Is OSRM or SW Maps better?

Neither clearly leads. OSRM starts at Free and SW Maps at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, OSRM or SW Maps?

OSRM starts at Free and SW Maps at Free.

Does OSRM or SW Maps run on more platforms?

OSRM runs on Web. SW Maps runs on Android.

Can I use OSRM for free?

Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.

What is OSRM best used for?

OSRM is most often used for calculating efficient delivery routes across continental-sized road networks in milliseconds, building navigation features for mobile apps without constructing routing infrastructure, customizing route optimization for car, bicycle, and pedestrian transportation modes, integrating openstreetmap data for real-time routing in web applications. Of those, calculating efficient delivery routes across continental-sized road networks in milliseconds and building navigation features for mobile apps without constructing routing infrastructure are not what SW Maps is typically brought in for.

What can OSRM do that SW Maps cannot?

OSRM covers Core Functionality, User Interface. SW Maps covers Custom feature layers, External GNSS support, Offline basemaps, Geospatial PDF layers.

Maps · head to head

OSRM vs SW Maps

OSRM

Maps

High-performance open-source routing engine designed for OpenStreetMap data, providing fast route calculations

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

SW Maps

Maps

Free Android GIS data collector that pairs with external RTK GNSS receivers

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Each has a real cost: OSRM free and open source routing engine under the 2-clause BSD license, no commercial tier; SW Maps android only. There is no iOS version and no sign of one, which rules it out for organisations that issue iPhones and iPads to field staff.
They diverge on capability: OSRM covers Core Functionality, SW Maps covers Custom feature layers.
Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which OSRM and SW Maps actually diverge.

Attributes where OSRM and SW Maps differ
Attribute	OSRM	SW Maps
Pricing model	open-source	Open source, no licence fee
Platforms	Web	Android

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 OSRM

Core Functionality
User Interface

Only in SW Maps

Custom feature layers
External GNSS support
Offline basemaps
Geospatial PDF layers
Vector import
Photo and media capture
Export formats
NTRIP client

What people use each for

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

OSRM

Calculating efficient delivery routes across continental-sized road networks in millisecondsnot SW Maps
Building navigation features for mobile apps without constructing routing infrastructurenot SW Maps
Customizing route optimization for car, bicycle, and pedestrian transportation modesnot SW Maps
Integrating OpenStreetMap data for real-time routing in web applicationsnot SW Maps

SW Maps

An NGO or municipal utility mapping water points, pipe networks or road assets on a budget that cannot absorb per-user GIS subscriptionsnot OSRM
A survey team pairing a low-cost RTK receiver with Android tablets to collect centimetre-accurate attributed features without buying field software seatsnot OSRM
A university field course teaching GNSS data collection where every student needs the tool on their own devicenot OSRM
A consultant doing a one-off asset inventory who needs shapefile or GeoPackage output and does not want to start an annual subscription for a three-week jobnot OSRM

Where each one falls short

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

OSRM

Free and open source routing engine under the 2-clause BSD license, no commercial tier

SW Maps

Android only. There is no iOS version and no sign of one, which rules it out for organisations that issue iPhones and iPads to field staff.
There is no back end: no user management, no central project sync, no audit trail. Data lives on the device until someone exports it, and a lost tablet is lost data.
No commercial support contract exists, so an organisation with a compliance requirement for vendor support cannot use it for regulated work regardless of technical fit.
It is maintained by a small consultancy as a side product of its own project work, so the roadmap follows Softwel’s needs and a feature you depend on may never be prioritised.
Form logic is basic compared with dedicated survey platforms: no meaningful skip logic, validation or multi-user assignment, so complex questionnaires quickly outgrow it.

Pricing, plan by plan

OSRM

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the OSRM review.

SW Maps

Free

SW MapsFree
- All features included
- External RTK GNSS support
- Unlimited layers and exports

Which should you pick?

Choose OSRM if

You need core functionality.
You want to start without paying.
You also want user interface.

OSRM review

Choose SW Maps if

You need custom feature layers.
You want to start without paying.
You work on Android.
You also want external gnss support.

SW Maps review

Questions people ask

Is OSRM or SW Maps better?: Neither clearly leads. OSRM starts at Free and SW Maps at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, OSRM or SW Maps?: OSRM starts at Free and SW Maps at Free.
Does OSRM or SW Maps run on more platforms?: OSRM runs on Web. SW Maps runs on Android.
Can I use OSRM for free?: Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is OSRM best used for?: OSRM is most often used for calculating efficient delivery routes across continental-sized road networks in milliseconds, building navigation features for mobile apps without constructing routing infrastructure, customizing route optimization for car, bicycle, and pedestrian transportation modes, integrating openstreetmap data for real-time routing in web applications. Of those, calculating efficient delivery routes across continental-sized road networks in milliseconds and building navigation features for mobile apps without constructing routing infrastructure are not what SW Maps is typically brought in for.
What can OSRM do that SW Maps cannot?: OSRM covers Core Functionality, User Interface. SW Maps covers Custom feature layers, External GNSS support, Offline basemaps, Geospatial PDF layers.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

OSRM: How much does Project OSRM cost?

Project OSRM is completely free and open source, distributed under the permissive 2-clause BSD license with no licensing costs or fees.

Source

SW Maps: Is SW Maps really free?

Yes. It is free with no advertising and no paid tier. There is no subscription and no feature paywall.

SW Maps: Does it support RTK receivers?

Yes, over Bluetooth or USB serial, with NTRIP correction support, antenna height and per-point fix quality recording.

SW Maps: Is there an iOS version?

No. Android only.

SW Maps: Who maintains it?

Softwel, an engineering consultancy in Kathmandu, Nepal, which built it for its own infrastructure projects.

SW Maps: Can we get support?

Not contractually. There is no commercial support agreement, which is the main reason organisations with compliance obligations choose a paid alternative.

OSRM vs SW Maps

OSRM

SW Maps

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in OSRM

Only in SW Maps

What people use each for

OSRM

SW Maps

Where each one falls short

OSRM

SW Maps

Pricing, plan by plan

OSRM

SW Maps

Which should you pick?

Choose OSRM if

Choose SW Maps if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on OSRM

More on SW Maps

Keep looking

Other head to heads