HERE Technologiesvs
Google Maps Platform
Google Maps Platform: Dominant maps and location platform offering routing, geocoding, and real-time traffic with similar enterprise features but broader adoption.
HERE Technologies
Location data and technology company that provides mapping and location services to businesses globally
As of 29 August 2026, HERE Technologies is free to use. HERE Technologies is a location data and technology company that provides mapping and location services to businesses globally. Softwr lists it under Maps. HERE Technologies is launched in 1985, available on Web, iOS, Android.
Overview
What HERE Technologies does
HERE Technologies is a location data and technology company that provides mapping and location services to businesses globally. HERE offers a comprehensive location platform including maps, geocoding, routing, traffic, fleet management, and autonomous driving solutions. Known for its high-quality data used in automotive navigation systems and enterprise solutions.
What people use it for
- Map data for automated and assisted driving
- Connected driving, including hazard alerts and road surface analysis
- Supply chain planning and logistics digital twins
- Geocoding, search and map rendering through hosted location services
- Fleet tour planning and routing across 200 countries
The honest half
Where it falls short
Concrete and checkable, so you can decide whether any of them matter to you. This is the half of a review a vendor will not write about HERE Technologies.
- Pricing is complex and unpredictable, with additional fees for common functionalities creating surprise costs at scale
- Lack of transparency in cost projections makes budgeting and forecasting difficult
- Requires separate API keys and subscriptions for different feature categories, complicating integration
- Customer support quality and responsiveness is inconsistent compared to competitors like Google Maps
Cross-shopped
What people choose instead of HERE Technologies
Each pairing was judged by two reviewers asking whether a buyer would genuinely weigh the two against each other. The ones that failed were deleted rather than published.
- HERE TechnologiesvsMapbox
Mapbox: Developer-focused mapping platform with custom map design, navigation APIs, and strong developer tooling for location services.
- HERE TechnologiesvsEsri ArcGIS
Esri ArcGIS: Enterprise GIS and mapping platform providing spatial analysis, mapping, and location intelligence for large organizations.
- HERE TechnologiesvsApple Maps
Apple Maps: Mobile-focused mapping and navigation service with native integration for Apple ecosystem platforms and devices.
- HERE TechnologiesvsBing Maps
Bing Maps: Microsoft's mapping platform offering routing, geocoding, and location services with Azure integration.
- HERE TechnologiesvsLeaflet
Leaflet: Open-source JavaScript mapping library for custom, lightweight mapping applications without licensing costs.
Capabilities
Features
Core Functionality
Essential features for everyday use
User Interface
Intuitive and user-friendly interface
Answered, with sources
Questions people ask
Each answer names the page it came from, so you can check it rather than take our word for it.
What does HERE Technologies provide?
HERE Technologies provides a comprehensive location platform including digital maps, routing and navigation APIs, geocoding, search, traffic, positioning, and telematics services for automotive, logistics, and enterprise applications.
SourceDoes HERE offer a free tier?
Yes. HERE provides a free tier with 30,000 map requests per month, 5,000 routing transactions, and 30,000 geocoding transactions. Usage beyond these limits is charged on a pay-as-you-go basis.
SourceWhat SDKs and APIs does HERE offer?
HERE provides REST APIs for maps, routing, geocoding, and search, plus SDKs for Android, iOS, Flutter, and JavaScript. The HERE SDK enables turn-by-turn navigation and location services for mobile and web applications.
SourceIs HERE's pricing transparent?
No. HERE uses a complex transaction-based pricing model with separate costs for different API categories. The pricing structure lacks transparency, making it difficult for customers to forecast costs at scale.
SourceHow has HERE's pricing changed?
HERE moved to a simplified transaction-based pricing model with free monthly allowances for common APIs. Users pay per transaction beyond the free tier, though the structure has been criticized for complexity and lack of cost transparency.
SourceBehind it
Who makes HERE Technologies
- Founders
- Barry Karlin, Galen Collins
Keep looking
Where to go from HERE Technologies
- HERE Technologies alternativesEvery product people weigh against it
- HERE Technologies pricingPlans, floors and what the tiers exclude
- HERE Technologies badgesWhich rules it meets, and the figure behind each
- All Maps softwareThe full category
- Best Maps softwareThe shortlist, and how it was cut
Best Maps software for
Compare HERE Technologies with
- Esri ArcGIS
- LocationIQ
- Mapzen
- OsmAnd
- TomTom Developer Portal
- Mapbox
- Google Maps Platform
- Apple Maps
- CARTO
- Bing Maps
- Citymapper
- Gaia GPS
- onX Maps
- Potree
- SW Maps
- WhiteboxTools
- Agisoft Metashape
- Atlas.co
Other Maps software
Mapzen was an open-source mapping platform that provided geocoding, routing, and map rendering services
10 researched notesOpen-source map and navigation application based on OpenStreetMap data
Free, then €2.99/mo11 researched notesTomTom provides mapping and traffic APIs, SDKs, and data products for developers
11 researched notesComprehensive set of APIs and SDKs that allow developers to embed Google
Free, then $100/mo13 researched notesWeb mapping services with street maps, aerial imagery, and APIs for developers
9 researched notesLand ownership and offline navigation apps sold as separate subscriptions per activity: Hunt, Offroad, Backcountry
11 researched notesOpen source WebGL viewer for publishing very large point clouds in a browser
Open source13 researched notesFree Android GIS data collector that pairs with external RTK GNSS receivers
Open source13 researched notesOpen source geospatial analysis engine with several hundred raster, LiDAR and hydrological tools
Open source13 researched notesDesktop photogrammetry that turns photographs into point clouds, meshes, orthomosaics and DEMs
From $179/one-time13 researched notesBrowser-based collaborative GIS with published per-seat pricing and a free tier
Free, then $23/mo13 researched notes
Softwr does not host reviews and shows no star rating for HERE Technologies, because a rating we did not collect is not ours to publish. What is here is the pricing and platform detail from the vendor’s own pages, limitations we could state concretely, and alternatives a reviewer confirmed people weigh against it. Tell us if any of it is wrong.
More on HERE Technologies
HERE Technologies alternatives
What people switch to, and what they give up
HERE Technologies pricing
Every tier, and where the cost actually lands
Compare HERE Technologies
Put it head to head with anything we hold
HERE Technologies badge
Its rating, and an embed for your own site
Best Maps software alternatives
SimActive photogrammetry with a published price list and a perpetual licence still on sale
One-time purchase
Hosted 3D geospatial tiling and streaming, metered by storage, streaming and gigapixels
Per month by storage, streaming and gigapixels
Free desktop GNSS post-processing that works with other manufacturers' receivers as well as Emlid's
Free of charge, no licence fee
Form-centric field data collection that writes straight into an ArcGIS organisation
Per user per year by ArcGIS user typeBrowser-based collaborative GIS with published per-seat pricing and a free tier
Per user per month
Geodetic coordinate conversion and datum transformation for survey, seismic and pipeline data
quoteDesktop photogrammetry that turns photographs into point clouds, meshes, orthomosaics and DEMs
One-time purchase
Esri field data collection that cannot be bought on its own, only with an ArcGIS user type
Included with an ArcGIS user type licence