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Flexible Map

By webaware

E-commerce & Shopping /

Flexible Map Review - In-Depth Analysis

Embed Google Maps using shortcodes in WordPress pages and posts. Supports coordinates, addresses, and KML files.

Performance Overview

WPS Score

6.68/10

User Rating

4.8/5 (based on 66+ reviews)

Active Installations

7,000+

Update Frequency

Below Average It is calculated using the weighted average of same category plugins.

Security Score

1 / 10 (Very Low Risk) It is calculated using the weighted average of all versions.

What It Does

Flexible Map allows you to add Google Maps to your WordPress website with simple shortcodes.

It offers three ways to load a map: by center coordinates, by street address, or by URL to a Google Earth KML file. You can easily add maps to your pages or posts using a simple shortcode.

This plugin supports multiple maps on a single page and is designed to be responsive, allowing you to specify width and height in percentages. The map marker does not have to be the center of the map, and you can add optional descriptions and directions links to the info window.

Comparing to Alternatives

Flexible Map stands out among map plugins for its simplicity and essential features without unnecessary complexity.

Top alternatives

Flexible Map

Strengths

Very easy to use with straightforward shortcode implementation
Supports KML file imports seamlessly
Lightweight and not overloaded with features
Allows multiple map types including Terrain, default, and satellite
No need to create separate posts for each map

Weaknesses

Requires a Google Maps API key for full functionality
Limited advanced customization options
No premium version with extended features
Lacks built-in support for other map providers

User Sentiment Analysis

Users appreciate Flexible Map for its ease of use and reliable performance, especially for basic mapping needs.

Positive highlights

"It's free and has all features of a paid plugin. Very simple to use." - grigione
"Perfect 'simple' plugin that just does what it should do." - kato68
"Easiest and most complete maps plugin out there." - azlivin008
"Just works, but you'll need a Google maps API key." - mickyharris
"Brilliant and so simple for KML import." - chinwag

Common complaints

Needs Google Maps API key setup
Limited advanced features
No premium support or upgrades

Weaknesses

Lacks advanced customization
No official pro version or paid support
Dependent on Google Maps API availability

Who Should Use This?

Best for

Users seeking a straightforward, lightweight map plugin to embed Google Maps or KML files without complexity.

Not ideal for

Those needing advanced mapping features, extensive customization, or dedicated premium support may find this plugin limiting.

Pricing & Value

Free version includes

The free version offers all core features including Google Maps integration, KML file support, and multiple map types with easy shortcode usage.

Final Verdict

Flexible Map is an excellent choice for users who want a simple, effective mapping solution without the bloat of unnecessary features.

While it lacks a pro version and advanced customization, its ease of use and reliable performance make it a valuable free plugin for basic map embedding needs.

Other Notable Features

Here are a few other notable features of this free Flexible Map plugin.

Google Maps

Map

Kml

Screenshots

FAQ

Yes. You will need at minimum an API key for Maps, so that the Maps JavaScript API will work. If you want to add maps by address (not just coordinates or KML file), you will also need to select Places. If you want to use directions features of this plugin, you will also need to select Routes.

Get your API keys from the Google Maps Platform
Read more about API keys for Google Maps

Google Maps API caches the KML file, so it can take a while for your new changes to appear. To force a change, append a URL query parameter with a number (known as a cache buster) and increment the number each time you change the KML file. A nice simple and commonly used parameter name is v (for version), like this: http://example.com/my-map.kml?v=2

If your map is auto-generated or changes frequently, add the kmlcache attribute to ask Google to fetch a new copy periodically. You can specify the interval in minutes (e.g. “90 minutes”), hours (e.g. “2 hours”), or days (e.g. “1 day”). The minimum interval is 5 minutes.

[flexiblemap src="https://webaware.com.au/maps/example-toronto.kml?v=2"] [flexiblemap src="https://webaware.com.au/maps/example-toronto.kml" kmlcache="8 hours"]

The plugin uses localized messages for things like the Directions link and the default message on links in info windows. If you have your WordPress installation set to use your language, the plugin should automatically pick it up. If you need to force it to pick up your language (or want to offer a different language), use the locale attribute, e.g. locale="ru" or locale="zh-TW".

Google Maps will use the locale information from your web browser to help display maps and directions in your language (see your browser’s language settings). If you want to force the Google Maps language for every map on a page, you can use a filter hook. For example, here’s how to force the Google Maps language to match the language of the page / post its on (e.g. when using WPML translated content):

add_filter('flexmap_google_maps_api_args', 'force_flexmap_map_language');  function force_flexmap_map_language($args) {     $args['language'] = get_locale();     return $args; }

When you hide the map in a tab, and then click on the tab to reveal its contents, sometimes the map doesn’t know how big to draw until it is revealed. Since v1.9.0 most such problems are automatically resolved for modern browsers, including Internet Explorer 11 or later. If you need to support earlier versions that don’t support MutationObserver, add some script to your website to handle this yourself.

For jQuery UI tabs and accordions, download the .php file from this gist, and install / activate it. If you’d prefer to add the jQuery code yourself, add this somewhere on the page (e.g. in your theme’s footer):

<script> (function($) {      function mapRedraw(event, ui) {         if (ui.newPanel.length) {             $("#" + ui.newPanel[0].id + " div.flxmap-container").each(function() {                 var flxmap = window[this.getAttribute("data-flxmap")];                 flxmap.redrawOnce();             });         }     }      $("body").on("accordionactivate", mapRedraw).on("tabsactivate", mapRedraw);  })(jQuery); </script>

If you want to add your own scripting for the map, you can get the map object by identifying the FlexibleMap global variable for your map, and asking it to getMap(). By default, each FlexibleMap is given a randomly generated ID and the global variable name is derived from that. The map’s containing div has a data property with this global variable name. Here’s some sample jQuery code that gets the map object for the (first) map:

jQuery(window).load(function() {     var flxmapName = jQuery("div.flxmap-container").attr("data-flxmap");     var flxmap = window[flxmapName];     var map = flxmap.getMap();     // ... use map ... });

Alternatively, you can specify the ID used for a given map, and it will then derive the global variable name from that. Here’s a sample shortcode:

[flexiblemap center="-32.891058,151.538042" id="sugarloaf"]

And here’s some sample jQuery code:

jQuery(window).load(function() {     var map = flxmap_sugarloaf.getMap();     // ... use map ... });

The plugin only loads the required JavaScript scripts when it knows that they are needed. When your website uses AJAX to load a page, the normal WordPress footer action for that page doesn’t happen, and the scripts aren’t loaded. You can make the scripts load on every page by adding this snippet to the functions.php file in your theme:

function my_preload_map_scripts() {     if (function_exists('flexmap_load_scripts')) {         flexmap_load_scripts();     } } add_action('wp_enqueue_scripts', 'my_preload_map_scripts', 20);

To make it load locale scripts as well, e.g. for French and Chinese language text, add them to the function call like this:

flexmap_load_scripts(array('fr', 'zh'));

The plugin will detect when AJAX is being used via the WordPress standard method, and adjust accordingly (but you still need to load the scripts as above). If another method is used, add isajax='true' to the shortcode attributes.

NB: currently, only AJAX methods that parse script tags will work correctly; this includes some jQuery methods (but not all). A future version of the plugin will be more AJAX friendly.