{"slug": "openstreetmap", "name": "OpenStreetMap", "category": "editors", "category_name": "Editors and IDEs", "description": "Collaborative, openly licensed world map data that anyone can edit and use.", "recommenders": 15, "commenters": 22, "warners": 1, "score": 14.804, "rising": 7.04, "first": "2026-01-05", "latest": "2026-10-12", "why": "HN commenters value it as free, openly licensed map data for building custom maps and apps, and say fixing the map yourself is quick and approachable.", "why_is_quote": false, "has_verdict": true, "sentiment": {"recommend": 15, "neutral": 5, "compare": 1, "warn": 1}, "spark": [0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 4, 6, 2, 1], "listed": true, "loved": ["Easy contributing", "Free open data"], "caveat": "Stale POI data", "short_quote": "editing OpenStreetMap is very straightforward*, and with that, you're actually contributing to an open data set that everyone is allowed to use", "icon": false, "domain": null, "github_repo": null, "official_url": "https://www.openstreetmap.org", "pricing": "open source", "aliases": ["OpenStreetMap"], "verdict": [{"text": "HN commenters value it as free, openly licensed map data for building custom maps and apps,", "cites": [{"id": 791701312, "item_id": 49481332, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49481332", "by": "thangalin", "date": "2026-08-28", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "There were no other free options that I could find to accomplish this goal.", "excerpt": "https://shufflenblues.com/location/ I used OpenStreetMaps to create a map with a theme that fits the website theme. There were no other free options that I could find to accomplish this goal. Moreover, the map works on just about every browser under the sun. Great work by their team.", "context": "", "use_case": "themed website map", "switched_from": "", "story": "State of the Map 2026"}, {"id": 784881808, "item_id": 49055113, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49055113", "by": "rickmf", "date": "2026-07-25", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "My base layer is OSM, which is licensed for exactly this stuff (and attributed).", "excerpt": "Nice! Someone shared thAT wiki with me recently on reddit. I had not been aware of it before. Great stuff! I'm not a lawyer but my stack is clean. My base layer is OSM, which is licensed for exactly this stuff (and attributed). On top of that I used golfcourseapi.com which i also recommend (affordable, and fairly reliable so far, but not always current). Then community notes etc. I cross reference against other sourc", "context": "works in the golf industry", "use_case": "base map data for golf courses", "switched_from": "", "story": "Show HN: I mapped every US golf course \u2013 16k+ courses, free, no signup"}, {"id": 784424800, "item_id": 49026550, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49026550", "by": "hamiltont", "date": "2026-07-23", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "OSM is a truly incredible resource.", "excerpt": "OSM is a truly incredible resource. It's often lightyears ahead of proprietary maps in terms of feature accuracy. Often far behind in terms of points-of-interest. It powers painless adding of maps to so many products, painless offline data analytics and joins (I built https://wildpocket.com/ by joining OSM to iNaturalist data). Truly incredible and under appreciated by general public. I love street complete, it opens", "context": "", "use_case": "map data", "switched_from": "", "story": "OpenStreetMap: Admin_level for All Countries"}, {"id": 744070449, "item_id": 46504403, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46504403", "by": "palewire", "date": "2026-01-05", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "we used Protomaps, OpenStreetMap, MapLibre and other free tools to craft a stylized version", "excerpt": "Today I'm happy to release \"First Basemap,\" a free tutorial that shares one of our most valuable recent innovations at Reuters. It's at https://palewi.re/docs/first-basemap/ Follow the step-by-step guide and you'll learn how to create a shockingly fast and virtually free interactive map of the world. This type of map is often called a basemap because it provides the foundation for displaying data layers like weather ", "context": "works at Reuters", "use_case": "map data", "switched_from": "", "story": "First Basemap: How to create a fast and virtually free map"}]}, {"text": " and say fixing the map yourself is quick and approachable.", "cites": [{"id": 794828416, "item_id": 49676776, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49676776", "by": "jkingsman", "date": "2026-09-12", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Would highly recommend the web editor", "excerpt": "Contributing to OSM was super cool. I've had an issue where my home snaps to the nearest road, which is in fact fenced off from us, rather than the road that our cul de sac connects to (which was not well marked in OSM). Last week, I went in and in about ten minutes used the visual editor to paint in the driveway, read a quick wiki page on how to correctly label driveways, and then submitted it. I got a pleasant jump", "context": "", "use_case": "editing map data", "switched_from": "", "story": "Make your first edit to OpenStreetMap"}, {"id": 794012080, "item_id": 49625755, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49625755", "by": "Vinnl", "date": "2026-09-09", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "editing OpenStreetMap is very straightforward*, and with that, you're actually contributing to an open data set that everyone is allowed to use", "excerpt": "FWIW, editing OpenStreetMap is very straightforward*, and with that, you're actually contributing to an open data set that everyone is allowed to use, rather than just propping up Google. (To be fair, on a laptop - I'm sure Google Maps is more straightforward on a phone. But for someone already prepared to invest this much effort, editing OSM should be well within range. And if you just enjoy contributing to maps, fo", "context": "", "use_case": "map editing", "switched_from": "", "story": "How I advertise malicious software on Google Ads"}, {"id": 780989152, "item_id": 48811822, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48811822", "by": "C4K3", "date": "2026-07-06", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "the web editor is probably the most beginner-friendly editor.", "excerpt": "As the other commenter mentioned the web editor is probably the most beginner-friendly editor. It might seem a little daunting but it's actually not that difficult to edit OSM. When you save your change there's an option to request a review of it. That'll get an experienced contributor to take a look at it and help clear up any mistakes. OSM also has a public database of GPS tracks that contributors use to aid in map", "context": "", "use_case": "editing map data", "switched_from": "", "story": "CoMaps \u2013 FOSS Offline Maps"}, {"id": 780771376, "item_id": 48798211, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48798211", "by": "technothrasher", "date": "2026-07-05", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "because it was OSM based, I was able to discover the problem, fix it, and then when the app updated their data, the issue went away.", "excerpt": "I noticed that when I used one of these OSM based nagivation apps (I forget which one now), it suggested I leave my house by heading over my retaining wall, driving down a wooded hill, through a swamp, and then onto a nearby road. But because it was OSM based, I was able to discover the problem, fix it, and then when the app updated their data, the issue went away. I have since noticed, to my frustration, that whatev", "context": "", "use_case": "fixing map data", "switched_from": "", "story": "Organic Maps"}]}, {"text": " The most common caveat is that points-of-interest data is often incomplete or out of date,", "cites": [{"id": 786420080, "item_id": 49151255, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49151255", "by": "SchemaLoad", "date": "2026-08-02", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "OSM is best used as a background map layer for your own custom applications", "excerpt": "Having out of date public book boxes isn't really that big of a deal, at least compared to the massive amounts of broken entries, duplicates, and incorrectly licensed data that would end up from free and unrestricted bulk imports. As it is today you can largely expect OSM POI data to be incomplete or out of date unless you have someone particularly keen on keeping your local area up to date. OSM is best used as a bac", "context": "", "use_case": "background map layer", "switched_from": "", "story": "Why Book Corners won't sync contributions back to OpenStreetMap"}, {"id": 784424800, "item_id": 49026550, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49026550", "by": "hamiltont", "date": "2026-07-23", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "OSM is a truly incredible resource.", "excerpt": "OSM is a truly incredible resource. It's often lightyears ahead of proprietary maps in terms of feature accuracy. Often far behind in terms of points-of-interest. It powers painless adding of maps to so many products, painless offline data analytics and joins (I built https://wildpocket.com/ by joining OSM to iNaturalist data). Truly incredible and under appreciated by general public. I love street complete, it opens", "context": "", "use_case": "map data", "switched_from": "", "story": "OpenStreetMap: Admin_level for All Countries"}, {"id": 787215744, "item_id": 49200984, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49200984", "by": "berkes", "date": "2026-08-06", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I'll edit OSM in these cases.", "excerpt": "This was international. And it was a long while ago, so I don't have anything online to point to anymore. Sorry. If \"Map Notes clog the map\" then there still is something needed in OSM to allow data that's not directly geographical, to be kept up to date, the POI data. Aside from technicalities: if we want a free, open, etc etc alternative to Google Maps, we need to ensure POI data is of high quality, up to date, and", "context": "OSM contributor", "use_case": "map data editing", "switched_from": "", "story": "Why Book Corners won't sync contributions back to OpenStreetMap"}]}, {"text": " and some found its directions and address search unreliable.", "cites": [{"id": 772755235, "item_id": 48297202, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48297202", "by": "lisplist", "date": "2026-05-27", "stance": "warn", "quote": "the lack of traffic data and the fact that it gave me bad directions made it untenable", "excerpt": "I switched to DDG about a year ago and it works fine for me. For some queries, Google still surfaces better results, but DDG is good enough that I don't really miss it. The only Google service I haven't been able to replace is YouTube - no real alternative. I still use Google Maps as well, but could probably switch to Apple maps without missing much. For hiking trails, Apple Maps has often been superior. I briefly tr", "context": "", "use_case": "navigation", "switched_from": "", "story": "DuckDuckGo search saw 28% more visits after Google said people love AI mode"}, {"id": 789294608, "item_id": 49330913, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49330913", "by": "troyvit", "date": "2026-08-17", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Sticking to OSM has helped me get lost in new and interesting ways", "excerpt": "Sticking to OSM has helped me get lost in new and interesting ways every time I make the mistake of relying on its address search without double checking on a lat/long translation app, or if I forget to load this: https://github.com/pnoll1/osmand_map_creation It's embarrassing, and it definitely adds to my reputation as that weirdo open-source guy who really can't cope (\"Sorry, my map app screwed up,\" said almost nob", "context": "open-source user", "use_case": "navigation and address search", "switched_from": "", "story": "GPS and the Lost Art of Getting Lost"}]}], "praise": [{"label": "Easy contributing", "summary": "Commenters say editing is straightforward, with a beginner-friendly web editor and fixes that show up in apps.", "quotes": [{"id": 794828416, "item_id": 49676776, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49676776", "by": "jkingsman", "date": "2026-09-12", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Would highly recommend the web editor", "excerpt": "Contributing to OSM was super cool. I've had an issue where my home snaps to the nearest road, which is in fact fenced off from us, rather than the road that our cul de sac connects to (which was not well marked in OSM). Last week, I went in and in about ten minutes used the visual editor to paint in the driveway, read a quick wiki page on how to correctly label driveways, and then submitted it. I got a pleasant jump", "context": "", "use_case": "editing map data", "switched_from": "", "story": "Make your first edit to OpenStreetMap"}, {"id": 780989152, "item_id": 48811822, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48811822", "by": "C4K3", "date": "2026-07-06", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "the web editor is probably the most beginner-friendly editor.", "excerpt": "As the other commenter mentioned the web editor is probably the most beginner-friendly editor. It might seem a little daunting but it's actually not that difficult to edit OSM. When you save your change there's an option to request a review of it. That'll get an experienced contributor to take a look at it and help clear up any mistakes. OSM also has a public database of GPS tracks that contributors use to aid in map", "context": "", "use_case": "editing map data", "switched_from": "", "story": "CoMaps \u2013 FOSS Offline Maps"}, {"id": 780771376, "item_id": 48798211, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48798211", "by": "technothrasher", "date": "2026-07-05", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "because it was OSM based, I was able to discover the problem, fix it, and then when the app updated their data, the issue went away.", "excerpt": "I noticed that when I used one of these OSM based nagivation apps (I forget which one now), it suggested I leave my house by heading over my retaining wall, driving down a wooded hill, through a swamp, and then onto a nearby road. But because it was OSM based, I was able to discover the problem, fix it, and then when the app updated their data, the issue went away. I have since noticed, to my frustration, that whatev", "context": "", "use_case": "fixing map data", "switched_from": "", "story": "Organic Maps"}]}, {"label": "Free open data", "summary": "Openly licensed data lets people build custom maps and projects without paying for proprietary sources.", "quotes": [{"id": 791701312, "item_id": 49481332, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49481332", "by": "thangalin", "date": "2026-08-28", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "There were no other free options that I could find to accomplish this goal.", "excerpt": "https://shufflenblues.com/location/ I used OpenStreetMaps to create a map with a theme that fits the website theme. There were no other free options that I could find to accomplish this goal. Moreover, the map works on just about every browser under the sun. Great work by their team.", "context": "", "use_case": "themed website map", "switched_from": "", "story": "State of the Map 2026"}, {"id": 784881808, "item_id": 49055113, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49055113", "by": "rickmf", "date": "2026-07-25", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "My base layer is OSM, which is licensed for exactly this stuff (and attributed).", "excerpt": "Nice! Someone shared thAT wiki with me recently on reddit. I had not been aware of it before. Great stuff! I'm not a lawyer but my stack is clean. My base layer is OSM, which is licensed for exactly this stuff (and attributed). On top of that I used golfcourseapi.com which i also recommend (affordable, and fairly reliable so far, but not always current). Then community notes etc. I cross reference against other sourc", "context": "works in the golf industry", "use_case": "base map data for golf courses", "switched_from": "", "story": "Show HN: I mapped every US golf course \u2013 16k+ courses, free, no signup"}, {"id": 744070449, "item_id": 46504403, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46504403", "by": "palewire", "date": "2026-01-05", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "we used Protomaps, OpenStreetMap, MapLibre and other free tools to craft a stylized version", "excerpt": "Today I'm happy to release \"First Basemap,\" a free tutorial that shares one of our most valuable recent innovations at Reuters. It's at https://palewi.re/docs/first-basemap/ Follow the step-by-step guide and you'll learn how to create a shockingly fast and virtually free interactive map of the world. This type of map is often called a basemap because it provides the foundation for displaying data layers like weather ", "context": "works at Reuters", "use_case": "map data", "switched_from": "", "story": "First Basemap: How to create a fast and virtually free map"}]}, {"label": "Offline navigation", "summary": "Offline vector maps help with navigation and long hikes where reception is spotty.", "quotes": [{"id": 792155537, "item_id": 49509721, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49509721", "by": "zecg", "date": "2026-08-31", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Openstreetmap with offline vector maps for navigation", "excerpt": "As if it's mandated now to have social networks on your smartphone. I uninstalled anything owned by Zuckerberg or fucking Spez, I use only Signal for chat and Openstreetmap with offline vector maps for navigation. I have no tiktok or forever-scrolling apps.", "context": "", "use_case": "offline navigation", "switched_from": "", "story": "Early 2000s were peak of humanity"}, {"id": 791300001, "item_id": 49456250, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49456250", "by": "NoboruWataya", "date": "2026-08-26", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "for long walks/hikes, OSM is excellent.", "excerpt": "I use this regularly when I go on long walks out of the city (including the couple of times I've done stretches of the Camino de Santiago). The offline map support and being able to load and display GPX tracks are really helpful there. Not only because you can sometimes find yourself with spotty reception in remote areas, but also because if you are out all day and your phone battery is not the best, you can just sti", "context": "long-distance walker", "use_case": "hiking maps", "switched_from": "", "story": "CoMaps: The Offline App That Guided Rescuers Without a Signal in Venezuela"}, {"id": 759631233, "item_id": 47476952, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47476952", "by": "redgridtactical", "date": "2026-03-22", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "OpenStreetMap is actually what the offline maps use under the hood already.", "excerpt": "Thanks you! Just started working on this project based on systems I use, and have gripes with, in the military. No plans to abandon it, but I understand your concern. This is the project I actually want to use myself so it's going to keep getting built. 1.Your tier determines your own device limit. If you have Pro+Link (8 devices), you can host a session with 8 people. The people joining don't need Pro+Link, they jus", "context": "", "use_case": "offline maps", "switched_from": "", "story": "Show HN: Red Grid Link \u2013 peer-to-peer team tracking over Bluetooth, no servers"}]}, {"label": "Feature accuracy", "summary": "One commenter says its feature accuracy is often far ahead of proprietary maps.", "quotes": [{"id": 784424800, "item_id": 49026550, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49026550", "by": "hamiltont", "date": "2026-07-23", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "OSM is a truly incredible resource.", "excerpt": "OSM is a truly incredible resource. It's often lightyears ahead of proprietary maps in terms of feature accuracy. Often far behind in terms of points-of-interest. It powers painless adding of maps to so many products, painless offline data analytics and joins (I built https://wildpocket.com/ by joining OSM to iNaturalist data). Truly incredible and under appreciated by general public. I love street complete, it opens", "context": "", "use_case": "map data", "switched_from": "", "story": "OpenStreetMap: Admin_level for All Countries"}]}], "caveats": [{"label": "Stale POI data", "summary": "Points-of-interest data is often incomplete or out of date unless locals maintain it.", "quotes": [{"id": 786420080, "item_id": 49151255, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49151255", "by": "SchemaLoad", "date": "2026-08-02", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "OSM is best used as a background map layer for your own custom applications", "excerpt": "Having out of date public book boxes isn't really that big of a deal, at least compared to the massive amounts of broken entries, duplicates, and incorrectly licensed data that would end up from free and unrestricted bulk imports. As it is today you can largely expect OSM POI data to be incomplete or out of date unless you have someone particularly keen on keeping your local area up to date. OSM is best used as a bac", "context": "", "use_case": "background map layer", "switched_from": "", "story": "Why Book Corners won't sync contributions back to OpenStreetMap"}, {"id": 784424800, "item_id": 49026550, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49026550", "by": "hamiltont", "date": "2026-07-23", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "OSM is a truly incredible resource.", "excerpt": "OSM is a truly incredible resource. It's often lightyears ahead of proprietary maps in terms of feature accuracy. Often far behind in terms of points-of-interest. It powers painless adding of maps to so many products, painless offline data analytics and joins (I built https://wildpocket.com/ by joining OSM to iNaturalist data). Truly incredible and under appreciated by general public. I love street complete, it opens", "context": "", "use_case": "map data", "switched_from": "", "story": "OpenStreetMap: Admin_level for All Countries"}, {"id": 787215744, "item_id": 49200984, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49200984", "by": "berkes", "date": "2026-08-06", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I'll edit OSM in these cases.", "excerpt": "This was international. And it was a long while ago, so I don't have anything online to point to anymore. Sorry. If \"Map Notes clog the map\" then there still is something needed in OSM to allow data that's not directly geographical, to be kept up to date, the POI data. Aside from technicalities: if we want a free, open, etc etc alternative to Google Maps, we need to ensure POI data is of high quality, up to date, and", "context": "OSM contributor", "use_case": "map data editing", "switched_from": "", "story": "Why Book Corners won't sync contributions back to OpenStreetMap"}]}, {"label": "Unreliable routing", "summary": "Some users hit bad directions, missing traffic data, or wrong address search results.", "quotes": [{"id": 772755235, "item_id": 48297202, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48297202", "by": "lisplist", "date": "2026-05-27", "stance": "warn", "quote": "the lack of traffic data and the fact that it gave me bad directions made it untenable", "excerpt": "I switched to DDG about a year ago and it works fine for me. For some queries, Google still surfaces better results, but DDG is good enough that I don't really miss it. The only Google service I haven't been able to replace is YouTube - no real alternative. I still use Google Maps as well, but could probably switch to Apple maps without missing much. For hiking trails, Apple Maps has often been superior. I briefly tr", "context": "", "use_case": "navigation", "switched_from": "", "story": "DuckDuckGo search saw 28% more visits after Google said people love AI mode"}, {"id": 789294608, "item_id": 49330913, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49330913", "by": "troyvit", "date": "2026-08-17", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Sticking to OSM has helped me get lost in new and interesting ways", "excerpt": "Sticking to OSM has helped me get lost in new and interesting ways every time I make the mistake of relying on its address search without double checking on a lat/long translation app, or if I forget to load this: https://github.com/pnoll1/osmand_map_creation It's embarrassing, and it definitely adds to my reputation as that weirdo open-source guy who really can't cope (\"Sorry, my map app screwed up,\" said almost nob", "context": "open-source user", "use_case": "navigation and address search", "switched_from": "", "story": "GPS and the Lost Art of Getting Lost"}]}, {"label": "Not Google Maps", "summary": "One commenter says it works best as a background layer for custom apps rather than as a Google Maps replacement.", "quotes": [{"id": 786420080, "item_id": 49151255, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49151255", "by": "SchemaLoad", "date": "2026-08-02", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "OSM is best used as a background map layer for your own custom applications", "excerpt": "Having out of date public book boxes isn't really that big of a deal, at least compared to the massive amounts of broken entries, duplicates, and incorrectly licensed data that would end up from free and unrestricted bulk imports. As it is today you can largely expect OSM POI data to be incomplete or out of date unless you have someone particularly keen on keeping your local area up to date. OSM is best used as a bac", "context": "", "use_case": "background map layer", "switched_from": "", "story": "Why Book Corners won't sync contributions back to OpenStreetMap"}]}, {"label": "Complex edits", "summary": "Editing relations, ways and nodes can feel intimidating compared with simple attribute fixes.", "quotes": [{"id": 775871121, "item_id": 48491945, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48491945", "by": "simmschi", "date": "2026-06-11", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I love OSM, consume their data in my small cycling project and regularly contribute smaller fixes.", "excerpt": "Hmmm, I love OSM, consume their data in my small cycling project and regularly contribute smaller fixes. But I also shy away from anything more complex than fixing attributes and meta data of existing objects. Especially editing relations, ways and nodes - is this possible with MapComplete? I loaded the Cyclofix map, but I can't even select cycle paths or roads, just edit POIs.", "context": "cycling project, regular OSM contributor", "use_case": "cycling project data", "switched_from": "", "story": "MapComplete \u2013 Contibute to OpenStreetMaps"}]}], "who": [{"by": "stop50", "context": "OpenStreetMap contributor", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49506827", "date": "2026-08-31"}, {"by": "NoboruWataya", "context": "long-distance walker", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49456250", "date": "2026-08-26"}, {"by": "troyvit", "context": "open-source user", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49330913", "date": "2026-08-17"}, {"by": "berkes", "context": "OSM contributor", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49200984", "date": "2026-08-06"}, {"by": "rickmf", "context": "works in the golf industry", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49055113", "date": "2026-07-25"}, {"by": "simmschi", "context": "cycling project, regular OSM contributor", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48491945", "date": "2026-06-11"}, {"by": "palewire", "context": "works at Reuters", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46504403", "date": "2026-01-05"}], "tags": ["for app developers", "offline maps", "for hikers", "for map contributors"], "use_cases": ["editing map data", "map data", "open mapping", "map editing", "offline navigation", "maps and navigation data"], "compared": [{"slug": "google-maps", "name": "Google Maps", "co": 7, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "streetcomplete", "name": "StreetComplete", "co": 2, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "apple-maps", "name": "Apple Maps", "co": 2, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "osmand", "name": "OsmAnd", "co": 2, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}], "makers": [], "threads": [{"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49478401", "title": "State of the Map 2026", "mentions": 2}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49149746", "title": "Why Book Corners won't sync contributions back to OpenStreetMap", "mentions": 2}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50047091", "title": "Cartographers of North Korea (2019)", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49674050", "title": "Make your first edit to OpenStreetMap", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49624856", "title": "How I advertise malicious software on Google Ads", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49507334", "title": "Early 2000s were peak of humanity", "mentions": 1}], "sentiment_by_month": {"2025-11": {}, "2025-12": {}, "2026-01": {"recommend": 1, "compare": 1}, "2026-02": {}, "2026-03": {"neutral": 1}, "2026-04": {}, "2026-05": {"warn": 1}, "2026-06": {"recommend": 1, "neutral": 1}, "2026-07": {"recommend": 4, "neutral": 1}, "2026-08": {"neutral": 2, "recommend": 6}, "2026-09": {"recommend": 2}, "2026-10": {"recommend": 1}}, "quotes": [{"id": 800810704, "item_id": 50050669, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50050669", "by": "cantrevealname", "date": "2026-10-12", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I'm fascinated to read about the motivations of people who do some much great work in places like OpenStreetMap and Wikipedia", "excerpt": "I'm fascinated to read about the motivations of people who do some much great work in places like OpenStreetMap and Wikipedia where it's almost guaranteed that they will get zero recognition (and obviously no money). I wanted to quote what the number 1 contributor (with 75,583 contributions) to the North Korea map said about his motivations: \"Hello Wonyoung,I live in Germany. I also do a lot of mapping here-partly wi", "context": "", "use_case": "open mapping", "switched_from": "", "story": "Cartographers of North Korea (2019)"}, {"id": 794828416, "item_id": 49676776, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49676776", "by": "jkingsman", "date": "2026-09-12", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Would highly recommend the web editor", "excerpt": "Contributing to OSM was super cool. I've had an issue where my home snaps to the nearest road, which is in fact fenced off from us, rather than the road that our cul de sac connects to (which was not well marked in OSM). Last week, I went in and in about ten minutes used the visual editor to paint in the driveway, read a quick wiki page on how to correctly label driveways, and then submitted it. I got a pleasant jump", "context": "", "use_case": "editing map data", "switched_from": "", "story": "Make your first edit to OpenStreetMap"}, {"id": 794012080, "item_id": 49625755, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49625755", "by": "Vinnl", "date": "2026-09-09", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "editing OpenStreetMap is very straightforward*, and with that, you're actually contributing to an open data set that everyone is allowed to use", "excerpt": "FWIW, editing OpenStreetMap is very straightforward*, and with that, you're actually contributing to an open data set that everyone is allowed to use, rather than just propping up Google. (To be fair, on a laptop - I'm sure Google Maps is more straightforward on a phone. But for someone already prepared to invest this much effort, editing OSM should be well within range. And if you just enjoy contributing to maps, fo", "context": "", "use_case": "map editing", "switched_from": "", "story": "How I advertise malicious software on Google Ads"}, {"id": 792155537, "item_id": 49509721, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49509721", "by": "zecg", "date": "2026-08-31", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Openstreetmap with offline vector maps for navigation", "excerpt": "As if it's mandated now to have social networks on your smartphone. I uninstalled anything owned by Zuckerberg or fucking Spez, I use only Signal for chat and Openstreetmap with offline vector maps for navigation. I have no tiktok or forever-scrolling apps.", "context": "", "use_case": "offline navigation", "switched_from": "", "story": "Early 2000s were peak of humanity"}, {"id": 792109232, "item_id": 49506827, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49506827", "by": "stop50", "date": "2026-08-31", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use and participate in openstreetmap.", "excerpt": "I use and participate in openstreetmap. When i see an blocked road, like an construction, i can update the map within minutes. For navigation i use osmand, but i use a few tools that access openstreetmap in the background.", "context": "OpenStreetMap contributor", "use_case": "maps and navigation data", "switched_from": "", "story": "Any Recommended Alternatives to Google Maps and Apple Maps?"}, {"id": 791709376, "item_id": 49481836, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49481836", "by": "nelblu", "date": "2026-08-28", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Thank you OSM developers too - big fan and user!", "excerpt": "THIS. My comment is somewhat tangential but I thought still relevant. I used to work for huge financial investment company with over a trillion dollars of assets for over 10 years. I never thought I was making positive difference in people's lives. However, my job offered me so many opportunities to volunteer and I would jump on every single one of those, and that made working there totally worthwhile. I still work f", "context": "", "use_case": "mapping", "switched_from": "", "story": "State of the Map 2026"}, {"id": 791701312, "item_id": 49481332, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49481332", "by": "thangalin", "date": "2026-08-28", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "There were no other free options that I could find to accomplish this goal.", "excerpt": "https://shufflenblues.com/location/ I used OpenStreetMaps to create a map with a theme that fits the website theme. There were no other free options that I could find to accomplish this goal. Moreover, the map works on just about every browser under the sun. Great work by their team.", "context": "", "use_case": "themed website map", "switched_from": "", "story": "State of the Map 2026"}, {"id": 791300001, "item_id": 49456250, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49456250", "by": "NoboruWataya", "date": "2026-08-26", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "for long walks/hikes, OSM is excellent.", "excerpt": "I use this regularly when I go on long walks out of the city (including the couple of times I've done stretches of the Camino de Santiago). The offline map support and being able to load and display GPX tracks are really helpful there. Not only because you can sometimes find yourself with spotty reception in remote areas, but also because if you are out all day and your phone battery is not the best, you can just sti", "context": "long-distance walker", "use_case": "hiking maps", "switched_from": "", "story": "CoMaps: The Offline App That Guided Rescuers Without a Signal in Venezuela"}, {"id": 789294608, "item_id": 49330913, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49330913", "by": "troyvit", "date": "2026-08-17", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Sticking to OSM has helped me get lost in new and interesting ways", "excerpt": "Sticking to OSM has helped me get lost in new and interesting ways every time I make the mistake of relying on its address search without double checking on a lat/long translation app, or if I forget to load this: https://github.com/pnoll1/osmand_map_creation It's embarrassing, and it definitely adds to my reputation as that weirdo open-source guy who really can't cope (\"Sorry, my map app screwed up,\" said almost nob", "context": "open-source user", "use_case": "navigation and address search", "switched_from": "", "story": "GPS and the Lost Art of Getting Lost"}, {"id": 787215744, "item_id": 49200984, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49200984", "by": "berkes", "date": "2026-08-06", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I'll edit OSM in these cases.", "excerpt": "This was international. And it was a long while ago, so I don't have anything online to point to anymore. Sorry. If \"Map Notes clog the map\" then there still is something needed in OSM to allow data that's not directly geographical, to be kept up to date, the POI data. Aside from technicalities: if we want a free, open, etc etc alternative to Google Maps, we need to ensure POI data is of high quality, up to date, and", "context": "OSM contributor", "use_case": "map data editing", "switched_from": "", "story": "Why Book Corners won't sync contributions back to OpenStreetMap"}, {"id": 786420080, "item_id": 49151255, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49151255", "by": "SchemaLoad", "date": "2026-08-02", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "OSM is best used as a background map layer for your own custom applications", "excerpt": "Having out of date public book boxes isn't really that big of a deal, at least compared to the massive amounts of broken entries, duplicates, and incorrectly licensed data that would end up from free and unrestricted bulk imports. As it is today you can largely expect OSM POI data to be incomplete or out of date unless you have someone particularly keen on keeping your local area up to date. OSM is best used as a bac", "context": "", "use_case": "background map layer", "switched_from": "", "story": "Why Book Corners won't sync contributions back to OpenStreetMap"}, {"id": 784881808, "item_id": 49055113, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49055113", "by": "rickmf", "date": "2026-07-25", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "My base layer is OSM, which is licensed for exactly this stuff (and attributed).", "excerpt": "Nice! Someone shared thAT wiki with me recently on reddit. I had not been aware of it before. Great stuff! I'm not a lawyer but my stack is clean. My base layer is OSM, which is licensed for exactly this stuff (and attributed). On top of that I used golfcourseapi.com which i also recommend (affordable, and fairly reliable so far, but not always current). Then community notes etc. I cross reference against other sourc", "context": "works in the golf industry", "use_case": "base map data for golf courses", "switched_from": "", "story": "Show HN: I mapped every US golf course \u2013 16k+ courses, free, no signup"}, {"id": 784424800, "item_id": 49026550, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49026550", "by": "hamiltont", "date": "2026-07-23", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "OSM is a truly incredible resource.", "excerpt": "OSM is a truly incredible resource. It's often lightyears ahead of proprietary maps in terms of feature accuracy. Often far behind in terms of points-of-interest. It powers painless adding of maps to so many products, painless offline data analytics and joins (I built https://wildpocket.com/ by joining OSM to iNaturalist data). Truly incredible and under appreciated by general public. I love street complete, it opens", "context": "", "use_case": "map data", "switched_from": "", "story": "OpenStreetMap: Admin_level for All Countries"}, {"id": 781227233, "item_id": 48826702, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48826702", "by": "wcedmisten", "date": "2026-07-07", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I use OSM for my modest project SurpriseDateSpot", "excerpt": "For what it's worth, I use OSM for my modest project SurpriseDateSpot[1] which will randomly pick a restaurant (or other amenity) in your area! It gets a few thousand users per month :) I've also used this project to upstream 2,000 suggested edits to OSM [1]: https://surprisedatespot.com/", "context": "", "use_case": "map data source", "switched_from": "", "story": "StreetComplete: Fixing OpenStreetMap, one tiny quest at a time"}, {"id": 780989152, "item_id": 48811822, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48811822", "by": "C4K3", "date": "2026-07-06", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "the web editor is probably the most beginner-friendly editor.", "excerpt": "As the other commenter mentioned the web editor is probably the most beginner-friendly editor. It might seem a little daunting but it's actually not that difficult to edit OSM. When you save your change there's an option to request a review of it. That'll get an experienced contributor to take a look at it and help clear up any mistakes. OSM also has a public database of GPS tracks that contributors use to aid in map", "context": "", "use_case": "editing map data", "switched_from": "", "story": "CoMaps \u2013 FOSS Offline Maps"}, {"id": 780771376, "item_id": 48798211, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48798211", "by": "technothrasher", "date": "2026-07-05", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "because it was OSM based, I was able to discover the problem, fix it, and then when the app updated their data, the issue went away.", "excerpt": "I noticed that when I used one of these OSM based nagivation apps (I forget which one now), it suggested I leave my house by heading over my retaining wall, driving down a wooded hill, through a swamp, and then onto a nearby road. But because it was OSM based, I was able to discover the problem, fix it, and then when the app updated their data, the issue went away. I have since noticed, to my frustration, that whatev", "context": "", "use_case": "fixing map data", "switched_from": "", "story": "Organic Maps"}, {"id": 777921123, "item_id": 48620070, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48620070", "by": "fabino", "date": "2026-06-21", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "OpenStreetMap is the obvious source, but you have to fight it.", "excerpt": "Hi all! AskMaps is a side project of mine. You chat with an LLM (Claude, GPT, or DeepSeek, your pick) and the places it mentions show up on an interactive map as you talk. The backstory: about a year ago I took a few spontaneous trips through Europe and didn't want to spend ages researching beforehand. I asked Claude instead, and it turned out to be a really good travel advisor. For most destinations it has a ton of ", "context": "", "use_case": "geocoding", "switched_from": "", "story": "Show HN: Askmaps.ai \u2013 Like ChatGPT with a Map"}, {"id": 775871121, "item_id": 48491945, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48491945", "by": "simmschi", "date": "2026-06-11", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I love OSM, consume their data in my small cycling project and regularly contribute smaller fixes.", "excerpt": "Hmmm, I love OSM, consume their data in my small cycling project and regularly contribute smaller fixes. But I also shy away from anything more complex than fixing attributes and meta data of existing objects. Especially editing relations, ways and nodes - is this possible with MapComplete? I loaded the Cyclofix map, but I can't even select cycle paths or roads, just edit POIs.", "context": "cycling project, regular OSM contributor", "use_case": "cycling project data", "switched_from": "", "story": "MapComplete \u2013 Contibute to OpenStreetMaps"}, {"id": 772755235, "item_id": 48297202, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48297202", "by": "lisplist", "date": "2026-05-27", "stance": "warn", "quote": "the lack of traffic data and the fact that it gave me bad directions made it untenable", "excerpt": "I switched to DDG about a year ago and it works fine for me. For some queries, Google still surfaces better results, but DDG is good enough that I don't really miss it. The only Google service I haven't been able to replace is YouTube - no real alternative. I still use Google Maps as well, but could probably switch to Apple maps without missing much. For hiking trails, Apple Maps has often been superior. I briefly tr", "context": "", "use_case": "navigation", "switched_from": "", "story": "DuckDuckGo search saw 28% more visits after Google said people love AI mode"}, {"id": 759631233, "item_id": 47476952, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47476952", "by": "redgridtactical", "date": "2026-03-22", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "OpenStreetMap is actually what the offline maps use under the hood already.", "excerpt": "Thanks you! Just started working on this project based on systems I use, and have gripes with, in the military. No plans to abandon it, but I understand your concern. This is the project I actually want to use myself so it's going to keep getting built. 1.Your tier determines your own device limit. If you have Pro+Link (8 devices), you can host a session with 8 people. The people joining don't need Pro+Link, they jus", "context": "", "use_case": "offline maps", "switched_from": "", "story": "Show HN: Red Grid Link \u2013 peer-to-peer team tracking over Bluetooth, no servers"}, {"id": 746181730, "item_id": 46636358, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46636358", "by": "wcallahan", "date": "2026-01-15", "stance": "compare", "quote": "So I use Apple Maps, Mapbox, OpenStreetMap, and Google Maps", "excerpt": "I do a lot of maps API calls, and found I get better results (and can save money) by using multiple providers. So I use Apple Maps, Mapbox, OpenStreetMap, and Google Maps\u2026 sometimes to check the results with multiple providers, and sometimes to divvy up the free allotment. For anyone using Java/Kotlin/JVM, I made an SDK for Apple Maps: https://github.com/WilliamAGH/apple-maps-java which is one with a generous include", "context": "", "use_case": "maps API calls", "switched_from": "", "story": "Why NUKEMAP isn't on Google Maps anymore"}, {"id": 744070449, "item_id": 46504403, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46504403", "by": "palewire", "date": "2026-01-05", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "we used Protomaps, OpenStreetMap, MapLibre and other free tools to craft a stylized version", "excerpt": "Today I'm happy to release \"First Basemap,\" a free tutorial that shares one of our most valuable recent innovations at Reuters. It's at https://palewi.re/docs/first-basemap/ Follow the step-by-step guide and you'll learn how to create a shockingly fast and virtually free interactive map of the world. This type of map is often called a basemap because it provides the foundation for displaying data layers like weather ", "context": "works at Reuters", "use_case": "map data", "switched_from": "", "story": "First Basemap: How to create a fast and virtually free map"}]}