Softwr

Maps · head to head

What3words vs Zonar Systems

What3words logo

What3words

Maps

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

From
On request
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite
Zonar Systems logo

Zonar Systems

Fleet Management

Telematics for school buses and vocational fleets, built around verified physical inspections

From
On request
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite

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; Zonar Systems the product is shaped around pupil transport and heavy vocational work, so light commercial van fleets pay for inspection and ridership machinery they will never use.
  • They diverge on capability: What3words covers Core Functionality, Zonar Systems covers EVIR.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which What3words and Zonar Systems actually diverge.

Attributes where What3words and Zonar Systems differ
AttributeWhat3wordsZonar Systems
Pricing modelfreemiumquote
PlatformsWebWeb, iOS, Android
CategoryMapsFleet Management

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 What3words

  • Core Functionality
  • User Interface

Only in Zonar Systems

  • EVIR
  • Z Pass
  • MyView
  • Zonar Logs
  • Fault code monitoring
  • Zonar Coach

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 Zonar Systems
  • Adding location entry to a delivery or dispatch appnot Zonar Systems
  • Converting between coordinates and what3words addresses via APInot Zonar Systems

Zonar Systems

  • A school district that must evidence pre-trip inspections to a state regulator and cannot rely on a driver ticking boxes on a screennot What3words
  • A pupil transport operation that needs to answer parent queries about which bus a child boarded and whennot What3words
  • A waste or utilities fleet with heavy vehicles where a missed defect becomes a liability question in courtnot What3words
  • A public sector fleet running a formal tender where verified inspection records are a scored requirementnot 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

Zonar Systems

  • The product is shaped around pupil transport and heavy vocational work, so light commercial van fleets pay for inspection and ridership machinery they will never use.
  • EVIR requires RFID tags fitted at zones on every vehicle plus a handheld or tablet, so installation labour and ongoing tag replacement are real costs that a plug-in competitor does not carry.
  • Continental has been separating its automotive divisions into standalone businesses, which leaves the long-term ownership and investment path for Zonar uncertain just as districts sign multi-year agreements.
  • The interface and reporting are dated next to newer platforms, and administrators moving from a modern dashboard find report building and data export unnecessarily manual.
  • Pricing is quoted rather than published and bundles hardware into multi-year terms, so comparing it fairly against a month-to-month competitor requires modelling total cost across the whole contract rather than the monthly figure.

Pricing, plan by plan

What3words

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the What3words review.

Zonar Systems

On request
  • Zonar Systems$undefined/year
    • Per vehicle subscription with hardware and installation quoted separately
    • RFID inspection tags and rugged tablets priced per vehicle
    • Student ridership and parent app licensed per district

Which should you pick?

Choose What3words if

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

Choose Zonar Systems if

  • You need evir.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want z pass.
Zonar Systems review

Questions people ask

Is What3words or Zonar Systems better?
Neither clearly leads. What3words starts at On request and Zonar Systems at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, What3words or Zonar Systems?
What3words starts at On request and Zonar Systems at On request.
Does What3words or Zonar Systems run on more platforms?
What3words runs on Web. Zonar Systems runs on Web, iOS, Android.
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 Zonar Systems is typically brought in for.
What can What3words do that Zonar Systems cannot?
What3words covers Core Functionality, User Interface. Zonar Systems covers EVIR, Z Pass, MyView, Zonar Logs.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Zonar Systems: What does EVIR actually prove?

That a person carrying the scanning device was physically next to each tagged zone on the vehicle in sequence. It does not prove they looked carefully, but it removes the common defence that an inspection was recorded from the cab.

Zonar Systems: Is Zonar only for school buses?

No. It is used across waste, utilities, construction and transit, but pupil transport is where its ridership and parent-facing features have no direct equivalent.

Zonar Systems: How disruptive is the installation?

More disruptive than a plug-in device. Expect a vehicle out of service for a fitting appointment, tags mounted at several points, and a rolling programme across the fleet rather than a same-day rollout.

Share

Related pages

More on What3words

More on Zonar Systems

Keep looking

Other head to heads