Top 10 Best Websites for Viewing Online Maps

Bing Maps is one of the flagship products from the tech giant Microsoft. Bing Maps allows users to search for businesses, addresses, locations, and street names around the world. It offers various perspectives such as street view, satellite view, and a hybrid view.

Bing Maps also provides bird's-eye images for many major cities worldwide, as well as 3D maps with the ability to explore virtual 3D views, zoom in, and zoom out to explore areas and buildings in 3D. Despite some debates surrounding this online mapping tool, it remains an invaluable resource for many users.

Website: https://www.bing.com/maps

Yandex Maps is an online map service developed by the Russian tech giant Yandex. Over 60% of internet users in Russia use Yandex products. Yandex is primarily focused on search engines, web browsers, cloud storage, and more, which means that Yandex Maps is not the company's flagship product.

Yandex Maps offers only a drawing-style map and lacks satellite imagery like other major competitors. While it has its limitations, we cannot overlook the value Yandex Maps provides to its users.

Website: https://yandex.com/maps/

DiaDiem.com is a popular online map service from Vietnam, developed by DiaDiem JSC. DiaDiem.com is recognized as one of the most reliable mapping websites in the country, gaining increasing popularity on the internet. The site offers online maps to help you easily search for locations and get convenient route directions.

Additionally, DiaDiem.com provides reliable map services for navigation with valuable features like the ability to search for popular destinations and a 2D drawing option overlaid on satellite maps.

Website: http://diadiem.com/

VietBanDo is known as a multi-scale online mapping system designed to assist users in accessing map-related services via both web and WAP browsers. The VietBanDo map system is built on a comprehensive database of maps and attribute data.

The website features a highly organized and cohesive layout, providing complete geographic information, location details, and additional services for the best user support. VietBanDo.com offers administrative map information for all 63 provinces of Vietnam with zoomable scales. Tailored specifically for Vietnam, VietBanDo offers highly user-friendly tools.

Website: http://maps.vietbando.com/maps/

Baidu Maps is a product from China's leading search engine company, Baidu. This online map service is available only in Chinese and is primarily limited to use in China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. As of late 2016, Baidu Maps had detailed map data for over 150 cities and provinces.

In addition to offering location and route searches, Baidu Maps also includes features such as walking directions, public transportation routes, and more—similar to the features found in Google Maps. Baidu Maps also provides apps for both iOS and Android devices.

Website: https://map.baidu.com/

OpenStreetMap.org is an online mapping service founded in 2004 in the UK by Steve Coast. Shortly after its launch, it gained around 2 million users. OpenStreetMap.org allows you to search for places, access GPS services, and explore a range of other interesting features.

While OpenStreetMap.org has a slight drawback with its color scheme on the map, the benefits it offers users are undeniable.

Website: https://www.openstreetmap.org/

MapQuest.com is a free online mapping service by the American company AOL. In 2015, it was considered one of the top online maps, second only to Google Maps. MapQuest.com is praised for its user-friendly interface, comprehensive features, and attractive visuals.

One standout feature of MapQuest.com is its ability to search for specific types of places such as restaurants, hotels, and more—an essential tool for travelers.

Website: https://www.mapquest.com/

Google Maps is the most popular and widely used online mapping service, and it is also the best offering from the tech giant Google. Google Maps was developed to replace traditional paper maps. With just a compact smartphone, you can easily find your way to any location you wish to visit and access nearby services in a matter of moments.

To make the most out of Google Maps, it's recommended to use it alongside a GPS system. This global positioning system allows you to pinpoint your current location, and with GPS, you can quickly determine the fastest routes and directions. The quality of the visuals on Google Maps is superb, and the maps are constantly updated more quickly than other services. In addition, Google Maps features voice-guided navigation, real-time traffic monitoring, and more.

Website: https://www.google.com/maps/

Wikimapia.org might be confused with Wikipedia and the Wikimedia Foundation, but it is actually an online mapping service that combines Google Maps with a wiki system. This allows users to freely add information (in the form of messages) to any location across the globe.

Wikimapia.org was launched in 2006 with the goal of "describing the entire world." A unique feature of Wikimapia is that it allows you to view a variety of other online map services, such as Google Maps, Yahoo Maps, and Bing Maps.

Website: https://wikimapia.org/

Yahoo Map is Yahoo!'s own online mapping service. Yahoo Map features a user-friendly interface, high-quality images, and regularly updated maps, though slightly behind Google Maps in terms of updates. While Yahoo Map offers very detailed maps for major cities, its coverage of rural areas is still quite limited and cannot match the depth of Google Maps.

Nevertheless, many users continue to rely on Yahoo Map for its simplicity and the familiarity it offers, which makes it difficult for them to switch to other mapping services.

Website: https://map.yahoo.co.jp/