Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

what3words VS Mapiful

Compare what3words VS Mapiful and see what are their differences

what3words logo what3words

Geocoding system for the simple communication of locations with a resolution of 3 m

Mapiful logo Mapiful

Create & order custom printed maps of your favorite places
  • what3words Landing page
    Landing page //
    2018-12-11
  • Mapiful Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-18

what3words features and specs

  • Precision
    what3words divides the world into 3m x 3m squares, providing very precise location information. This can be more specific than traditional street addresses and helpful in areas with limited addressing.
  • Ease of Use
    Three-word combinations are generally easier to remember and communicate than long strings of GPS coordinates, making it user-friendly for the general public.
  • Global Coverage
    what3words provides an addressing solution for the entire world, including areas that do not have formal street addresses or those that are difficult to map with conventional systems.
  • Integration
    The system can be easily integrated into various applications and services, such as delivery services, emergency response, and navigation apps, increasing its utility.
  • Language Support
    what3words is available in multiple languages, which helps in overcoming language barriers and can be a valuable tool for international use.

Possible disadvantages of what3words

  • Dependency on Technology
    To decode and use what3words addresses, an internet connection or the companyโ€™s app is generally required, which can be limiting in areas without robust technology infrastructure.
  • Privacy Concerns
    The precise nature of what3words could raise privacy issues, as it can pinpoint exact locations of residences or individuals if misused.
  • Proprietary System
    what3words is a proprietary system, which means users are dependent on a private company. This can lead to potential concerns about data ownership and longevity of the service.
  • Ambiguity in Pronunciation
    Certain word combinations may be difficult to pronounce or may sound similar to other combinations, leading to potential errors in communication.
  • Complexity in Error Correction
    A mistake in one of the three words could lead to an entirely different and possibly distant location. Unlike traditional addresses, there's less redundancy to aid in error correction.

Mapiful features and specs

  • Customization
    Mapiful allows users to create highly personalized map posters by choosing specific locations and customizing the design elements such as color schemes, labels, and styles.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    The website offers a simple and intuitive design tool, making it easy for users to create and preview their custom maps.
  • Quality Printing
    Mapiful uses high-quality printing techniques and materials, ensuring that the final product is durable and visually appealing.
  • Global Reach
    Mapiful ships products worldwide, making it accessible to customers in various regions.
  • Versatility
    The product range includes various types of maps such as city maps, star maps, and zodiac maps, catering to different tastes and interests.

Possible disadvantages of Mapiful

  • Pricing
    Mapiful products can be relatively expensive compared to other custom print services, which may be a barrier for some customers.
  • Shipping Time
    Depending on the customer's location, shipping times can be lengthy, which may be inconvenient for those needing a quick turnaround.
  • Limited Physical Retail Presence
    As a primarily online service, customers do not have the opportunity to view the product in person before purchasing.
  • Customization Constraints
    Although there are many customization options, there may be some limitations in terms of fine-tuning specific design aspects, which might not satisfy highly detailed custom requests.
  • Customer Support
    Some users have reported inconsistent customer service experiences, which could be problematic if issues arise with an order.

Analysis of what3words

Overall verdict

  • Overall, What3words is considered useful and innovative, particularly in scenarios where traditional addressing falls short. It offers significant advantages for navigation, delivery services, and emergency response. However, its adoption depends on industry uptake and user awareness, and it is sometimes critiqued for being a proprietary system.

Why this product is good

  • What3words divides the world's surface into 3m x 3m squares and assigns a unique three-word address to each square. This system provides an easy-to-remember way to specify locations precisely, especially in areas with no formal addressing or for delivering exact coordinates in emergencies or logistics.

Recommended for

    What3words is recommended for use cases such as logistics and delivery services needing precise locations, outdoor activities and adventure travel where traditional addresses are impractical, emergency services requiring quick and exact location data, and individuals or organizations operating in developing regions with poor address infrastructure.

what3words videos

What3words navigation app reviewed

More videos:

  • Tutorial - How to use What3Words
  • Review - what3words in 2020 - Year in Review

Mapiful videos

Unboxing: Map Poster from Mapiful | Simple Art | by Dom

More videos:

  • Review - Mapiful Unboxing! Create Your Own Unique Maps

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to what3words and Mapiful)
Maps
58 58%
42% 42
Mapping And GIS
100 100%
0% 0
Personalized Posters
0 0%
100% 100
Web Mapping
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare what3words and Mapiful

what3words Reviews

Best cycling apps 2023 |ย 21 of the best iPhone and Android apps to download
The What3words app takes a simple and unique approach to locating and navigating to specific places. What3words
Best cycling apps |ย 18 of the best iPhone and Android apps to download
The What3words app takes a simple and unique approach to locating and navigating to specific places. What3words

Mapiful Reviews

We have no reviews of Mapiful yet.
Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, what3words seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 125 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

what3words mentions (125)

  • Japan Post launches 'digital address' system
    IBAN for home addresses. Yawn. Nothing beats the What Three Words system and would be much more fun if not routeable at scale. https://what3words.com/. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • Reverse Geocoding Is Hard
    What 3 words (https://what3words.com/) solves this problem, but it doesn't seem to be popular. If anyone has experience, I would be curious to know why. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • Government report proves that we need to liberate the Postcode Address File
    Or we can just start using https://what3words.com/ and geolocation. I disagree with the report, I think it's feasible with a bit of creativity. The government also has this: https://www.data.gov.uk/dataset/091feb1c-aea6-45c9-82bf-768a15c65307/open-postcode-geo We could also start with an imperfect solution, offer it as a free API (maybe even self-hosted and communicating with other services p2p) and wait for users... - Source: Hacker News / almost 2 years ago
  • I Know What Your Password Was Last Summer
    Something to add to their list of common passwords is the What3Words database of locations https://what3words.com It's something like 50trillion sets of looks-random strings. That's quite a lot, but if the list could be narrowed very significantly to get some likely results by selecting locations in: 1) cities where a company is physically located 2) large capital & global cities 3) significant landmarks I see... - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
  • No rapid numbers on driveways
    Iโ€™m waiting for these guys to make a breakthrough here. Source: over 2 years ago
View more

Mapiful mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Mapiful yet. Tracking of Mapiful recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing what3words and Mapiful, you can also consider the following products

OSGeo - QGIS is a desktop geographic information system, or GIS.

Grafomap - A map poster of your favourite place on earth

OpenStreetMap - OpenStreetMap is a map of the world, created by people like you and free to use under an open license.

TiltMaps - Create map posters of your favorite places & memories.

Clearip - Clearip provides the IP intelligence and fraud detection API in the market.

Strellas - Beautiful star maps of your special moments