A Cadmapper alternative built for parcels, roads, and APNs
Cadmapper is a great way to get city-scale context into a design program. RoadDXF is built for the drafter who needs parcel lines, APNs, situs addresses, and road edges in AutoCAD, per county, in one click. Here is an honest comparison so you can pick the right one.
3 FREE EXPORTS / MONTH · NO CREDIT CARD
What Cadmapper is good at
Credit where it is due. Cadmapper pulls OpenStreetMap and elevation data into a clean, city-scale DXF or DWG with buildings, streets, and contours. For an architect setting a building in its urban context, or anyone who wants a quick massing base for a large area, it is genuinely useful and the small-area tier is free.
Where it stops short for a make-ready or utility drafter is the data that job actually needs: individual parcel boundaries, assessor parcel numbers, and situs addresses. Cadmapper is built around OpenStreetMap, and OSM does not carry reliable US parcel data.
Side by side
| Cadmapper | RoadDXF | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | City-scale architectural context | Make-ready, OSP, and utility drafting |
| Roads and buildings | Yes, from OSM | Yes, from OSM, on named layers |
| Contours and terrain | Yes | Not a focus |
| Parcel boundaries | No | Yes, from county and state GIS (US) |
| APNs (parcel numbers) | No | Yes, as text on the parcel |
| Situs addresses | No | Yes, as named point features |
| How you select an area | Search and set a radius | Draw a bounding box, any shape of job |
| Free tier | Yes, small areas | Yes, 3 exports a month |
Neither tool is a survey. Both give you a base to draft over. The question is simply which data your job needs on day one.
Pick RoadDXF when your job is about parcels
- Make-ready and joint-use. You need road edges, right-of-way, and the parcels along a pole route, with APNs to reference.
- Fiber and OSP planning. You are scoping a build and need roads, parcels, and addresses to figure out route options and permit targets.
- Permit and right-of-way exhibits. You need property lines and addresses on named layers that drop into your title block.
- Solo drafters without a GIS department to pull parcel data for you.
Pick Cadmapper when your job is about massing
If you are doing architectural context, urban massing, or a quick large-area base with terrain and you do not need parcels or APNs, Cadmapper is a fine choice and worth using.
Common questions
Is RoadDXF free like Cadmapper?
There is a genuine free tier: three exports every month, no credit card. Paid plans start at $19 a month for higher volume. Cadmapper is free for small areas and paid above that, so both have a free entry point.
Can RoadDXF do the whole city like Cadmapper?
RoadDXF is built around drawing a bounding box for a specific job, from a single block to a multi-mile corridor, rather than exporting an entire city at once. If you want a large architectural context base with contours, Cadmapper is the better fit.
Does RoadDXF have contours and 3D buildings?
No. RoadDXF focuses on 2D drafting geometry: roads, parcels, APNs, addresses, and building footprints. Terrain and 3D massing are where Cadmapper is stronger.
What formats does RoadDXF export?
A standard DXF (AC1015 / AutoCAD 2000 format) that opens in AutoCAD, BricsCAD, Civil 3D, DraftSight, and any DXF-compatible editor.
See which one fits your work
Draw a box over your own project area and export a real DXF. Your first three every month are free.