OpenStreetMap is a map of the world, created by people like you and free to use under an open licence.
OpenStreetMap
OpenStreetMap is the privacy foundation the whole category rests on: a free, openly licensed map of the world that, unlike Google Maps, has no commercial incentive to log where you are looking. As a website it is more of a data source and reference map than a turn-by-turn navigation app, so most people will actually use it through apps built on top of it. Support it and use it as your base layer; for everyday navigation, reach for OsmAnd or Organic Maps.
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OpenStreetMap alternatives
Free to use and modify, but anything you distribute that is built on it must also be open under the same license.
Permits
- Commercial use
- Modification
- Distribution
- Private use
Requires
- Disclose source
- Same license
- State changes
- License and copyright notice
Does not provide
- Liability cover
- Warranty
Why it matters: Strong copyleft keeps every distributed version open. A vendor cannot fold this into a closed product and ship it without releasing their changes.
Plain-language summary of the project's license, not legal advice. Read the full text for the exact terms.