Smappee API vs What3Words
Same instrument, two spec sheets — measured, not claimed.
Smappee API vs What3Words: common questions
Which is more reliable, Smappee API or What3Words?
Both are neck-and-neck — Smappee API and What3Words each measure 100% uptime over 90 days on our probe schedule. Reliability here is verified from our own scheduled checks; use the 30-day bars above to see which has been steadier lately.
Which is faster, Smappee API or What3Words?
What3Words has the lower median latency in our checks — Smappee API responds in 809 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 Smappee API and What3Words need an API key?
Both ask you to authenticate — Smappee API uses an API key and What3Words uses an API key. Each key is free to obtain; the Auth and Card-required rows above spell out the signup terms.
Can I call Smappee API and What3Words from the browser?
Neither sends browser-friendly CORS headers reliably, so call Smappee API 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 Smappee API and What3Words free for commercial use?
Smappee API 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.