4square

Have been used Google Maps API since the early days of foursquare. In the last 6 months, an increasing number of companies migrating to other options. So, It inspired them to used OpenStreetMap to create their own map (open data).  OpenStreetMap has a set of default map tiles, but they didn’t look quite right. Open MapQuest, another alternative, didn’t feel right, either. Earlier this year, they launched MapBox Streets which now powers all of foursquare.com's maps. 

There were a few reasons we chose MapBox:

• It’s based on OpenStreetMap data, so it’ll continually get better.

• They give 4square a ton of design flexibility. They can alter things like colors and fonts, so they can match by their own aesthetic. And they will keep tweaking the look to make it better.

• It also allows them to use the open source Leaflet javascript library to power the maps. They look forward in contributing to that project and being part of that community.

When 4square initially begin looking around for other map providers, they found some strong alternatives. And while the new Google API pricing was the reason they initially started looking into other solutions, they ultimately ended up switching because, after all, OpenStreetMap and MapBox was simply the best fit for 4square. 

Reference: http://blog.foursquare.com