This list covers 3 open source Google Maps alternatives. Google Maps is one of the best mapping services where you can check real-time traffic conditions, access street maps, get 360° panoramic view of streets, rediscover the places you’ve visited, and more. Though Google Maps is already a fantastic option, those who are looking for open source Google Maps alternative, this list is gonna come in handy.
You can use these open source Google Maps alternative services without any sign up. But, free sign up provides additional benefits like save favorites, edit map, etc. So, you can decide if you want to create a free account. These services help you check directions for two points, create route plan, export route, find places, and more.
Let’s check these free open source Google Maps alternative services one by one.
OpenStreetMap
OpenStreetMap is a popular open source mapping service and it is also a good alternative to Google Maps. You can also edit the map with a free account which is a unique feature of this service. The mapping service comes with many other interesting features. It provides:
- Map Layers feature which includes Cycle Map, Standard, Humanitarian, and Transport Map.
- Public GPS Traces to check traces of users for different locations. You can also download GPX file added by user, check owner, points, start coordinate, tags, visibility, etc.
- Export map data.
- Find directions feature between two specified points.
- The feature to add a text note to map.
- Share map by generating the sharing link.
- Download map as SVG, PNG, PDF, or JPG image.
Other common features like search for a place, zoom in and out map, show my location, etc., are also there. The features are good enough to give tough competition to other open source Google Maps alternatives.
Qwant Maps
A French company (Qwant) that respects the privacy of users has introduced this “Qwant Maps” service. After its popular search engine (Qwant), it has provided this open source mapping service. The interface and map are beautiful where you can mark your favorites without any sign up.
You can also hotels, restaurants, supermarkets, pharmacy, bank, bars, and other places easily. The options to zoom in and out in the map, search for a location, etc., are also there. As it is focused on privacy, it also doesn’t store your geological information.
The service is in beta but works great. Though it lacks some features like real-time navigation, avoid a route (because of traffic), etc., are not there as available in Google Maps, it has its own benefits which may attract users.
Openrouteservice Maps
If you are looking for an open source Google Maps alternative for route planning, then Openrouteservice Maps is definitely a good option. It has good options for hiking, truck, car, and road bike tours. You can select start and end points and it will generate the path in the map. In addition to that, you can:
- Set route preference with recommended or fastest route.
- Avoid road types like toll roads, highways, fords, and ferries.
- Avoid borders which include country borders, controlled or all borders.
- Set fuel consumption. It is an experimental feature, but you can try. You can select vehicle type (mini car, medium car, SUV, luxury car, etc.), fuel type (gasoline or diesel).
- Check route timing, etc.
After that, you can export route to PC. You can select file format as GPS eXchange Format (.gpx), Keyhole Markup Language (.kml), RawJSON (.json), or GeoJSON (.geojson).
We’ve also covered Google Maps downloader software for you.
The Conclusion:
These are some good options to use as open source Google Maps alternatives. I guess OpenStreetMap and Qwant Maps are more useful. While OpenStreetMap is very popular, Qwant Maps comes with beautiful interface. The third mapping service is also good but it is mainly useful for route planning. In terms of features, Google Maps is better, but these mapping services have their own importance and these are open source also. Try these open source alternatives to Google Maps.
