Softwr

Software · head to head

What3words vs deck.gl

What3words logo

What3words

Software

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

From
On request
Rated
-
deck.gl logo

deck.gl

Software

WebGL-powered framework for visual exploratory data analysis of large datasets, developed by

From
On request
Rated
-

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: What3words the free API plan includes no coordinate conversion, only AutoSuggest, and is rate limited to 5 requests per second; deck.gl deck.gl is a code library with no vendor-sold plan, no marketplace or app store listing, and no SLA; buyers get community GitHub support only, not a purchasable enterprise tier.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which What3words and deck.gl actually diverge.

Attributes where What3words and deck.gl differ
AttributeWhat3wordsdeck.gl

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (freemium), free tier (No), platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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 What3words

Nothing recorded that deck.gl does not also cover.

Only in deck.gl

Nothing recorded that What3words 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.

What3words

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

deck.gl

  • GPU-accelerated visualisation of large geospatial datasets in the browsernot What3words
  • Composing map overlays from reusable layersnot What3words
  • Adding data layers on top of Google Maps or Mapbox basemapsnot What3words
  • High-precision plotting using 64-bit GPU computationnot What3words
  • Use from React or plain JavaScriptnot What3words

Where each one falls short

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

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

deck.gl

  • deck.gl is a code library with no vendor-sold plan, no marketplace or app store listing, and no SLA; buyers get community GitHub support only, not a purchasable enterprise tier.

Pricing, plan by plan

What3words

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the What3words review.

deck.gl

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the deck.gl review.

Which should you pick?

Choose What3words if

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

Choose deck.gl if

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

Questions people ask

Is What3words or deck.gl better?
Neither clearly leads. What3words starts at On request and deck.gl at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, What3words or deck.gl?
What3words starts at On request and deck.gl at On request.
Does What3words or deck.gl run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
What is What3words best used for?
What3words is most often used for referring to a 3 metre square location with three words, adding location entry to a delivery or dispatch app, converting between coordinates and what3words addresses via api. Of those, referring to a 3 metre square location with three words and adding location entry to a delivery or dispatch app are not what deck.gl is typically brought in for.

Related pages

Other head to heads