FreeMapTools Radius — Alternative
A modern alternative to the classic FreeMapTools radius tool — written for the specific workflow tradeoffs between the two.
By the Map With Radius editorial team
FreeMapTools: What It Does Well
FreeMapTools' “Radius Around a Point” tool is a long-running free utility with a loyal user base. It offers KML export, CSV import for bulk radius creation, customizable circle colors, and shareable URLs. The tool is free and requires no account.
Where Map With Radius Improves
| Feature | FreeMapTools | Map With Radius |
|---|---|---|
| Address search | Coordinates, city name, or “use location” only — no full address search | Full address, zip code, city, landmark, or coordinates |
| Mobile experience | Not optimized for mobile screens | Fully responsive, touch-friendly |
| Map technology | Google Maps (API costs for operators) | OpenStreetMap + Leaflet (no API costs) |
| UI design | Functional but dated, older interface style | Clean, modern interface |
| Circle interaction | Enter radius in text field + click “Edit” | Drag edge to resize, click to edit |
| PNG export | Not available | Available |
| Drive time / isochrone | Not available | Available |
Technical deep-dive: the CSV bulk import workflow
The single feature where FreeMapTools genuinely outperforms most other radius tools is bulk CSV import. The workflow accepts a CSV with one row per point (latitude, longitude, and optionally radius, label, and color) and draws every circle at once. For teams plotting service-area radii around dozens or hundreds of locations — chain restaurants, retail stores, sales territories — this collapses an otherwise tedious one-circle-at-a-time process into a single upload.
The CSV import has known constraints worth understanding before you commit to it:
- No address geocoding. The CSV must contain pre-computed latitude and longitude — you can't upload “123 Main St, Boston” and let the tool geocode in bulk. If your source data is addresses, run them through a geocoder (Nominatim, the Google Geocoding API, or Mapbox) first.
- Practical row ceiling. FreeMapTools renders circles client-side in JavaScript, and browser performance starts to degrade past a few hundred circles on a single map. For 1,000+ point datasets, a desktop GIS tool (QGIS, ArcGIS) gives smoother interaction.
- No export back to CSV with computed fields. The import is one-way: CSV in, visual map out. If you want to compute “which points fall within X km of point Y,” that's a different analytical step the FreeMapTools tool doesn't do.
- Shared map only. Each upload produces a public visualisation; the tool doesn't persist your dataset across sessions, so re-running an analysis later means re-uploading the CSV.
Map With Radius doesn't support CSV bulk import today. The intended workflow for multiple radii is different: URL-encode each individual circle's coordinates and radius, then either share each URL separately or programmatically generate a batch. For three or four circles that's fine; for thirty, the CSV approach wins; for three hundred, neither tool is the right answer — that's a QGIS or ArcGIS workflow.
Who Should Still Use FreeMapTools
FreeMapTools is the right choice when:
- You have a CSV of pre-geocoded points and need all radii on one map.
- You specifically want the Google Maps visual style for screenshots or embeds.
- You need the in-radius area calculation feature (area in km² or mi² inside the circle).
- You're comfortable with an older interface style and aren't working from a phone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is FreeMapTools free?
Can FreeMapTools import a CSV of points?
Does FreeMapTools export KML?
Why would I use Map With Radius over FreeMapTools?
Is FreeMapTools or Map With Radius better for shareable URLs?
If you're switching from FreeMapTools
For a single radius (no CSV bulk), the migration path is essentially zero-friction — the same coordinates and radius value produce the same circle. The change you'll notice is the address-search behaviour: you can type a street address in Map With Radius and it resolves directly, whereas FreeMapTools wants the coordinates or city name. Here's the practical hand-over:
- Note your existing radius value and center coordinates from the FreeMapTools URL (look for the lat, lng, and radius query parameters).
- Open the main radius tool and either paste the coordinates into the search box or type the address. The map centers and draws the circle in one step.
- If you want a different unit, toggle miles ↔ kilometers in the controls — the radius value converts automatically.
- For a shareable link, click “Copy link”. The URL now encodes the coordinates and radius directly, which means recipients open the exact map you saw.
If your FreeMapTools workflow depends on the CSV import — keep using it for that case. For everything else, the modern interface is the upgrade.