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Comparison Guide

ExpoFP vs Mapsted

ExpoFP is the floor-plan-first platform for events and venues, with wayfinding, kiosks and available blue-dot positioning, while Mapsted is an indoor positioning and location-intelligence vendor built around hardware-free positioning, analytics and SDKs for permanent buildings.

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  • Prepared by the ExpoFP product team
  • Last verified: October 2026

  • Free

    plan available

  • 7-day

    full-featured trial

  • $149/mo

    published DIY pricing from

  • No app

    needed for web wayfinding

Overview

Mapsted is a Canadian indoor location technology company, founded in 2014 and based in Oakville, Ontario. Its public materials describe a patented, hardware-free positioning approach that works without Bluetooth beacons or dedicated Wi-Fi infrastructure. Around that core it offers interactive maps, blue-dot navigation, wayfinding, a mapping CMS, location marketing (such as geofencing and contextual messaging), location analytics (heat maps, traffic flow, dwell time), and IoT products for asset and personnel tracking. It publishes an SDK for Android, iOS and web, and lists industries that include shopping malls, hospitals, transportation hubs, universities, museums, stadiums, corporate offices and multi-event facilities. For venue operators who want to know where a visitor is standing and guide them turn by turn, it is a serious, established option.

ExpoFP starts from a different problem. It is a floor-plan-first platform for trade shows, conferences and venues. Organizers use it to publish interactive floor plans, manage booth inventory, take reservations, list exhibitors, and let visitors search and follow turn-by-turn, accessible routes across floors, buildings and an area map. Maps embed on a website, and visitors do not need to download an app. ExpoFP also offers kiosks with "you are here", caching and full offline mode, and blue-dot indoor positioning, outdoor GPS and QR-code positioning at the project level (WHX Dubai 2026 used blue-dot navigation across two exhibition centres). Dedicated solutions cover airport terminals and shopping centres. Its distinctive strength is the link between the map and the commercial side: which booths or units exist, which are sold, and who is in them.

This page is for teams comparing ExpoFP vs Mapsted, looking for a Mapsted alternative for event or exhibition use, or deciding between event floor plan software and a hardware-free indoor positioning platform. A note on Jibestream: that interactive-mapping product is sometimes mentioned alongside Mapsted, but public records show Jibestream was acquired by Inpixon in 2019, not by Mapsted, so we treat it as a separate vendor. See our ExpoFP vs Jibestream page.

Quick verdict

Choose ExpoFP if

  • You run trade shows, conferences, expos or consumer shows, or manage a venue that hosts them, and the map has to represent a booth inventory that changes with every event.
  • You want exhibitors to appear on the map with profiles and listings, and attendees to find them by booth number, company name or category.
  • You need to sell or reserve booths from the map, including online booth purchases on paid plans.
  • You want to embed an interactive plan and exhibitor list on your own website, with no app for attendees to install.
  • You want published pricing, a free plan and a self-service setup rather than a sales-led project.
  • You want wayfinding and kiosks that work without a native app, with blue-dot or QR-code positioning added when the project needs it.

Choose Mapsted if

  • You need deep, always-on positioning with published accuracy figures inside a permanent building such as a mall, airport, hospital, campus or stadium.
  • You want positioning without installing beacons or other on-site hardware, as Mapsted describes its approach.
  • You want location analytics, such as heat maps, traffic flow and dwell time, tied to real visitor movement.
  • You need location-based messaging, geofencing, asset or staff tracking, or emergency and evacuation features alongside navigation.
  • You plan to build positioning into your own branded app through an SDK, and you have the budget and timeline for an enterprise deployment.

Feature-by-feature comparison

Mapsted details reflect its public website as of October 2026. Where Mapsted does not clearly document a capability, we say so, and it should be confirmed with Mapsted directly.

FeatureExpoFPMapsted
Interactive event floor plansCore product. Interactive floor plans built for trade shows, conferences and exhibitions.Interactive indoor maps are core to the platform. Event-specific floor plans are offered through its multi-event facilities vertical; depth of event tooling should be confirmed.
Floor plan editingSelf-service plan editor for drawing and updating booths, halls and layouts.Maps are managed through a CMS, and mapping is typically part of an onboarding project. Level of self-service editing should be confirmed.
Booth managementMap-first booth inventory with status, size, pricing and assignment.Not clearly documented as a booth inventory system. Positioned around venue navigation and operations. Should be confirmed.
Booth reservationsReservations handled from the map.Not clearly documented as a public capability. Should be confirmed.
Booth purchases onlineOnline booth purchases on paid plans (booth reservation and sponsorships included from DIY at $149/mo; exhibitor payments can be enabled on DIY, Standard and Pro plans).Not clearly documented. Should be confirmed.
Real-time booth availabilityBooth status shown live on the map.Mapsted's trade show page mentions real-time updates on booth availability through messaging; whether this is an inventory feature should be confirmed.
Exhibitor profiles / listingsExhibitor profiles and an exhibitor list linked to booths.Points of interest and search are supported; a dedicated exhibitor portal is referenced in some materials. Scope should be confirmed.
Search by booth, company, or categorySearch by booth, company name or category.Search for points of interest is supported. Category and exhibitor-specific search for events should be confirmed.
Attendee wayfindingTurn-by-turn, accessible routes across floors, buildings and an area map. No app required. Blue-dot, outdoor GPS and QR-code positioning available at the project level.Blue-dot navigation with turn-by-turn routing, described as 1 to 5 metre accuracy depending on the environment.
Mobile / browser experienceWeb-first, works in a standard mobile browser. Standing kiosks with "you are here", caching, full offline mode and per-kiosk analytics.SDK supports Android, iOS and web. Blue-dot positioning is delivered through apps or integrations that use the SDK; web-only capability should be confirmed.
Multi-floor / multi-building supportBuildings and levels supported.Multi-floor support, including transitions via elevators and ramps. Multi-building and outdoor-to-indoor navigation are also described.
Website embeddingEmbeddable plan and exhibitor list.Described as integrating into existing apps, websites or kiosks through its SDK and APIs. Effort should be confirmed.
Self-service setupSelf-service setup; free plan and 7-day trial.Enterprise, sales-led engagement. Self-serve options have been mentioned in older coverage; current availability should be confirmed.
Lead retrieval / captureNot the core focus; use ExpoFP alongside your registration or lead tool.Not clearly documented as lead retrieval. Marketing and messaging tools exist. Should be confirmed.
Public pricingPublished: free plan, DIY from $149/mo, (booth reservation and sponsorships included from DIY at $149/mo; exhibitor payments can be enabled on DIY, Standard and Pro plans).No current public price list found. Pricing appears to be quote-based.
Product scopeFloor plans, booth inventory, exhibitor discovery, wayfinding, kiosks, positioning options and analytics; solutions for events, airports and shopping centres.Indoor positioning, navigation, analytics, location marketing and IoT tracking across many building types.
Best fitTrade shows, expos, conferences, the venues that host them, and buildings that want a fast-to-launch wayfinding map.Permanent buildings that need deep positioning, location intelligence and IoT tracking.
Ideal buyerEvent organizers, exhibition venues, associations.Facility operators, mall and airport owners, hospitals, campuses, large venues with in-house or partner development resources.

Why teams pick ExpoFP over Mapsted

Teams running exhibitions tend to choose ExpoFP when the map is a sales and discovery tool, not only a navigation aid.

  • The map is the booth inventory. Booth status, size and assignment live on the plan, so organizers manage one source of truth instead of reconciling spreadsheets.
  • Sell and reserve from the map. Exhibitors can reserve booths, and paid plans support online booth purchases, which positioning platforms generally do not address.
  • No app to download. Attendees open the plan in a browser from a link or your event website. Adoption does not depend on an install.
  • Wayfinding first, positioning when needed. Routing works from the floor plan itself, and kiosks, QR-code and blue-dot positioning can be added at the project level.
  • Built for event rhythm. Layouts change for every show. A self-service editor lets your team update the plan between and during events.
  • Transparent pricing and fast start. A free plan, a 7-day full-featured trial and published DIY pricing from $149/mo let you evaluate without a sales cycle.

When Mapsted may be a better fit

Mapsted may be the better choice when the requirement is deep, hardware-free positioning and richer location intelligence in a permanent building. An airport that wants passenger-flow analytics, or a mall that wants proximity messaging and heat maps tied to visitor movement, are squarely within what Mapsted describes publicly, and go beyond ExpoFP's search, route and kiosk analytics. Mapsted also covers asset and staff tracking, emergency alerts and an SDK for custom apps, which sit outside ExpoFP's scope. If your building is occupied year-round, you have the budget for an enterprise deployment, and positioning accuracy is a hard requirement, Mapsted deserves a place on your shortlist.

The real tradeoff

The tradeoff is positioning depth versus map and inventory depth. Mapsted invests most in knowing where a person is and what their movement means, which is valuable in permanent buildings where the same visitors circulate through the same spaces every day. ExpoFP invests most in knowing what is on the floor, who is exhibiting and what can be sold, while still providing wayfinding, kiosks and project-level positioning, which is valuable when the layout changes often and the map has to drive revenue as well as navigation.

Neither approach is universally better, and they are not always mutually exclusive. A convention center might use a positioning platform for its permanent-building operations while its event organizers use ExpoFP for each show's floor plan and exhibitor directory. The right question is whether your core need is always-on positioning and movement analytics, or a sellable, searchable floor plan with wayfinding that visitors can open with no setup.

How to decide

Start with the problem you are solving. If attendees mostly need to find a specific booth or company, and organizers need to manage and sell booth space, a floor-plan-first tool will usually cover the need faster and at lower cost. If you need positioning as a permanent, building-wide service, or behavioural analytics and messaging tied to position, a positioning platform is the more direct fit.

Then check constraints that tend to decide these projects: who will maintain the map, how often the layout changes, whether you can ask visitors to install an app, and how quickly you need to launch. A short pilot with real data is the most reliable test.

  • Layout changes every event, and booths are sold: favor ExpoFP.
  • Permanent venue needing deep positioning, movement analytics and an SDK: evaluate Mapsted.
  • Both needs in one venue: consider using each for what it does best, and confirm integration expectations with both vendors.

FAQ

For event, exhibition and many venue use cases, yes. If your priority is interactive floor plans, booth inventory, exhibitor search, kiosks and embeddable, no-app wayfinding, ExpoFP is built for that, with blue-dot positioning available at the project level. If you need always-on positioning with location analytics, messaging and IoT tracking across a permanent building, ExpoFP is not a like-for-like replacement.

Ready to see how ExpoFP works for your venue or event?

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Disclaimer

Information on this page is based on publicly available product materials and may change over time. If you represent this product and would like us to correct or update anything, please contact us. This is ExpoFP's own comparison and reflects our perspective based on publicly available information and user-facing product research.