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Fleet Management · head to head

Motive vs What3words

Motive logo

Motive

Fleet Management

ELD compliance, AI dashcams and spend management for North American commercial fleets

From
On request
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite
What3words logo

What3words

Maps

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

From
On request
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Motive contracts are multi-year and per vehicle with hardware embedded, so a fleet that shrinks keeps paying for units that are sitting in a yard.; What3words the free API plan includes no coordinate conversion, only AutoSuggest, and is rate limited to 5 requests per second
  • They diverge on capability: Motive covers ELD compliance, What3words covers Core Functionality.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Motive and What3words actually diverge.

Attributes where Motive and What3words differ
AttributeMotiveWhat3words
Pricing modelquotefreemium
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb
CategoryFleet ManagementMaps

Identical on both: starting price (On request), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Motive

  • ELD compliance
  • AI dashcams
  • GPS tracking
  • Driver safety scoring
  • Vehicle diagnostics
  • Spend management

Only in What3words

  • Core Functionality
  • User Interface

What people use each for

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

Motive

  • A trucking fleet that must run FMCSA compliant electronic logs and wants cameras from the same vendornot What3words
  • An operator facing an insurance renewal that requires evidence of a driver coaching programmenot What3words
  • A construction fleet tracking both vehicles and unpowered assets such as trailers and generatorsnot What3words
  • A fleet suspecting fuel card misuse and wanting transactions matched against vehicle locationnot What3words

What3words

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

Where each one falls short

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

Motive

  • Contracts are multi-year and per vehicle with hardware embedded, so a fleet that shrinks keeps paying for units that are sitting in a yard.
  • Driver facing cameras generate real workforce resistance, and fleets in tight labour markets have lost drivers over the rollout rather than the technology.
  • Installation and calibration across a distributed fleet takes weeks of vehicle downtime, which is rarely costed into the comparison at the point of purchase.
  • The rebrand from KeepTruckin means older documentation, integration guides and third-party references are inconsistent, which slows technical work on connections.
  • Coverage depends on cellular networks, so remote route segments produce gaps in tracking and delayed log uploads that drivers then have to reconcile.

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

Motive

On request
  • Motive$undefined/year
    • Per-vehicle subscription over a multi-year term
    • Hardware supplied within the agreement rather than purchased outright
    • Dashcams, asset trackers and spend management priced as separate lines

What3words

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the What3words review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Motive if

  • You need eld compliance.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want ai dashcams.
Motive review

Choose What3words if

  • You need core functionality.
  • You also want user interface.
What3words review

Questions people ask

Is Motive or What3words better?
Neither clearly leads. Motive 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, Motive or What3words?
Motive starts at On request and What3words at On request.
Does Motive or What3words run on more platforms?
Motive runs on Web, iOS, Android. What3words runs on Web.
What is Motive best used for?
Motive is most often used for a trucking fleet that must run fmcsa compliant electronic logs and wants cameras from the same vendor, an operator facing an insurance renewal that requires evidence of a driver coaching programme, a construction fleet tracking both vehicles and unpowered assets such as trailers and generators, a fleet suspecting fuel card misuse and wanting transactions matched against vehicle location. Of those, a trucking fleet that must run fmcsa compliant electronic logs and wants cameras from the same vendor and an operator facing an insurance renewal that requires evidence of a driver coaching programme are not what What3words is typically brought in for.
What can Motive do that What3words cannot?
Motive covers ELD compliance, AI dashcams, GPS tracking, Driver safety scoring. What3words covers Core Functionality, User Interface.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Motive: Is Motive the same company as KeepTruckin?

Yes. KeepTruckin renamed to Motive in 2022. The products and account relationships carried over.

Motive: Can hardware be bought outright?

It is normally supplied inside a multi-year subscription rather than sold, which is why the exit cost of a shrinking fleet is high.

Motive: Does it work outside the United States?

Canada and Mexico are supported, including Canadian electronic logging requirements. Coverage elsewhere is limited.

Motive: Are the driver facing cameras optional?

Yes, road facing only configurations are available, and fleets worried about driver retention often start there.

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