what3words for Business
GIS software
- Features
- Ease of use
- Ease of management
- Quality of support
- Affordability
- Market presence
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$9.99 per month
Free Trial unavailable
Free version
Small
Medium
Large
- Accommodation and food services
- Transportation and logistics
- Arts, entertainment, and recreation
What is what3words for Business
what3words for Business is a location-referencing service that encodes any 3m x 3m square into a unique three-word address and provides APIs/SDKs to convert between words and coordinates. It is used by organizations that need to capture, share, or navigate to precise locations where traditional street addresses are missing, ambiguous, or inconsistent (for example, deliveries, field service, emergency response, and customer onboarding). The product is typically embedded into mobile apps, web apps, and operational systems to improve location capture and dispatch workflows. It differentiates from many GIS platforms by focusing on a compact human-friendly location identifier rather than full mapping, analysis, or visualization suites.
Precise location referencing
The system represents locations at a 3m x 3m resolution, which can help teams specify destinations more precisely than many address-only workflows. It is useful in areas with incomplete addressing, large venues, rural locations, or informal settlements. The three-word format can be communicated verbally or via text with less friction than long coordinate strings. This can reduce ambiguity in last-mile and field operations when integrated correctly.
API-first integration model
what3words for Business is delivered primarily through APIs and SDKs, making it suitable for embedding into existing customer apps and internal tools. Common integration patterns include address capture, geocoding to coordinates, and passing locations into routing or dispatch systems. This approach fits organizations that already use mapping providers but need an additional location identifier layer. It can be implemented without replacing an existing GIS stack.
Multilingual word addressing
The three-word addresses are available in multiple languages, supporting use cases where users operate in different scripts and locales. This can improve usability for frontline staff and customers compared with coordinate-only inputs. It also supports standardized capture of locations across regions when combined with validation in the user interface. Language support is a practical differentiator for global operations.
Not a full GIS suite
The product focuses on location encoding/decoding and related workflows rather than comprehensive GIS capabilities. Organizations still typically need separate tools for map styling, spatial analysis, data layers, and advanced geoprocessing. For teams seeking end-to-end GIS authoring and analytics, what3words is an add-on component rather than a replacement. This can increase architectural complexity when compared with consolidated GIS platforms.
User adoption and training
Three-word addresses are not universally familiar, so organizations may need training, UI guidance, and customer education to avoid entry errors. Operational processes may need updates (scripts, call-center prompts, SOPs) to use the format consistently. In mixed ecosystems, partners may still require conventional addresses or coordinates, creating dual-format workflows. Adoption risk is higher when the user base is broad and external.
Dependency on proprietary system
The three-word addressing scheme is proprietary, so long-term use depends on continued access to the vendor’s services and licensing terms. Integrations may require ongoing API usage and governance around versioning and service availability. If an organization later standardizes on alternative location identifiers, migration can require rework of data capture and downstream systems. This is a consideration for regulated or long-horizon data retention use cases.
Plan & Pricing
| Plan | Price | Key features & notes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | US$0.00 per month | AutoSuggest (5 requests/sec limit). Intended for testing integrations or collecting/validating what3words addresses. |
| Basic | US$9.99 per month | 1,000 "convert to coordinates" requests/month; AutoSuggest; Convert to what3words address (unlimited); Map grid; Convert to coordinates (see plan details for limits). |
| Standard (Most popular) | US$45.00 per month | 10,000 "convert to coordinates" requests/month; AutoSuggest; Convert to what3words address (unlimited); Map grid; Convert to coordinates; Priority support; Developer support. |
| Plus | US$125.00 per month | 30,000 "convert to coordinates" requests/month; AutoSuggest; Convert to what3words address (unlimited); Map grid; Convert to coordinates; Priority support; Developer support; 24/7 phone support. |
| Premium | US$300.00 per month | 75,000 "convert to coordinates" requests/month; AutoSuggest; Convert to what3words address (unlimited); Map grid; Convert to coordinates; Priority support; Developer support; 24/7 phone support; Custom invoicing (option for annual billing/invoice). |
| Enterprise | Custom pricing | Enterprise Suite / large-scale organisations: tailored offering, offline functionality, on-premise API server, per-device or annual licence options; contact sales for pricing. |
Notes: Fair usage policy applies to all plans. All prices shown on the official pricing page are exclusive of VAT. Prices shown above are the monthly (pay-monthly) figures displayed on the what3words official API plans page.
Seller details
what3words Limited
London, United Kingdom
2013
Private
https://what3words.com/
https://x.com/what3words
https://www.linkedin.com/company/what3words/
