H3: Uber's hexagonal hierarchical spatial index. PostGIS: Spatial database extension for PostgreSQL.
| H3 | PostGIS | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Spatial Analysis & GeoAI | Spatial Analysis & GeoAI |
| Pricing model | Open source | Open source |
| Starts at | Free | Free |
| Free tier | — | — |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Software licence | Apache-2.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| API | — | — |
| Platforms | Python, JavaScript, Command line | Linux, Windows, macOS |
| Made by | — | — |
| Commercial use | Check terms | Allowed |
| Export / print images | Check terms | Allowed |
| Offline / caching | Check terms | Allowed |
| Visits from MapTools | 2 | 3 |
| Visit | Visit |
H3 features
- Hexagonal global grid
- Hierarchical resolutions
- Bindings for many languages
- Supported in BigQuery, Snowflake, DuckDB
PostGIS features
- Geometry, geography and raster types
- Spatial indexes
- Hundreds of ST_ functions
- Topology and routing (pgRouting)
Summary based on public information. Check each provider's current pricing and terms.