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Fleet Management · head to head

NexTraq vs What3words

NexTraq logo

NexTraq

Fleet Management

US small-fleet telematics now absorbed into Michelin Connected Fleet

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: NexTraq the NexTraq brand has been absorbed into Michelin Connected Fleet, so the product name, the account team and eventually the platform underneath you are all subject to a consolidation plan you have no say in.; What3words the free API plan includes no coordinate conversion, only AutoSuggest, and is rate limited to 5 requests per second
  • They diverge on capability: NexTraq covers Vehicle tracking, What3words covers Core Functionality.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which NexTraq and What3words actually diverge.

Attributes where NexTraq and What3words differ
AttributeNexTraqWhat3words
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 NexTraq

  • Vehicle tracking
  • Hours of service
  • Fuel and idling reporting
  • Maintenance scheduling
  • Job dispatch
  • Driver scorecards

Only in What3words

  • Core Functionality
  • User Interface

What people use each for

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

NexTraq

  • A North American trades or field service fleet that wants tracking, dispatch and ELD compliance from one mid-market vendornot What3words
  • An operator already buying Michelin tyres and fleet services that can negotiate telematics into a wider commercial agreementnot What3words
  • A fleet replacing an ageing tracking system that values an owner with a large corporate balance sheet over a venture-funded challengernot What3words
  • A distribution business needing straightforward fuel and idling reporting to justify a driver behaviour programmenot What3words

What3words

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

Where each one falls short

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

NexTraq

  • The NexTraq brand has been absorbed into Michelin Connected Fleet, so the product name, the account team and eventually the platform underneath you are all subject to a consolidation plan you have no say in.
  • Michelin is merging three separately engineered telematics products, which historically means feature freezes on the older platforms and a migration that existing customers pay for in disruption rather than cash.
  • The feature set is mid-market and unexceptional, so it rarely wins a technical evaluation against Geotab or Samsara on capability alone.
  • Contracts bundle hardware into multi-year terms, so a fleet that shrinks or is acquired continues paying for devices, and early exit triggers hardware recovery costs.
  • The integration ecosystem is small and the API is not a selling point, so connecting telematics data to job costing or payroll usually means custom work or scheduled file exports.

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

NexTraq

On request
  • NexTraq$undefined/year
    • Per vehicle subscription with hardware bundled into the term
    • Multi-year agreements are standard
    • ELD and dispatch modules priced as tiers

What3words

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the What3words review.

Which should you pick?

Choose NexTraq if

  • You need vehicle tracking.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want hours of service.
NexTraq review

Choose What3words if

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

Questions people ask

Is NexTraq or What3words better?
Neither clearly leads. NexTraq 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, NexTraq or What3words?
NexTraq starts at On request and What3words at On request.
Does NexTraq or What3words run on more platforms?
NexTraq runs on Web, iOS, Android. What3words runs on Web.
What is NexTraq best used for?
NexTraq is most often used for a north american trades or field service fleet that wants tracking, dispatch and eld compliance from one mid-market vendor, an operator already buying michelin tyres and fleet services that can negotiate telematics into a wider commercial agreement, a fleet replacing an ageing tracking system that values an owner with a large corporate balance sheet over a venture-funded challenger, a distribution business needing straightforward fuel and idling reporting to justify a driver behaviour programme. Of those, a north american trades or field service fleet that wants tracking, dispatch and eld compliance from one mid-market vendor and an operator already buying michelin tyres and fleet services that can negotiate telematics into a wider commercial agreement are not what What3words is typically brought in for.
What can NexTraq do that What3words cannot?
NexTraq covers Vehicle tracking, Hours of service, Fuel and idling reporting, Maintenance scheduling. What3words covers Core Functionality, User Interface.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

NexTraq: Is NexTraq still a separate company?

No. Michelin bought it in 2017 and has folded it into Michelin Connected Fleet, together with Masternaut in Europe and Sascar in Brazil.

NexTraq: Will my NexTraq system be migrated to a different platform?

Assume so, eventually. Ask directly what the migration timetable is, what happens to historical data, and who bears the cost of re-fitting or re-configuring devices.

NexTraq: Does buying Michelin tyres get me a better telematics price?

It is worth testing. The commercial logic of the acquisition is bundling vehicle services, and that is where discounting is most likely to be available.

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