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Maps · head to head

Google Maps vs Potree

Google Maps logo

Google Maps

Maps

Consumer navigation and local search app, distinct from the paid Google Maps Platform developer API

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Potree logo

Potree

Maps

Open source WebGL viewer for publishing very large point clouds in a browser

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Google Maps location history (Timeline) is stored to the Google account unless disabled, and many users are unaware of how much of their movement is retained by default.; Potree there is no vendor, no support contract and no service level, so anything you build on Potree is your organisation’s responsibility to maintain when a browser update breaks rendering.
  • They diverge on capability: Google Maps covers Turn-by-turn navigation, Potree covers Octree streaming.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Google Maps and Potree actually diverge.

Attributes where Google Maps and Potree differ
AttributeGoogle MapsPotree
Pricing modelFree consumer app, funded by Google's advertising businessOpen source, no licence fee
PlatformsiOS, Android, WebWeb, Windows, macOS, Linux

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Google Maps

  • Turn-by-turn navigation
  • Local search
  • Offline maps
  • Street View
  • Timeline location history
  • Live transit and incident reporting

Only in Potree

  • Octree streaming
  • Large dataset rendering
  • Measurement tools
  • Clipping and profiles
  • Annotations
  • Attribute colouring
  • PotreeDesktop
  • Self-hosting

What people use each for

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

Google Maps

  • Getting turn-by-turn driving or transit directions to a destinationnot Potree
  • Searching for and comparing nearby restaurants, shops or services with reviewsnot Potree
  • Downloading an offline map before travelling somewhere with unreliable data coveragenot Potree
  • Checking real time traffic conditions before or during a drivenot Potree

Potree

  • A drone survey firm delivering a point cloud to a client who has no desktop software, by publishing a browser viewer link instead of a 40 GB LAZ filenot Google Maps
  • A heritage or archaeology project publishing a scanned site for public access without paying per-gigabyte hosting to a commercial platformnot Google Maps
  • An engineering consultancy embedding a point cloud viewer inside its own client portal without licensing a commercial web viewernot Google Maps
  • A university or research group that needs measurement and profiling in a shareable viewer for a dataset too large to emailnot Google Maps

Where each one falls short

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

Google Maps

  • Location history (Timeline) is stored to the Google account unless disabled, and many users are unaware of how much of their movement is retained by default.
  • Local business rankings and prominent ads mix paid placement with organic results, so top results are not purely a relevance ranking.
  • Offline maps expire after a period and must be manually refreshed, which can catch travellers out if they rely on an old download without checking it.
  • Public transit data quality varies significantly by city and country, and is considerably weaker or absent in many smaller or lower-income regions.
  • It is a different product from Google Maps Platform, the paid developer API, and businesses evaluating navigation for their own app need to compare that API's pricing separately rather than assuming free consumer access extends to embedding.

Potree

  • There is no vendor, no support contract and no service level, so anything you build on Potree is your organisation’s responsibility to maintain when a browser update breaks rendering.
  • Conversion is a separate manual step with PotreeConverter, and building an automated publishing pipeline around it is engineering work the project does not provide.
  • Rendering quality and performance depend on the client machine and WebGL support, so a client on a locked-down corporate laptop with poor graphics may see a viewer that stutters or fails outright.
  • A WebGPU rewrite, Potree-Next, is in progress and is not a drop-in upgrade, so current integrations face an eventual migration with no vendor to manage it.
  • There is no access control, user management or audit layer; anyone with the URL sees the data unless you build authentication around the static files yourself, which is a real problem for confidential sites.

Pricing, plan by plan

Google Maps

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Unlimited navigation and local search
    • Offline maps included
    • No subscription tier for the consumer app

Potree

Free
  • PotreeFree
    • BSD-style open source licence
    • Unlimited datasets and viewers
    • Self-hosted on any static web server

Which should you pick?

Choose Google Maps if

  • You need turn-by-turn navigation.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, Android, Web.
  • You also want local search.
Google Maps review

Choose Potree if

  • You need octree streaming.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Windows, macOS, Linux.
  • You also want large dataset rendering.
Potree review

Questions people ask

Is Google Maps or Potree better?
Neither clearly leads. Google Maps starts at Free and Potree at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Google Maps or Potree?
Google Maps starts at Free and Potree at Free.
Does Google Maps or Potree run on more platforms?
Google Maps runs on iOS, Android, Web. Potree runs on Web, Windows, macOS, Linux.
Can I use Google Maps for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Google Maps best used for?
Google Maps is most often used for getting turn-by-turn driving or transit directions to a destination, searching for and comparing nearby restaurants, shops or services with reviews, downloading an offline map before travelling somewhere with unreliable data coverage, checking real time traffic conditions before or during a drive. Of those, getting turn-by-turn driving or transit directions to a destination and searching for and comparing nearby restaurants, shops or services with reviews are not what Potree is typically brought in for.
What can Google Maps do that Potree cannot?
Google Maps covers Turn-by-turn navigation, Local search, Offline maps, Street View. Potree covers Octree streaming, Large dataset rendering, Measurement tools, Clipping and profiles.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Google Maps: Is Google Maps free?

Yes, the consumer app is free with no subscription for navigation, local search or offline maps.

Potree: Does Potree cost anything?

No. It is open source and free. You supply the hosting, which for a static viewer is inexpensive.

Google Maps: Is this the same as Google Maps Platform?

No, Google Maps Platform is a separate, metered API product sold to developers embedding map functionality into their own apps and websites, with its own usage-based pricing.

Potree: Is there commercial support?

No. There is no vendor and no support contract. Support is GitHub issues and the community.

Google Maps: Does Google Maps track my location history?

It can, through the optional Timeline feature, which is on by default in some configurations and can be reviewed or disabled in Google account settings.

Potree: Who maintains it?

It originated at TU Wien and is maintained principally by Markus Schütz, with community contributions.

Potree: Can it handle very large clouds?

Yes, hundreds of millions of points, because PotreeConverter builds a multi-resolution octree that streams only what is visible.

Potree: Is my data private?

Only if you make it so. Potree serves static files with no built-in authentication, so access control is entirely your responsibility.

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