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Maps · head to head

TomTom Developer Portal vs What3words

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TomTom Developer Portal

Maps

TomTom provides mapping and traffic APIs, SDKs, and data products for developers

From
On request
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: TomTom Developer Portal default rate limits on self-serve plans are modest at approximately 5 requests per second; higher limits require contracts; 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 TomTom Developer Portal and What3words actually diverge.

Attributes where TomTom Developer Portal and What3words differ
AttributeTomTom Developer PortalWhat3words
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (freemium), 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 TomTom Developer Portal

Nothing recorded that What3words does not also cover.

Only in What3words

Nothing recorded that TomTom Developer Portal 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.

TomTom Developer Portal

No use cases recorded yet. See the TomTom Developer Portal review.

What3words

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

Where each one falls short

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

TomTom Developer Portal

  • Default rate limits on self-serve plans are modest at approximately 5 requests per second; higher limits require contracts
  • Limited POI rich media compared to Google Places; no reviews, photos, or user-generated content
  • Smaller developer community with fewer tutorials and Stack Overflow answers than Google or Mapbox
  • No official Flutter SDK; developers must use third-party plugins for Flutter integration
  • Maps SDK for Web v6 deprecated as of February 2026 with migration required to newer SDK

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

TomTom Developer Portal

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the TomTom Developer Portal review.

What3words

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the What3words review.

Which should you pick?

Choose TomTom Developer Portal if

  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
TomTom Developer Portal review

Choose What3words if

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

What3words review

Questions people ask

Is TomTom Developer Portal or What3words better?
Neither clearly leads. TomTom Developer Portal 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, TomTom Developer Portal or What3words?
TomTom Developer Portal starts at On request and What3words at On request.
Does TomTom Developer Portal or What3words run on more platforms?
TomTom Developer Portal runs on Web, iOS, Android. What3words runs on Web.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

TomTom Developer Portal: Does TomTom Developer Portal have a free tier?

Yes. TomTom offers a freemium plan with 50,000 tile requests plus 2,500 non-tile requests daily at no cost with no credit card required, and commercial use is permitted.

Source
TomTom Developer Portal: What APIs does TomTom provide?

TomTom provides REST APIs for Maps (display raster or vector maps), Navigation (routing and turn-by-turn), Places (geocoding and POI search), and Traffic (real-time flow and incidents), plus JavaScript SDK and mobile SDKs.

Source
TomTom Developer Portal: What JavaScript SDKs are available?

TomTom provides Maps SDK for JavaScript with TypeScript support, a Services library as a wrapper for REST APIs, and mobile integration through NativeScript WebView for iOS and Android.

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