H3: Uber's hexagonal hierarchical spatial index. Nominatim: Open-source geocoding with OpenStreetMap data.
| H3 | Nominatim | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Spatial Analysis & GeoAI | Geocoding, Routing & Location APIs |
| Pricing model | Open source | Open source |
| Starts at | Free | Free |
| Free tier | — | — |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Software licence | Apache-2.0 | GPL-3.0 (software), ODbL (data) |
| API | — | Yes |
| Platforms | Python, JavaScript, Command line | API, Linux |
| Made by | — | — |
| Commercial use | Check terms | With conditions |
| Export / print images | Check terms | Allowed |
| Offline / caching | Check terms | Allowed |
| Visits from MapTools | 2 | 2 |
| Visit | Visit |
H3 features
- Hexagonal global grid
- Hierarchical resolutions
- Bindings for many languages
- Supported in BigQuery, Snowflake, DuckDB
Nominatim features
- Forward and reverse geocoding
- OpenStreetMap data
- Self-hostable
- Structured and free-form search
The public nominatim.openstreetmap.org instance allows at most 1 request per second and no bulk geocoding. Self-host for heavy or commercial workloads.
Nominatim alternativesSummary based on public information. Check each provider's current pricing and terms.