ChargingNear.me vs PlugShare

At a glance

Here is how the two compare on the ten things drivers ask about most. Our figures come from the ChargingNear.me catalog as of Nov 14, 2026. PlugShare facts come only from what its company publishes.

Not verified means we did not verify this fact on Nov 14, 2026, so we make no claim either way.

Where ChargingNear.me wins

• 132 networks in one free search

  ChargingNear.me lists 58,379 charging locations with 273,575 ports in all 50 states and DC. Every network in our catalog sits on one map, side by side. You never sign in to see any of it.

• No download. No account.

  Open ChargingNear.me in any browser and search. There is nothing to install and no account to make. On PlugShare, you need the app and an account to add a check-in.

• No charging company behind the map

  ChargingNear.me runs no chargers, so it ranks no network above another. PlugShare has belonged to EVgo, a charging network operator, since July 2021. EVgo bought it for $25 million.

• Government data, synced daily

  Our catalog syncs every day from the U.S. Department of Energy's NREL Alternative Fuels Data Center, plus Open Charge Map. Every listing traces back to a public record.

• A page and a Verified date for every location

  Each location has its own page with its plugs, its ports and a Verified date. You see how fresh the facts are before you drive.

• Filters for your plug and your speed

  Narrow the map to NACS, CCS or J1772. Show only DC fast chargers of 150 kW and up, or only sites open 24/7.

• A range check and an open API

  Will I Make It tells you if your car will make the next stop. Our public API, with a free plan, opens the same catalog to apps and researchers.

When PlugShare still makes sense

We want you to use the right tool for the job. PlugShare is a good choice here.

• You want to read or post driver check-ins

  PlugShare calls itself the world's largest EV driver community. EVgo press releases report 3.5 million+ registered users and 6.5 million+ check-ins. If other drivers' notes are what you want, that community is big.

• You already have a PlugShare account

  If you have built up a check-in history there, keep adding to it. Use ChargingNear.me alongside it to search every network in our catalog and check the Verified date before you go.

Coverage: how much can you see in one search?

ChargingNear.me lists 58,379 charging locations with 273,575 ports, 82,786 of them DC fast, as of Nov 14, 2026. They span 132 networks, 8,999 cities and all 50 states and DC.

We count a charging location once, even when it has many ports. We count ports on their own, so you can tell a two-plug lot from a big highway hub. DC fast ports get their own count because they matter most on a road trip.

We did not verify a location count for PlugShare, so we make no claim about one. Here is what we can say. Every location in our count is free to search, in a browser, with no sign-in.

Coverage only helps if you can cut it down fast. Pick a plug: NACS, CCS or J1772. Pick a speed: DC fast at 150 kW and up. Pick the hours: open 24/7. The map then shows only what fits your car and your trip.

Data freshness and verification

Our station data syncs every day from the U.S. Department of Energy's NREL Alternative Fuels Data Center. That is the federal government's public list of alternative fuel stations. We add Open Charge Map, an open charger database, to fill gaps.

Every location page shows a Verified date. It is the most recent of three dates: when the Department of Energy last confirmed the station, when Open Charge Map last verified it, or when a driver last checked in on ChargingNear.me. You get a date, not a guess.

PlugShare is built around its community. EVgo press releases report 6.5 million+ check-ins. Check-ins are useful notes from drivers. A public record with a dated verification answers a different question: is this charger listed, and when was that last confirmed?

You can use both. But start with the record and the date.

Privacy: no account to search

You can search ChargingNear.me without an account. There is no sign-up form between you and the map. We do not need your name or your email address to show you a charger.

On PlugShare, you need the app and an account to contribute check-ins. That is a fair trade for a community. But most of the time, you just want to find a plug. For that, an account is one more step.

There is also nothing to install. That helps on a borrowed phone, a work laptop or a phone that is low on storage. Open the site, search and go.

Who owns the map?

ChargingNear.me runs no chargers. We sell no charging sessions. So we rank no network above another. A Tesla Supercharger, an EVgo station and a ChargePoint charger show up the same way, with the same facts.

PlugShare is owned by EVgo, a charging network operator. EVgo bought PlugShare in July 2021 for $25 million, according to EVgo press releases.

We do not claim PlugShare favors EVgo. We only note who owns it. When you pick a charger map, it is fair to ask who runs it. Our answer is short: an independent site with no network of its own. See each network's size on our EVgo, ChargePoint, Electrify America and Tesla pages.

Sources

Competitor facts on this page come only from these sources, named here in text.

• EVgo press releases (PlugShare acquisition, registered users and check-ins) — verified Nov 14, 2026
• Wikipedia, "PlugShare" — verified Nov 14, 2026
• ChargingNear.me catalog: U.S. Department of Energy NREL Alternative Fuels Data Center, synced daily, plus Open Charge Map — data as of Nov 14, 2026