{"slug": "streetcomplete", "name": "StreetComplete", "category": "other", "category_name": "Other software", "description": "Mobile app for improving OpenStreetMap by answering simple location-based quests.", "recommenders": 13, "commenters": 16, "warners": 2, "score": 10.837, "rising": 7.69, "first": "2026-07-06", "latest": "2026-10-01", "why": "Liked for making OpenStreetMap contributions easy for beginners and for fun, game-like quests you can answer while walking or waiting.", "why_is_quote": false, "has_verdict": true, "sentiment": {"recommend": 13, "neutral": 1, "compare": 0, "warn": 2}, "spark": [0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 4, 3, 2, 4], "listed": true, "loved": ["Low barrier", "Fun quests"], "caveat": "No edit history", "short_quote": "the UX is very well designed for beginners in my eyes (while still being useful for advanced mappers)", "icon": false, "domain": "streetcomplete.app", "github_repo": null, "official_url": "https://streetcomplete.app", "pricing": "open source", "aliases": ["StreetComplete"], "verdict": [{"text": "Liked for making OpenStreetMap contributions easy for beginners", "cites": [{"id": 798731408, "item_id": 49920713, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49920713", "by": "Loic", "date": "2026-10-01", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "This is a really great tool, the barrier to contribute is brought to nearly zero.", "excerpt": "I have been using StreetComplete on Android thanks to a comment here some weeks ago. This is a really great tool, the barrier to contribute is brought to nearly zero. The only one thing missing for me is a small history of my past contributions. At some point, I made a mistake and entered the wrong information (nothing terrible, the surface of a walkway, it was 30% one surface, 70% another, I gave the 30% value inste", "context": "", "use_case": "OpenStreetMap contributions", "switched_from": "", "story": "StreetComplete on iOS is now in public beta"}, {"id": 798724512, "item_id": 49920282, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49920282", "by": "elaus", "date": "2026-10-01", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "It's a great app, been using it on Android for years.", "excerpt": "It's a great app, been using it on Android for years. It has a really low barrier of entry (except maybe OSM account creation) and makes improving OpenStreetMap really easy even for people that have no experience with map editing. There's simple questions, e.g. about road surface or accessibility, with illustrated multiple-choice answers.", "context": "", "use_case": "improving OpenStreetMap", "switched_from": "", "story": "StreetComplete on iOS is now in public beta"}, {"id": 784424801, "item_id": 49026550, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49026550", "by": "hamiltont", "date": "2026-07-23", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I love street complete, it opens up OSM to so many beginners with the simple UX.", "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": "editing OSM", "switched_from": "", "story": "OpenStreetMap: Admin_level for All Countries"}]}, {"text": " and for fun, game-like quests you can answer while walking or waiting.", "cites": [{"id": 791700832, "item_id": 49481302, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49481302", "by": "hrnnnnnn", "date": "2026-08-28", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "If you want a fun and easy way to contribute to OSM I recommend StreetComplete.", "excerpt": "If you want a fun and easy way to contribute to OSM I recommend StreetComplete. You get a bunch of game-like quest icons for things like \"what is the surface of this path?\", and \"does this road have a cycle path?\", then you walk around and fill them in. Very satisfying and feels like you're doing something actually useful. Also nudges you to visit parts of your neighborhood you might never have been to before.", "context": "", "use_case": "contributing to OpenStreetMap", "switched_from": "", "story": "State of the Map 2026"}, {"id": 791719232, "item_id": 49482452, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49482452", "by": "basil", "date": "2026-08-28", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "StreetComplete got me editing more than anything else.", "excerpt": "Gamifying the map definitely helps to pull in contributors. StreetComplete got me editing more than anything else. I went a bit sideways with it: I used OSM data to build a territory game for cyclists, where you claim roads by riding them. It's heavily processed OSM data with PostGIS. The fun part was figuring out how to decide what counts as a claimable road in the first place. https://remap.earth", "context": "", "use_case": "editing OpenStreetMap", "switched_from": "", "story": "State of the Map 2026"}, {"id": 781105536, "item_id": 48819096, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48819096", "by": "Krasnol", "date": "2026-07-07", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I love this tool.", "excerpt": "I love this tool. It brought me back to mapping on OSM. Wherever you are and need to wait for a minute, there are quests to be solved there. I recommend SCEE for those who are already familiar with OSM mapping or are in an area where the most common tasks are already covered: https://github.com/Helium314/SCEE", "context": "", "use_case": "fixing OpenStreetMap data", "switched_from": "", "story": "StreetComplete: Fixing OpenStreetMap, one tiny quest at a time"}]}, {"text": " Common caveats are no way to review or undo past edits", "cites": [{"id": 798731408, "item_id": 49920713, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49920713", "by": "Loic", "date": "2026-10-01", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "This is a really great tool, the barrier to contribute is brought to nearly zero.", "excerpt": "I have been using StreetComplete on Android thanks to a comment here some weeks ago. This is a really great tool, the barrier to contribute is brought to nearly zero. The only one thing missing for me is a small history of my past contributions. At some point, I made a mistake and entered the wrong information (nothing terrible, the surface of a walkway, it was 30% one surface, 70% another, I gave the 30% value inste", "context": "", "use_case": "OpenStreetMap contributions", "switched_from": "", "story": "StreetComplete on iOS is now in public beta"}, {"id": 798749904, "item_id": 49921869, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49921869", "by": "cbeach", "date": "2026-10-01", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Good app. Some feedback -", "excerpt": "Good app. Some feedback - I'd like to see native Apple sign-in, as opposed to via a WebView. When I used the WebView, the password text box was obscured and fiddly to fill in. There should be an easier way to dismiss something I've clicked on, than having to tap \"uh...\" and then dismiss two dialog boxes. Things that I've submitted (e.g. house numbers) should be visible on the map, to visually show my contribution pro", "context": "", "use_case": "mapping contributions", "switched_from": "", "story": "StreetComplete on iOS is now in public beta"}]}, {"text": ", fiddly parts of the interface", "cites": [{"id": 798749904, "item_id": 49921869, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49921869", "by": "cbeach", "date": "2026-10-01", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Good app. Some feedback -", "excerpt": "Good app. Some feedback - I'd like to see native Apple sign-in, as opposed to via a WebView. When I used the WebView, the password text box was obscured and fiddly to fill in. There should be an easier way to dismiss something I've clicked on, than having to tap \"uh...\" and then dismiss two dialog boxes. Things that I've submitted (e.g. house numbers) should be visible on the map, to visually show my contribution pro", "context": "", "use_case": "mapping contributions", "switched_from": "", "story": "StreetComplete on iOS is now in public beta"}, {"id": 781299888, "item_id": 48831243, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48831243", "by": "janpeuker", "date": "2026-07-08", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I love the app idea but I don't think it's beginner friendly", "excerpt": "I love the app idea but I don't think it's beginner friendly - for example it starts zoomed out of the globe and there is no button to zoom to the location; also it's unclear what the hatched lines until one zooms in.", "context": "", "use_case": "contributing to OpenStreetMap", "switched_from": "", "story": "StreetComplete: Fixing OpenStreetMap, one tiny quest at a time"}]}, {"text": ", and limits that lead some experienced mappers to prefer SCEE.", "cites": [{"id": 781193121, "item_id": 48824570, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48824570", "by": "khahlsvr", "date": "2026-07-07", "stance": "warn", "quote": "except perhaps StreetComplete which is just a crippled version of SCEE for me", "excerpt": "I have my mapping spells where I do OSM mapping for a week or a month and then I might not map for a year or two. For mobile mapping I have all those you mentioned installed. They all are useful for something, except perhaps StreetComplete which is just a crippled version of SCEE for me. I also have OSMFocus Reborn installed which I use if I want to inspect ways and nodes in an area when I'm not in the middle of edit", "context": "occasional OSM mapper", "use_case": "OSM mobile mapping", "switched_from": "", "story": "StreetComplete: Fixing OpenStreetMap, one tiny quest at a time"}, {"id": 781105536, "item_id": 48819096, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48819096", "by": "Krasnol", "date": "2026-07-07", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I love this tool.", "excerpt": "I love this tool. It brought me back to mapping on OSM. Wherever you are and need to wait for a minute, there are quests to be solved there. I recommend SCEE for those who are already familiar with OSM mapping or are in an area where the most common tasks are already covered: https://github.com/Helium314/SCEE", "context": "", "use_case": "fixing OpenStreetMap data", "switched_from": "", "story": "StreetComplete: Fixing OpenStreetMap, one tiny quest at a time"}]}], "praise": [{"label": "Low barrier", "summary": "Simple illustrated questions let people with no map-editing experience contribute to OSM.", "quotes": [{"id": 798731408, "item_id": 49920713, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49920713", "by": "Loic", "date": "2026-10-01", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "This is a really great tool, the barrier to contribute is brought to nearly zero.", "excerpt": "I have been using StreetComplete on Android thanks to a comment here some weeks ago. This is a really great tool, the barrier to contribute is brought to nearly zero. The only one thing missing for me is a small history of my past contributions. At some point, I made a mistake and entered the wrong information (nothing terrible, the surface of a walkway, it was 30% one surface, 70% another, I gave the 30% value inste", "context": "", "use_case": "OpenStreetMap contributions", "switched_from": "", "story": "StreetComplete on iOS is now in public beta"}, {"id": 798724512, "item_id": 49920282, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49920282", "by": "elaus", "date": "2026-10-01", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "It's a great app, been using it on Android for years.", "excerpt": "It's a great app, been using it on Android for years. It has a really low barrier of entry (except maybe OSM account creation) and makes improving OpenStreetMap really easy even for people that have no experience with map editing. There's simple questions, e.g. about road surface or accessibility, with illustrated multiple-choice answers.", "context": "", "use_case": "improving OpenStreetMap", "switched_from": "", "story": "StreetComplete on iOS is now in public beta"}, {"id": 784424801, "item_id": 49026550, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49026550", "by": "hamiltont", "date": "2026-07-23", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I love street complete, it opens up OSM to so many beginners with the simple UX.", "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": "editing OSM", "switched_from": "", "story": "OpenStreetMap: Admin_level for All Countries"}]}, {"label": "Fun quests", "summary": "Game-like quests make mapping satisfying and pull people into editing.", "quotes": [{"id": 791700832, "item_id": 49481302, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49481302", "by": "hrnnnnnn", "date": "2026-08-28", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "If you want a fun and easy way to contribute to OSM I recommend StreetComplete.", "excerpt": "If you want a fun and easy way to contribute to OSM I recommend StreetComplete. You get a bunch of game-like quest icons for things like \"what is the surface of this path?\", and \"does this road have a cycle path?\", then you walk around and fill them in. Very satisfying and feels like you're doing something actually useful. Also nudges you to visit parts of your neighborhood you might never have been to before.", "context": "", "use_case": "contributing to OpenStreetMap", "switched_from": "", "story": "State of the Map 2026"}, {"id": 791719232, "item_id": 49482452, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49482452", "by": "basil", "date": "2026-08-28", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "StreetComplete got me editing more than anything else.", "excerpt": "Gamifying the map definitely helps to pull in contributors. StreetComplete got me editing more than anything else. I went a bit sideways with it: I used OSM data to build a territory game for cyclists, where you claim roads by riding them. It's heavily processed OSM data with PostGIS. The fun part was figuring out how to decide what counts as a claimable road in the first place. https://remap.earth", "context": "", "use_case": "editing OpenStreetMap", "switched_from": "", "story": "State of the Map 2026"}, {"id": 794890384, "item_id": 49680649, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49680649", "by": "agile-gift0262", "date": "2026-09-13", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "It's fun and satisfying to add many details that no other map has", "excerpt": "I use the Street Complete app, which shows missing data around me. It's fun and satisfying to add many details that no other map has, like accessibility of crosswalks or street lighting.", "context": "", "use_case": "adding OpenStreetMap data", "switched_from": "", "story": "Make your first edit to OpenStreetMap"}]}, {"label": "Fills idle time", "summary": "Nearby quests are easy to do while traveling or waiting a minute.", "quotes": [{"id": 791712001, "item_id": 49482000, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49482000", "by": "W3zzy", "date": "2026-08-28", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use mapcomplete or streetcomplete to kill time when traveling.", "excerpt": "True, I use mapcomplete or streetcomplete to kill time when traveling. I use public transport a lot. I've racked up thousands of minor edits, addi g opening hours, accesability info and what not to the map. It's been very satifactory. I work in public service and I've grotten so many people on board that the map in my region is pretty darned good.", "context": "works in public service", "use_case": "editing OpenStreetMap", "switched_from": "", "story": "State of the Map 2026"}, {"id": 781105536, "item_id": 48819096, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48819096", "by": "Krasnol", "date": "2026-07-07", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I love this tool.", "excerpt": "I love this tool. It brought me back to mapping on OSM. Wherever you are and need to wait for a minute, there are quests to be solved there. I recommend SCEE for those who are already familiar with OSM mapping or are in an area where the most common tasks are already covered: https://github.com/Helium314/SCEE", "context": "", "use_case": "fixing OpenStreetMap data", "switched_from": "", "story": "StreetComplete: Fixing OpenStreetMap, one tiny quest at a time"}]}, {"label": "Ground-truth QA", "summary": "It asks about existing map features and adds details like accessibility and opening hours.", "quotes": [{"id": 780896464, "item_id": 48806029, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48806029", "by": "ygra", "date": "2026-07-06", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "the UX is very well designed for beginners in my eyes (while still being useful for advanced mappers)", "excerpt": "As a frequent contributor myself I love StreetComplete and I wouldn't worry about it perhaps generating a few changesets more than strictly necessary (it tends to make one changeset per quest (with multiple amendments for individual answers) and also only during a certain time frame. Sure, that means that adding information to a staircase creates multiple changesets (incline, step_count, surface, handrail), but that ", "context": "frequent OSM contributor", "use_case": "OpenStreetMap contributions", "switched_from": "", "story": "Organic Maps"}, {"id": 794890384, "item_id": 49680649, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49680649", "by": "agile-gift0262", "date": "2026-09-13", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "It's fun and satisfying to add many details that no other map has", "excerpt": "I use the Street Complete app, which shows missing data around me. It's fun and satisfying to add many details that no other map has, like accessibility of crosswalks or street lighting.", "context": "", "use_case": "adding OpenStreetMap data", "switched_from": "", "story": "Make your first edit to OpenStreetMap"}, {"id": 791712001, "item_id": 49482000, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49482000", "by": "W3zzy", "date": "2026-08-28", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use mapcomplete or streetcomplete to kill time when traveling.", "excerpt": "True, I use mapcomplete or streetcomplete to kill time when traveling. I use public transport a lot. I've racked up thousands of minor edits, addi g opening hours, accesability info and what not to the map. It's been very satifactory. I work in public service and I've grotten so many people on board that the map in my region is pretty darned good.", "context": "works in public service", "use_case": "editing OpenStreetMap", "switched_from": "", "story": "State of the Map 2026"}]}, {"label": "Offline download", "summary": "You can download a location's data over wifi ahead of time.", "quotes": [{"id": 780964641, "item_id": 48810290, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48810290", "by": "Cider9986", "date": "2026-07-06", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "it puts quests around your location which ask you questions, it's user-friendly", "excerpt": "I use CoMaps, it works great. You get notified in the app to download the updated maps you selected every 2 weeks or so. Could be wildly different than that, just what I notice. It's timing estimates are often 5-15 minutes off Apple Maps, which I find accurate, on ~two hour drives, but I imagine it depends on the traffic. To improve OpenStreetMap, which CoMaps uses as the data source, I use StreetComplete[1]\u2013it puts ", "context": "", "use_case": "improving OpenStreetMap data", "switched_from": "", "story": "CoMaps \u2013 FOSS Offline Maps"}]}], "caveats": [{"label": "No edit history", "summary": "Users want to see past contributions and quickly revert mistakes.", "quotes": [{"id": 798731408, "item_id": 49920713, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49920713", "by": "Loic", "date": "2026-10-01", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "This is a really great tool, the barrier to contribute is brought to nearly zero.", "excerpt": "I have been using StreetComplete on Android thanks to a comment here some weeks ago. This is a really great tool, the barrier to contribute is brought to nearly zero. The only one thing missing for me is a small history of my past contributions. At some point, I made a mistake and entered the wrong information (nothing terrible, the surface of a walkway, it was 30% one surface, 70% another, I gave the 30% value inste", "context": "", "use_case": "OpenStreetMap contributions", "switched_from": "", "story": "StreetComplete on iOS is now in public beta"}, {"id": 798749904, "item_id": 49921869, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49921869", "by": "cbeach", "date": "2026-10-01", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Good app. Some feedback -", "excerpt": "Good app. Some feedback - I'd like to see native Apple sign-in, as opposed to via a WebView. When I used the WebView, the password text box was obscured and fiddly to fill in. There should be an easier way to dismiss something I've clicked on, than having to tap \"uh...\" and then dismiss two dialog boxes. Things that I've submitted (e.g. house numbers) should be visible on the map, to visually show my contribution pro", "context": "", "use_case": "mapping contributions", "switched_from": "", "story": "StreetComplete on iOS is now in public beta"}]}, {"label": "UI friction", "summary": "Users reported a fiddly WebView sign-in, clunky dismiss flow, and no zoom-to-location button.", "quotes": [{"id": 798749904, "item_id": 49921869, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49921869", "by": "cbeach", "date": "2026-10-01", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Good app. Some feedback -", "excerpt": "Good app. Some feedback - I'd like to see native Apple sign-in, as opposed to via a WebView. When I used the WebView, the password text box was obscured and fiddly to fill in. There should be an easier way to dismiss something I've clicked on, than having to tap \"uh...\" and then dismiss two dialog boxes. Things that I've submitted (e.g. house numbers) should be visible on the map, to visually show my contribution pro", "context": "", "use_case": "mapping contributions", "switched_from": "", "story": "StreetComplete on iOS is now in public beta"}, {"id": 781299888, "item_id": 48831243, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48831243", "by": "janpeuker", "date": "2026-07-08", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I love the app idea but I don't think it's beginner friendly", "excerpt": "I love the app idea but I don't think it's beginner friendly - for example it starts zoomed out of the globe and there is no button to zoom to the location; also it's unclear what the hatched lines until one zooms in.", "context": "", "use_case": "contributing to OpenStreetMap", "switched_from": "", "story": "StreetComplete: Fixing OpenStreetMap, one tiny quest at a time"}]}, {"label": "Limited for experts", "summary": "Experienced mappers point to SCEE as a more capable alternative.", "quotes": [{"id": 781193121, "item_id": 48824570, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48824570", "by": "khahlsvr", "date": "2026-07-07", "stance": "warn", "quote": "except perhaps StreetComplete which is just a crippled version of SCEE for me", "excerpt": "I have my mapping spells where I do OSM mapping for a week or a month and then I might not map for a year or two. For mobile mapping I have all those you mentioned installed. They all are useful for something, except perhaps StreetComplete which is just a crippled version of SCEE for me. I also have OSMFocus Reborn installed which I use if I want to inspect ways and nodes in an area when I'm not in the middle of edit", "context": "occasional OSM mapper", "use_case": "OSM mobile mapping", "switched_from": "", "story": "StreetComplete: Fixing OpenStreetMap, one tiny quest at a time"}, {"id": 781105536, "item_id": 48819096, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48819096", "by": "Krasnol", "date": "2026-07-07", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I love this tool.", "excerpt": "I love this tool. It brought me back to mapping on OSM. Wherever you are and need to wait for a minute, there are quests to be solved there. I recommend SCEE for those who are already familiar with OSM mapping or are in an area where the most common tasks are already covered: https://github.com/Helium314/SCEE", "context": "", "use_case": "fixing OpenStreetMap data", "switched_from": "", "story": "StreetComplete: Fixing OpenStreetMap, one tiny quest at a time"}]}, {"label": "iOS availability", "summary": "One user said the lack of iOS support kept them from mapping with friends.", "quotes": [{"id": 798804368, "item_id": 49925273, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49925273", "by": "alethic", "date": "2026-10-01", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "while I love doing StreetComplete quests myself", "excerpt": "I am incredibly excited for this -- while I love doing StreetComplete quests myself, the lack of iOS support has prevented me from grabbing my friends / random strangers and turning mapping my city into a social outing. I'm going to wait until it's officially available, but this is so wonderful... gosh, I can't wait. First style of quest I'm going to get ppl coordinated with is accurate hours on local businesses :^)", "context": "", "use_case": "mapping local area", "switched_from": "", "story": "StreetComplete on iOS is now in public beta"}]}, {"label": "Community reverts", "summary": "One user quit after other mappers reverted their edits over pedantic disputes.", "quotes": [{"id": 798787568, "item_id": 49924223, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49924223", "by": "atollk", "date": "2026-10-01", "stance": "warn", "quote": "It has ruined the fun in StreetComplete for me and I haven't participated since.", "excerpt": "I love the project idea, unfortunately I had bad experiences with the community. I had lots of fun walking my neighbourhood to perform quests in the app until like one or two other users started reverting my edits. I checked their comments and it was some weird pedantic arguments, like I shouldn't mark a street as not walkable because there is no official sign that prohibits walking; the fact that it's basically a hi", "context": "", "use_case": "mapping neighbourhood", "switched_from": "", "story": "StreetComplete on iOS is now in public beta"}]}], "who": [{"by": "W3zzy", "context": "works in public service", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49482000", "date": "2026-08-28"}, {"by": "ygra", "context": "frequent OSM contributor", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48806029", "date": "2026-07-06"}], "tags": ["for OSM beginners", "for Android users", "for walkers and commuters", "for accessibility mapping"], "use_cases": ["openstreetmap contributions", "editing openstreetmap", "contributing to openstreetmap", "mapping local area", "mapping neighbourhood", "mapping contributions"], "compared": [{"slug": "scee", "name": "SCEE", "co": 3, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "openstreetmap", "name": "OpenStreetMap", "co": 2, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "vespucci", "name": "Vespucci", "co": 2, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "every-door", "name": "Every Door", "co": 2, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}], "makers": [{"id": 795088112, "item_id": 49693007, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49693007", "by": "sargunv", "date": "2026-09-14", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I made a few dozen contributions from my iPhone while out on a walk last week.", "excerpt": "Working on it! There's a mostly functioning but somewhat buggy slop \"probe\" branch: https://github.com/streetcomplete/StreetComplete/pull/7068 we used to discover the remaining blockers, and I've been clearing those blockers in my MapLibre Compose library while working through a non-slop port of the map in https://github.com/streetcomplete/StreetComplete/pull/7088 I made a few dozen contributions from my iPhone while", "context": "working on iOS port", "use_case": "OpenStreetMap editing", "switched_from": "", "story": "Make your first edit to OpenStreetMap"}], "threads": [{"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49920160", "title": "StreetComplete on iOS is now in public beta", "mentions": 5}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49478401", "title": "State of the Map 2026", "mentions": 3}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48816883", "title": "StreetComplete: Fixing OpenStreetMap, one tiny quest at a time", "mentions": 3}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49674050", "title": "Make your first edit to OpenStreetMap", "mentions": 2}, {"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=48968010", "title": "OpenStreetMap: Admin_level for All Countries", "mentions": 1}], "sentiment_by_month": {"2025-11": {}, "2025-12": {}, "2026-01": {}, "2026-02": {}, "2026-03": {}, "2026-04": {}, "2026-05": {}, "2026-06": {}, "2026-07": {"recommend": 4, "warn": 1, "neutral": 1}, "2026-08": {"recommend": 3}, "2026-09": {"recommend": 2}, "2026-10": {"recommend": 4, "warn": 1}}, "quotes": [{"id": 798804368, "item_id": 49925273, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49925273", "by": "alethic", "date": "2026-10-01", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "while I love doing StreetComplete quests myself", "excerpt": "I am incredibly excited for this -- while I love doing StreetComplete quests myself, the lack of iOS support has prevented me from grabbing my friends / random strangers and turning mapping my city into a social outing. I'm going to wait until it's officially available, but this is so wonderful... gosh, I can't wait. First style of quest I'm going to get ppl coordinated with is accurate hours on local businesses :^)", "context": "", "use_case": "mapping local area", "switched_from": "", "story": "StreetComplete on iOS is now in public beta"}, {"id": 798787568, "item_id": 49924223, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49924223", "by": "atollk", "date": "2026-10-01", "stance": "warn", "quote": "It has ruined the fun in StreetComplete for me and I haven't participated since.", "excerpt": "I love the project idea, unfortunately I had bad experiences with the community. I had lots of fun walking my neighbourhood to perform quests in the app until like one or two other users started reverting my edits. I checked their comments and it was some weird pedantic arguments, like I shouldn't mark a street as not walkable because there is no official sign that prohibits walking; the fact that it's basically a hi", "context": "", "use_case": "mapping neighbourhood", "switched_from": "", "story": "StreetComplete on iOS is now in public beta"}, {"id": 798749904, "item_id": 49921869, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49921869", "by": "cbeach", "date": "2026-10-01", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Good app. Some feedback -", "excerpt": "Good app. Some feedback - I'd like to see native Apple sign-in, as opposed to via a WebView. When I used the WebView, the password text box was obscured and fiddly to fill in. There should be an easier way to dismiss something I've clicked on, than having to tap \"uh...\" and then dismiss two dialog boxes. Things that I've submitted (e.g. house numbers) should be visible on the map, to visually show my contribution pro", "context": "", "use_case": "mapping contributions", "switched_from": "", "story": "StreetComplete on iOS is now in public beta"}, {"id": 798731408, "item_id": 49920713, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49920713", "by": "Loic", "date": "2026-10-01", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "This is a really great tool, the barrier to contribute is brought to nearly zero.", "excerpt": "I have been using StreetComplete on Android thanks to a comment here some weeks ago. This is a really great tool, the barrier to contribute is brought to nearly zero. The only one thing missing for me is a small history of my past contributions. At some point, I made a mistake and entered the wrong information (nothing terrible, the surface of a walkway, it was 30% one surface, 70% another, I gave the 30% value inste", "context": "", "use_case": "OpenStreetMap contributions", "switched_from": "", "story": "StreetComplete on iOS is now in public beta"}, {"id": 798724512, "item_id": 49920282, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49920282", "by": "elaus", "date": "2026-10-01", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "It's a great app, been using it on Android for years.", "excerpt": "It's a great app, been using it on Android for years. It has a really low barrier of entry (except maybe OSM account creation) and makes improving OpenStreetMap really easy even for people that have no experience with map editing. There's simple questions, e.g. about road surface or accessibility, with illustrated multiple-choice answers.", "context": "", "use_case": "improving OpenStreetMap", "switched_from": "", "story": "StreetComplete on iOS is now in public beta"}, {"id": 794890384, "item_id": 49680649, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49680649", "by": "agile-gift0262", "date": "2026-09-13", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "It's fun and satisfying to add many details that no other map has", "excerpt": "I use the Street Complete app, which shows missing data around me. It's fun and satisfying to add many details that no other map has, like accessibility of crosswalks or street lighting.", "context": "", "use_case": "adding OpenStreetMap data", "switched_from": "", "story": "Make your first edit to OpenStreetMap"}, {"id": 794012081, "item_id": 49625755, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49625755", "by": "Vinnl", "date": "2026-09-09", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "for a phone I can highly recommend https://streetcomplete.app.", "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": "editing OSM on phone", "switched_from": "", "story": "How I advertise malicious software on Google Ads"}, {"id": 791719232, "item_id": 49482452, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49482452", "by": "basil", "date": "2026-08-28", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "StreetComplete got me editing more than anything else.", "excerpt": "Gamifying the map definitely helps to pull in contributors. StreetComplete got me editing more than anything else. I went a bit sideways with it: I used OSM data to build a territory game for cyclists, where you claim roads by riding them. It's heavily processed OSM data with PostGIS. The fun part was figuring out how to decide what counts as a claimable road in the first place. https://remap.earth", "context": "", "use_case": "editing OpenStreetMap", "switched_from": "", "story": "State of the Map 2026"}, {"id": 791712001, "item_id": 49482000, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49482000", "by": "W3zzy", "date": "2026-08-28", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use mapcomplete or streetcomplete to kill time when traveling.", "excerpt": "True, I use mapcomplete or streetcomplete to kill time when traveling. I use public transport a lot. I've racked up thousands of minor edits, addi g opening hours, accesability info and what not to the map. It's been very satifactory. I work in public service and I've grotten so many people on board that the map in my region is pretty darned good.", "context": "works in public service", "use_case": "editing OpenStreetMap", "switched_from": "", "story": "State of the Map 2026"}, {"id": 791700832, "item_id": 49481302, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49481302", "by": "hrnnnnnn", "date": "2026-08-28", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "If you want a fun and easy way to contribute to OSM I recommend StreetComplete.", "excerpt": "If you want a fun and easy way to contribute to OSM I recommend StreetComplete. You get a bunch of game-like quest icons for things like \"what is the surface of this path?\", and \"does this road have a cycle path?\", then you walk around and fill them in. Very satisfying and feels like you're doing something actually useful. Also nudges you to visit parts of your neighborhood you might never have been to before.", "context": "", "use_case": "contributing to OpenStreetMap", "switched_from": "", "story": "State of the Map 2026"}, {"id": 784424801, "item_id": 49026550, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49026550", "by": "hamiltont", "date": "2026-07-23", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I love street complete, it opens up OSM to so many beginners with the simple UX.", "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": "editing OSM", "switched_from": "", "story": "OpenStreetMap: Admin_level for All Countries"}, {"id": 781299888, "item_id": 48831243, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48831243", "by": "janpeuker", "date": "2026-07-08", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I love the app idea but I don't think it's beginner friendly", "excerpt": "I love the app idea but I don't think it's beginner friendly - for example it starts zoomed out of the globe and there is no button to zoom to the location; also it's unclear what the hatched lines until one zooms in.", "context": "", "use_case": "contributing to OpenStreetMap", "switched_from": "", "story": "StreetComplete: Fixing OpenStreetMap, one tiny quest at a time"}, {"id": 781193121, "item_id": 48824570, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48824570", "by": "khahlsvr", "date": "2026-07-07", "stance": "warn", "quote": "except perhaps StreetComplete which is just a crippled version of SCEE for me", "excerpt": "I have my mapping spells where I do OSM mapping for a week or a month and then I might not map for a year or two. For mobile mapping I have all those you mentioned installed. They all are useful for something, except perhaps StreetComplete which is just a crippled version of SCEE for me. I also have OSMFocus Reborn installed which I use if I want to inspect ways and nodes in an area when I'm not in the middle of edit", "context": "occasional OSM mapper", "use_case": "OSM mobile mapping", "switched_from": "", "story": "StreetComplete: Fixing OpenStreetMap, one tiny quest at a time"}, {"id": 781105536, "item_id": 48819096, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48819096", "by": "Krasnol", "date": "2026-07-07", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I love this tool.", "excerpt": "I love this tool. It brought me back to mapping on OSM. Wherever you are and need to wait for a minute, there are quests to be solved there. I recommend SCEE for those who are already familiar with OSM mapping or are in an area where the most common tasks are already covered: https://github.com/Helium314/SCEE", "context": "", "use_case": "fixing OpenStreetMap data", "switched_from": "", "story": "StreetComplete: Fixing OpenStreetMap, one tiny quest at a time"}, {"id": 780964641, "item_id": 48810290, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48810290", "by": "Cider9986", "date": "2026-07-06", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "it puts quests around your location which ask you questions, it's user-friendly", "excerpt": "I use CoMaps, it works great. You get notified in the app to download the updated maps you selected every 2 weeks or so. Could be wildly different than that, just what I notice. It's timing estimates are often 5-15 minutes off Apple Maps, which I find accurate, on ~two hour drives, but I imagine it depends on the traffic. To improve OpenStreetMap, which CoMaps uses as the data source, I use StreetComplete[1]\u2013it puts ", "context": "", "use_case": "improving OpenStreetMap data", "switched_from": "", "story": "CoMaps \u2013 FOSS Offline Maps"}, {"id": 780896464, "item_id": 48806029, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48806029", "by": "ygra", "date": "2026-07-06", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "the UX is very well designed for beginners in my eyes (while still being useful for advanced mappers)", "excerpt": "As a frequent contributor myself I love StreetComplete and I wouldn't worry about it perhaps generating a few changesets more than strictly necessary (it tends to make one changeset per quest (with multiple amendments for individual answers) and also only during a certain time frame. Sure, that means that adding information to a staircase creates multiple changesets (incline, step_count, surface, handrail), but that ", "context": "frequent OSM contributor", "use_case": "OpenStreetMap contributions", "switched_from": "", "story": "Organic Maps"}]}