PrivacyTools.io
Reviewed by Gabriel Bachmann
OpenStreetMap logo

OpenStreetMap

openstreetmap.org
4.8 (9)
Rate OpenStreetMap:
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OpenStreetMap is a map of the world, created by people like you and free to use under an open licence.

Threat level
Covered

A covered pick. Anyone can use it as a private drop-in, with no setup or know-how. Enough for most people. Threat levels

Screenshot of the OpenStreetMap website
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Our take

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.

GPL-2.0 openstreetmaprails-applicationruby
Stars
2,878
+11 this week
Forks
1,102
102 watching
Last commit
today
healthy
Star history
Issues
81% closed
546
open
2,295
closed
+18 / -18
opened / closed, last 4 weeks
Opened vs closed, last 12 weeks
Commits, last 26 weeks
750 commits, active 26 of 26 weeks
265 contributors since May 2010
Languages
  • Ruby 78.6%
  • HTML 8.9%
  • JavaScript 7.7%
  • Other 4.8%
Updated daily from the GitHub API. Star tracking since Jun 15, 2026.
Website at a glance
openstreetmap.org
B score 75
Solid website security headers
Graded by Mozilla HTTP Observatory, tested 13d ago

Measures the security configuration of the tool's own website, not the privacy of the product itself. A strong tool can still score low here.

OpenStreetMap alternatives

OpenStreetMap license, in plain English
GPL-2.0
Strong copyleft

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.