, but the business model for generating revenue is not disclosed publicly.

Source
Foursquare Spatial Studio: Do I need Foursquare's data to use it?

No, you can load your own, but the commercial proposition is strongest for customers who also want the places and movement datasets.

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Related pages

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