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Maps · head to head

Radar vs What3words

Radar logo

Radar

Maps

Geofencing, trip tracking, and location-based search APIs that power location features in

From
$0.02/per monthly tracked user
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
What3words logo

What3words

Maps

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

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Radar no free tier available; What3words the free API plan includes no coordinate conversion, only AutoSuggest, and is rate limited to 5 requests per second
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Radar and What3words actually diverge.

Attributes where Radar and What3words differ
AttributeRadarWhat3words
Starting price$0.02/per monthly tracked userOn request
Pricing modelusage-basedfreemium
PlatformsiOS, Android, WebWeb

Identical on both: free tier (No), 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 Radar

Nothing recorded that What3words does not also cover.

Only in What3words

Nothing recorded that Radar does not also cover.

Both cover

  • Core Functionality
  • User Interface

What people use each for

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

Radar

  • Detecting and preventing fraud with geolocation verificationnot What3words
  • Tracking pickups and deliveries in real-time with geofencingnot What3words
  • Engaging customers with location-based marketing campaignsnot What3words
  • Managing geographic compliance and hyper-accurate location trackingnot What3words

What3words

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

Where each one falls short

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

Radar

  • No free tier available
  • Annual contracts required with committed monthly quotas
  • Volume discounts applied manually; no public discount tiers

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

Radar

$0.02/per monthly tracked user

No published plan breakdown. See the Radar review.

What3words

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the What3words review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Radar if

  • You work on iOS, Android, Web.
Radar review

Choose What3words if

Nothing in the data separates What3words from Radar on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

What3words review

Questions people ask

Is Radar or What3words better?
Neither clearly leads. Radar starts at $0.02/per monthly tracked user and What3words at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Radar or What3words?
Radar starts at $0.02/per monthly tracked user and What3words at On request.
Does Radar or What3words run on more platforms?
Radar runs on iOS, Android, Web. What3words runs on Web.
What is Radar best used for?
Radar is most often used for detecting and preventing fraud with geolocation verification, tracking pickups and deliveries in real-time with geofencing, engaging customers with location-based marketing campaigns, managing geographic compliance and hyper-accurate location tracking. Of those, detecting and preventing fraud with geolocation verification and tracking pickups and deliveries in real-time with geofencing are not what What3words is typically brought in for.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Radar: What is Radar's core function?

Radar is an all-in-one location platform providing SDKs and APIs for geofencing, trip tracking, geocoding, and location search. It handles 100+ billion annual queries from 100+ million devices.

Source
Radar: Who uses Radar?

Companies like Sleeper, Panera, DICK's Sporting Goods, T-Mobile, and Zillow use Radar's geofencing SDKs and maps APIs for location-based solutions.

Source
Radar: How is Radar's pricing structured?

Radar does not publicly disclose pricing. Custom quotes are required based on usage and requirements, meaning pricing varies per customer.

Source
Radar: What are Radar's security and privacy features?

Radar prioritizes enterprise-level security, privacy, and customer support. It maintains high uptime, low latency connections for reliable monitoring of location data across platforms.

Source
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