Mapsmith
Interactive Google Maps store locator for unlimited businesses and locations. Stock themes, configurable sidebar, popover, and timezone-aware hours.
Use with caution
Mapsmith works, but test it on a staging site before relying on it in 2026. Was last updated 3 months ago, and scores 49/100 on our health check.
- Small user base (<10 active installs)
- Very few reviews so far
How does it stack up?
Side-by-side on installs, updates, ratings & support
Daily downloads
Download spikes usually follow a new release — each site that auto-updates counts as a download.
Rankings
Where Mapsmith stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| business locations | >100 |
| Google Maps | >100 |
| locations | >100 |
| map | >100 |
| Store locator | >100 |
About Mapsmith
From the official readme · v1.3.3Description
Mapsmith lets you build a multi-location store locator on WordPress with unlimited businesses, locations, and maps. Organize locations under businesses, build maps with the locations you want, and embed them anywhere with a simple shortcode.
Free Features:
- Unlimited businesses, locations, and maps — no caps
- 4 built-in map themes (Standard, Silver, Retro, Dark)
- Pin color and scale per business
- Standard fields per location: address, phone, hours, website, photo
- Default popover and sidebar with show/hide toggles for each field
- Hours display with timezone awareness, configurable formats (Smart / Full, day name styles, 12h / 24h)
- Map controls: zoom, fullscreen, scroll-to-zoom, map type, street view
- Sidebar layout: beside-map, overlay, left or right, configurable border radius
- Search box for filtering the location list
- Address autocomplete and geocoding via Google Places (uses your own API key)
- Multiple maps per page via the
[mapsmith id="X"]shortcode - Conditional asset loading — scripts only load on pages with the shortcode
- Multilingual / WPML / Polylang ready (uses standard WordPress i18n functions)
Mapsmith Pro (sold separately at https://mapsmith.app):
The free plugin can be extended with the Mapsmith Pro companion plugin, which adds:
- Bulk CSV import with server-side geocoding
- Custom popover layouts and field schemas per map
- Custom address fields per business
- Arbitrary key/value custom fields per location
- Custom map theme JSON (paste any Google Maps style)
- Per-instance scoped CSS
- Custom marker icons / SVGs per location
- Marker shape variations and stroke / shadow controls
- Marker clustering
- Frontend category / type filter
- “Find nearest” geolocation button, “Open now” badges, custom hours templates
- Multi-site license activations
- Priority email support
Pro is sold and distributed separately at https://mapsmith.app. It is not included in this plugin. The free plugin is fully functional on its own — every feature listed under “Free Features” above works without any license key, payment, or external account.
Shortcode Usage:
[mapsmith id="1"]
Replace 1 with the ID of the map you created in the admin panel.
External services
Mapsmith connects to the following external services. Each service is described below with the data sent, when it is sent, and links to its terms and privacy policy.
Google Maps Platform (required)
Mapsmith renders maps using the Google Maps JavaScript API and provides address autocomplete via the Places API. Both libraries are loaded directly into your visitors’ browsers from Google’s servers when a page containing the [mapsmith] shortcode is viewed, and when the location editor is open in the WordPress admin. The browser sends the parameters required by Google to load the libraries (your API key and the requested libraries) along with the visitor’s IP address; address-autocomplete queries additionally send the characters the user types into the address field. No data is sent to Mapsmith as part of this.
This service is provided by Google.
- Terms of Service: https://cloud.google.com/maps-platform/terms
- Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy
Mapsmith license validation (only if you enter a Pro license key)
If you choose to enter a Mapsmith Pro license key under Mapsmith → Settings → License, the plugin contacts the Mapsmith licensing server to verify the key. A request is sent when you click “Activate,” when you click “Deactivate,” and once every five days while a key is stored, to confirm the key has not been revoked. Each request includes only:
- The license key you entered
- Your site URL (to scope activations)
Mapsmith Pro is sold separately at https://mapsmith.app and is not included in this plugin. The license-key field has no effect on this plugin’s behavior — every feature here is fully available regardless of whether a key is entered.
This service is provided by Strode Media Co (Mapsmith).
- Terms of Service: https://mapsmith.app/terms-of-service
- Privacy Policy: https://mapsmith.app/privacy-policy
Usage data (opt-in, off by default)
If you opt in under Mapsmith → Settings → Other, the plugin sends a small usage report to the Mapsmith server once per day, and immediately after a successful license activation. This is off by default — nothing is sent unless you explicitly enable it. The request includes:
- Plugin version, WordPress version, PHP version
- Locale and server timezone
- Whether the site is part of a multisite network
- Your stored license plan (free / pro / agency)
- Total counts of businesses, locations, and maps configured (numbers only — no names, no addresses, no content)
- Your site URL (to identify the source)
Beyond your site URL (sent so we can identify the source of the report), no personal data, no map content, no business or location details, and no visitor information are ever sent. You can disable usage reporting at any time from the same screen, which stops further requests immediately.
This service is provided by Strode Media Co (Mapsmith).
- Terms of Service: https://mapsmith.app/terms-of-service
- Privacy Policy: https://mapsmith.app/privacy-policy
Installation
- Upload the
mapsmithfolder to the/wp-content/plugins/directory. - Activate the plugin through the ‘Plugins’ menu in WordPress.
- Navigate to Mapsmith > Settings and enter your Google Maps API key.
- Create businesses under Mapsmith > Businesses.
- Add locations to each business.
- Create a map under Mapsmith > Maps and assign locations to it.
- Embed the map using the
[mapsmith id="X"]shortcode.
Frequently asked questions
What Google Maps API key do I need?
You need a Google Maps Platform API key with the Maps JavaScript API, Places API, and Marker library enabled. You can create one in the Google Cloud Console.
How many businesses, locations, and maps can I create?
Unlimited. Mapsmith places no caps on businesses, locations, or maps.
Can I have multiple maps on the same page?
Yes. Each [mapsmith id="X"] shortcode renders an independent map instance.
How do I customize pin colors?
Pin colors are set at the business level. Navigate to Mapsmith > Businesses, edit a business, and choose a pin color. You can also override pin styling at the map level in the Map Editor.
Does the plugin work with Google Maps styling / Map IDs?
Yes. Enter your cloud-based Map ID in Mapsmith > Settings to apply custom map styling created in the Google Maps Platform Cloud Console.
How do I upgrade to Mapsmith Pro?
Mapsmith Pro is a separate companion plugin sold at mapsmith.app. To upgrade: Purchase a Pro or Agency license at mapsmith.app/pricing. You’ll receive an email with your license key and a download link for the Mapsmith Pro plugin (mapsmith-pro.zip). In your WordPress admin, go to Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin, upload the zip, and click Install Now → Activate. Open Mapsmith → Settings → License in your WordPress admin, paste your license key, and click Activate. Pro features (CSV import, custom popovers, marker clustering, custom themes, etc.) appear automatically — your existing…
What happens if I don’t renew my Pro license?
Your activated sites keep working — Pro features stay enabled. Only plugin updates and email support require an active subscription.
Changelog
1.3.3
- Clarified the external-services disclosure: the opt-in usage report is now described as “usage data” (not “anonymous”) and explicitly notes that the site URL is included, so the readme matches exactly what the code sends.
- Packaging: excluded the development-only
tools/directory (local reseed helper) from the distributed build so only runtime code ships. - Synced the readme stable tag with the plugin version. No functional changes to the plugin.
1.3.2
- Documentation and packaging hardening for the WordPress.org build. No changes to plugin behavior, data, or stored settings.
1.3.1
- Removed all Pro-only feature code paths from the free build (custom popover schemas, custom address/location field editors, custom map theme JSON, per-map scoped CSS, custom marker icons, marker shape/stroke/shadow controls, marker clustering, frontend category filter, CSV import, “Find nearest” geolocation, “Open now” badges, custom hours templates). These features now live exclusively in the optional Mapsmith Pro companion plugin (sold separately at https://mapsmith.app).
- Reduced built-in stock themes from 10 to 4 (Standard, Silver, Retro, Dark). Custom theme JSON is a Pro-only feature.
1.3.0
- Refocused the WordPress.org build on the core multi-location-map workflow. Advanced features (custom popover/address/location field schemas, custom map theme JSON, per-instance scoped CSS, custom marker icons, marker clustering, frontend category filter, bulk CSV import with geocoding, custom hours templates, “find nearest” geolocation button) are now part of the optional Mapsmith Pro companion plugin available at https://mapsmith.app.
- Free plugin remains fully functional with no caps, no trials, and no locked features. Every feature listed in the readme is fully available without a license.
- Added
mapsmith_shortcode_configandmapsmith_shortcode_htmlfilters so Pro and other extensions can extend the front-end output.
1.2.1
- Removed all license-based feature gates. Every feature in the plugin (unlimited businesses, unlimited locations, unlimited maps, custom map themes, custom popovers, custom address fields, scoped per-map CSS, bulk CSV import) is now fully available without a license.
- Hardened JSON payloads (popover fields, address fields, custom location fields, hours, map theme JSON, map-location assignments, CSV imports) with a recursive sanitizer at the AJAX boundary so every leaf string is passed through
sanitize_text_field()before storage. - Hardened the
[mapsmith]shortcode output: configuration JSON is encoded withJSON_HEX_TAG | JSON_HEX_AMP | JSON_HEX_APOS | JSON_HEX_QUOTso user-supplied data cannot break out of the data<script>tag. - Removed the front-end “Powered by Mapsmith” attribution link.
- Documented all external services (Google Maps Platform, Mapsmith license validation, opt-in anonymous telemetry) in the readme with explicit terms and privacy links.
1.2.0
- Free tier now allows unlimited locations on one map per site (was capped at 3 locations). A small “Powered by Mapsmith” attribution link is displayed on free maps and removed when a Pro or Agency license is activated.
- Bulk CSV import is now a Pro-tier feature.
Screenshots
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Best Mapsmith alternatives
All business locations plugins →
FAQ
Mapsmith: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Sep 30, 2026
Is Mapsmith free?
Yes. Mapsmith is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is Mapsmith safe to use in 2026?
Mapsmith works, but test it on a staging site before relying on it in 2026. Was last updated 3 months ago, and scores 49/100 on our health check.
How many websites use Mapsmith?
Mapsmith is active on <10 WordPress websites and has been downloaded 229 times since it launched in June 2026. It was downloaded 67 times in the last 30 days.
Does Mapsmith work with WordPress 7.1?
Mapsmith is officially tested up to WordPress 7.0.6, while the latest release is 7.1.2. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.
What PHP version does Mapsmith need?
Mapsmith requires PHP 7.4 or higher. Most hosts run PHP 8.x today, so it works on any modern WordPress hosting.
When was Mapsmith last updated?
The latest version, 1.3.3, was released on June 24, 2026 (3 months ago).
Who makes Mapsmith?
Mapsmith is developed and maintained by strodemediaco.
What are the best alternatives to Mapsmith?
The most popular alternatives to Mapsmith are Store Locator for WordPress📍 (1K+ installs), CM Map Locations (70+ installs) and Interactive Map Widget (10+ installs).
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