When to use Google instead
MapRouter is built on open data. It is the right choice when you want a map, search and time zones set up in one prompt with a bill that can’t run away. It is the wrong choice for these:
| You need | Use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews, photos, ratings, reliable opening hours | Google Places | OpenStreetMap has few of these, and many cafés haven’t listed their hours |
| Live traffic and traffic-aware arrival times | Google, Mapbox, HERE | There is no open source of live traffic |
| Street View or satellite imagery | Google, Mapbox | Open imagery is patchy or years old |
| House numbers in countries that are poorly mapped | Google, HERE | Open address data is uneven outside well-mapped countries |
| An uptime SLA, invoices, procurement | Google, HERE | MapRouter runs on one geocoding server for now and has no SLA |
| Maps of China or South Korea | Amap, Baidu, NAVER, Kakao | Local rules and data |
| Routing and directions | Mapbox, Geoapify, Stadia | Coming to MapRouter next; not available yet |
If you’re only showing a map with pins and never search, the free OpenFreeMap tiles need no key at all.