Pinball Map vs What3Words

Same instrument, two spec sheets — measured, not claimed.

Uptime · 30d
Uptime · 90d52.0%100%
Uptime · 30d18.3%100%
P50 · ms540391
P95 · ms11071181
AuthnoneapiKey
CORSnono
HTTPSyesyes
Card requirednono
Commercial useunclearunclear
Data licenseAttribution requested; license unspecifiedUnverified
Free tierFree — no key requiredFree tier — key may be required
Rate limitNo hard limit; heavy/bulk use may be blockedUnpublished
In directory since2026-07-052026-07-05
operationalpartialdownno data

Pinball Map vs What3Words: common questions

Which is more reliable, Pinball Map or What3Words?

On our scheduled checks, What3Words leads on measured uptime — Pinball Map at 52.0% versus What3Words at 100% over 90 days. These are our own probe results, not provider claims; the uptime bars above show the day-by-day record for both.

Which is faster, Pinball Map or What3Words?

What3Words has the lower median latency in our checks — Pinball Map responds in 540 ms versus What3Words at 391 ms (P50). Tail latency (P95) is in the table above; for most workloads the median is the number that shapes how the API feels.

Do Pinball Map and What3Words need an API key?

Pinball Map needs no key, while What3Words requires a free API key. If you want to start calling without signup, reach for Pinball Map first.

Can I call Pinball Map and What3Words from the browser?

Neither sends browser-friendly CORS headers reliably, so call Pinball Map and What3Words from a server or proxy rather than client-side. The CORS and HTTPS rows above show exactly what we detected for each.

Are Pinball Map and What3Words free for commercial use?

Pinball Map has unclear commercial terms, and What3Words has unclear commercial terms. We track service terms and the data license as separate fields — see the Commercial use and Data license rows above, and confirm both before shipping either in a paid product.