BTC Map

SosylosSosylos
Apr 16, 2025
Apr 16, 2025
While many still reduce Bitcoin to an investment and speculative tool, its creator Satoshi Nakamoto conceived it primarily as a Peer-to-Peer electronic payment system. However, it's hard to know where you can spend your bitcoins. But that was before BTC Map.
Based on OSM (OpenStreetMap), itself an open-source participatory mapping tool, BTC Map offers a simple way of listing establishments that accept payments in BTC, Lightning or On-Chain. A global database, still in its infancy but already essential, populated by and for bitcoiners.
Go to btcmap.org:
Available on:
  • iOS via AppStore
  • Android via Play Store
  • F-Droid the android open-source app catalog
  • by downloading the apk android directly from the project's github
  • via the web app from your browser (our view today)
Today we'll be focusing on the web version. For the moment, it's entirely in English, so let's take a look at the different sections together. And if a button or link doesn't work, right-click -> open in another tab.
Let's get started. The little moon or sun icon at top right toggles between light and dark themes.
The various tabs at the top of the site, from left to right:
  • the BTC Map logo: return to the home page
  • "Maps": the heart of the product, with the two maps (facilities and communities)
  • "Apps: the different media on which to install BTC Map
  • "Areas": community presentation and statistics, by continent and country
  • "Maintain": to participate in updating and enriching the maps
  • "Wiki: the project's GitHub
  • "Support Us": donations and sponsorship are the project's sole source of income
Incidentally, these tabs will form the table of contents of this tutorial.

MAPS

The site offers two cards with different objectives. But let's start by describing the tools that appear on the left-hand edge of each one:
  • 1: zoom in
  • 2: zoom out
  • 3: large screen
  • 4: locate me (if your browser allows it)
  • 5: (merchant map) search for a store by name
  • 6: (merchant map) display only boosted establishments
  • 7: return to home page
  • 8: (merchant map) add a store
  • 9: Switch from "Community" card to "Merchant" card and vice versa
note: Boosted establishments are those that have received a tip from a satisfied visitor or user, giving them improved visibility for a time
You'll also notice, in the top right-hand corner of each map, a button for changing the map layer. In this tutorial I've chosen to leave the dark version.

Merchant Map

The Merchant Map lists establishments worldwide that accept payment in BTC. You can see different types of icon, which are a first clue to the nature of the establishment (a pint for a bar, a diamond for a jewelry store...). I'll take one at random.
If you click on this Texas landscape artist, an insert appears:
  • The name in blue is that of the establishment
  • The address and opening times are given below, if available on OSM
  • "Navigate" can establish a route between your position and the facility
  • "Edit" will allow you to suggest modifications to the OSM file (requires a free OSM account), i.e. name, contact details, timetables etc
  • "Share" takes you to an extended site description
  • "More" unfolds the following options:
  • "Call" is a shortcut on the telephone to call the facility
  • "Website" takes you to the company's website
  • "Show Tags" displays items entered on OSM without triggering hyperlinks or applications
  • "Tag Issues" and "Map Legend" are currently broken links
  • "View OSM" prompts you to open the plant's position on the OSM application
Finally,
  • "Last Surveyed" indicates the date on which the file was last created or updated
  • "Boost" allows you, for a fee of Sats, to offer your site a time-limited visibility advantage
  • finally, "Verify Location" takes you to a BTC Map form to propose an update of the listing. Let's see how it looks:
  • 1: Check this box if you just want to confirm that the information in the file is up to date (in this case, go directly to step 4)
  • 2: Indicate here what information, if any, is incorrect, and what correction you propose
  • 3: Describe here how you obtained the information (visit, call...)
  • 4: Proceed to captcha verification (case-sensitive)
  • 5: Click on "Submit Report" to send your suggestion

Community Map

The "Community Map" lets you discover the different Bitcoin communities around the world, dividing them up and presenting them geographically.
You'll immediately notice the orange-colored areas. As you can see, these are the various Bitcoin communities listed on BTC Map. A left-click on any of them will bring up a small insert showing all the links provided, such as website and social network accounts. Who knows, you might just be in the middle of an active Bitcoin community, just a few clicks away from joining it if you feel like it!

Other site tabs

Apps: this page reminds you of the media on which BTC Map is available.
Stats offers you several statistics on the application:
  • Dashboard: statistics on the database feed, such as the number of locations listed or the number of recent verifications made
  • Tagger Leaderboard: table of users ranked by volume of contribution (join them!)
  • Community Leaderboard: community rankings
  • Country Leaderboard
Areas (zones) provides you with information other than maps:
  • Communities: lists the various registered communities, the form for registering a new one, and a few statistics, all grouped by continent
  • Countries: a few statistics grouped by country show you the number of establishments, participants, files to be updated...
Maintain (maintain)
  • Add Location: add a location that accepts Bitcoin payments
  • Verify Location: update/correct information on a facility already listed
  • Add Community: add a community (there's a typo in the url, to access the form, go to Areas -> Communities -> Add Community)
  • Open Tickets: this is where requests for additions, verification, locations and communities land, to be processed by volunteers
  • Tagging Activities: shows you the latest actions taken by project participants (any user like you or me can be a participant), such as the latest locations added, updated or even deleted...
  • Tagging Issues: this is where users list all tagging errors
Wiki: This link takes you to the project's GitHub page.
Support Us: This page tells you how to make a donation (in Sats) or become a project sponsor.

"Add Community

BTC Map allows you to add your own community, let's take a look at it step by step:
  • 1: The zone corresponding to your community
  • 2: Name of your community
  • 3: Website URL
  • 4: A Lightning address to which tips can be sent
  • 5: References to the social networks on which your community is present
  • 6: Your e-mail address so that the platform can ask you for more information if necessary
  • 7: A concise description (e.g. German-speaking community, Frankfurt region)
  • 8: Fill in the captcha (case sensitive)
  • 9: Click on "Submit Community" to submit the form

"Add Location

This page shows you how to add a Bitcoin-compliant property listing yourself, using Open Street Map. If you're having trouble, there's a form for you to fill in, so that someone else can create the listing for you (this can take several weeks). Let's have a look:
  • 1: The name of the establishment
  • 2: Physical address (mandatory, you need a street address)
  • 3: Mark the precise point on the map
  • 4: What category does the plant fall into?
  • 5: What Bitcoin payment media are available (BTC, Lightning, contactless)?
  • 6: Website URL (optional)
  • 7: A telephone number (optional)
  • 8: Opening hours (optional)
  • 9: The school's X (twitter) account, then your own (optional)
  • 10: Any detail you see fit
  • 11: Your role
    • "I am the business owner": I am the manager of the business
    • "I visited as a customer": I visited this establishment as a customer
    • "other method
  • 12: Your e-mail address in case the platform requires further information
  • 13: Captcha check (case sensitive)
  • 14: Click on "Submit Location" to send your listing
At the bottom of the page, several tabs may also be of interest if the language of Shakespeare is not an obstacle for you. The Cypherpunks manifesto by Eric Hughes, published on March 9, 1993, or Satoshi Nakamoto's white paper published on October 31, 2008, are present.
To find out more, visit the various network platforms associated with BTC Map.
And that's all there is to it, we've gone over the site's main features together. Now you'll know where to spend your bitcoins thanks to BTC map!
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Author

This tutorial has been written by Sosylos

SosylosSosylos
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Passionate about Bitcoin and its promises, every day is an opportunity to learn and improve. Determination leads far, humility keeps you on course. Direction > Speed.

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This tutorial has not been proofread yet

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The original content has been translated by AI, but human review is necessary to ensure its accuracy.

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