Comparison

what3words vs Garmin Explore™

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

what3words

This app assigns a unique three-word address to every 10-foot square on Earth. Easily find, share, and navigate to precise locations worldwide using simple word combinations. It's ideal for pinpointing exact meeting spots, deliveries, or even emergency services.

Highlights
  • Navigate using three-word addresses
  • Share precise locations
  • Find current address offline
  • Compatible with navigation apps
  • Save and categorize favorite locations
  • Offline navigation with compass mode
  • Supports over 60 languages
Features
Read full description

what3words is an easy way to identify precise locations. Every 10 foot square has been given a unique combination of three words: a what3words address. Now you can find, share and navigate to precise locations using three simple words. Use what3words to: - Find your way anywhere in the world using just three words - Plan exact meet-up locations - Help people find your apartment, business or Airbnb - Always find your way back to your parking space - Save key locations, from incident reporting to delivery entrances - Save your favorite memorable spots – a sunset, a waterfall, proposal location - Guide people to accessible entrances - Help emergency services find you You can find what3words addresses in travel guides, website contact pages, invitations, travel booking confirmations and more – anywhere you would normally find location information. If you’re invited to a friend’s home, ask them to share their what3words address. Popular features: - Find your current what3words address offline - Compatible with navigation apps, including Apple Maps and Google Maps - Save your favourite locations, categorise and share them as lists - AutoSuggest prompts you with intelligent suggestions - Available in over 60 languages - Navigate offline with compass mode - Add a what3words address to a photo If you experience any problems or have any questions, email us at support@what3words.com EULA: https://what3words.com/terms

About

Garmin Explore™

Navigate off-grid with this app, which pairs with a compatible Garmin device for trip planning, mapping, and navigation even without Wi-Fi or cellular service. Plan routes, download maps for offline use, and sync data to the cloud.

Highlights
  • Off-grid navigation
  • Trip planning
  • Offline map downloads
  • Pair and sync with Garmin device
  • Activity library
  • Cloud storage
  • LiveTrack location sharing
Currently charting
Read full description

OFF-GRID NAVIGATION When paired with your compatible Garmin device(1), the Garmin Explore app lets you use your mobile device for outdoor navigation, trip planning, mapping and more — with or without Wi-Fi® connectivity or cellular service. SEARCH TOOL Easily locate geographic points — such as trailheads or mountain summits — associated with your adventure. STREAMING MAPS For pre-trip planning, you can use the Garmin Explore app to stream maps when you’re within cellular or Wi-Fi range — saving valuable time as well as storage space on your mobile device. Download maps for offline use when venturing outside cellular range. PAIR, SYNC AND SHARE With Garmin Explore, you can pair your smartphone or tablet with your compatible Garmin device to sync and share data for off-grid adventures. Use downloadable maps for navigation anywhere. EASY TRIP PLANNING Plan your next trip by downloading maps and creating courses. Specify your start and finish points, and automatically create a course you can sync with your compatible Garmin device. ACTIVITY LIBRARY Under the Saved tab, review and edit your organized data, including your saved waypoints, tracks, courses and activities. See map thumbnails to easily recognize your trips. SAVED COLLECTIONS The collections list allows you to quickly find all data related to any trip — making it easy to sort and locate the course or location you’re looking for. CLOUD STORAGE The waypoints, courses and activities you’ve created will automatically sync to your Garmin Explore web account when you’re within cellular or Wi-Fi range, preserving your activity data with cloud storage. A Garmin account is required for storing your data in the cloud. LIVETRACK™ With the use of the LiveTrack™ feature, loved ones can follow your location in real time(2) and see data such as distance, time and elevation. What You Get with Garmin Explore • Unlimited map downloads; access topographic maps, USGS quad sheets and more • Aerial imagery • Waypoints, tracking and route navigation • High-detail GPS trip logging and location sharing • Unlimited cloud storage of routes, waypoints, tracks, and activities • Online trip planning 1. https://explore.garmin.com/appcompatibility 2. When used with your compatible smartphone, the Garmin Explore® app and your compatible inReach® technology-enabled Garmin device. The Bluetooth word mark and logos are registered trademarks owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of such marks by Garmin is under license.

Screenshots

what3words4 screens
Garmin Explore™4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: what3words at 4.8 against Garmin Explore™'s 4.1. what3words also leads on ratings volume (44K vs 1K) and update cadence (weekly vs monthly). Garmin Explore™'s advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ads (none vs shown). On price, chart position and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. what3words sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.69 per month. Garmin Explore™ asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

what3words holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: what3words has 44K ratings behind it against 1K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 56% of what3words's written reviews are positive against 46% of Garmin Explore™'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

what3words ships an update weekly, Garmin Explore™ monthly. Both last shipped on October 17, 2026.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
what3words versus Garmin Explore™: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameterwhat3wordsGarmin Explore™
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (44K ratings) — better4.1 (1K ratings)
Positive reviews56.1% of reviews — better45.8% of reviews
Number of ratings44K — better1K
Update frequencyWeekly — betterMonthly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#111#106 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.1 — better18.4
Further details — not scored
Size315 MB452 MB
Age rating4+12+
Developerwhat3words Ltd.Garmin

Customer experience

what3words

All ratings44,004 ratings
Positive95.3%
Neutral3.1%
Negative1.6%
Written reviews876 reviews
Positive56.1%
Neutral6.4%
Negative37.6%

Garmin Explore™

All ratings1,046 ratings
Positive77.5%
Neutral5.8%
Negative16.6%
Written reviews958 reviews
Positive45.8%
Neutral11.3%
Negative42.9%

User reviews

what3words

From 44K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Accurate location tracking
  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🚑 Potentially life-saving in emergencies
  • 🗺️ Precise location sharing
  • 🤝 Helpful for meeting up with friends/family

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Inconsistent location accuracy
  • 🤔 Confusing/not well-explained
  • 📱 Requires data/cellular connectivity
  • 🗺️ Outdated map data
  • 🔍 Difficult to find/search saved locations

Garmin Explore™

From 1K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🚀 Excellent for planning routes and activities
  • 💡 Great for offline navigation with downloaded maps
  • 👍 Seamless integration with Garmin devices
  • 👍 Useful for tracking and sharing adventures

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Sync issues with Garmin devices
  • 🔍 Lacking detailed map options in some regions
  • 🔍 Confusing interface and terminology
  • 🐛 Crashes and performance issues
  • 🔒 Requires login and internet connection for full functionality

Bugs and requests

what3words

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Location changes unexpectedly
  • App crashes on launch
  • Unable to select country/language

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add ability to sort/organize saved locations
  • Integrate with contacts/address book
  • Provide voice output for location names
  • Offer offline map downloads
  • Develop a version for seniors/accessibility
Show 1 more
  • Integrate with popular navigation apps

Garmin Explore™

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Sync failures between app and Garmin devices
  • Disappearing or corrupted user data
  • Compatibility issues with newer iOS/Android versions
  • Unreliable offline map downloads

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to edit waypoint coordinates
  • More customization options for map layers and displays
  • Improved route planning and navigation features
  • Better syncing and data management between app and devices
  • Support for more Garmin device models

In-app purchases

2 purchases

what3words

Subscriptions2
  • what3words Pro$4.691 Month
  • what3words Pro7 Days trial$39.991 Year
None

Garmin Explore™

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is what3words free?
what3words is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Garmin Explore™ free?
Garmin Explore™ is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, what3words or Garmin Explore™?
what3words is rated higher. what3words averages 4.8 out of 5 from 44K ratings, while Garmin Explore™ averages 4.1 from 1K ratings.
Do what3words or Garmin Explore™ have ads?
what3words shows ads; Garmin Explore™ does not.
Which is updated more often, what3words or Garmin Explore™?
what3words ships an update weekly, and Garmin Explore™ monthly. Most recently, what3words was updated on October 17, 2026 and Garmin Explore™ on October 17, 2026.
Which is more popular, what3words or Garmin Explore™?
what3words currently peaks at #111 in the App Store charts, and Garmin Explore™ at #106. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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