Maps & geocoding API pricing

Mapping APIs are billed per request, but they are not one product. Geocoding (turning an address into coordinates), reverse geocoding, directions and routing, distance matrices, map tiles, places search, and static map images are each metered separately, often at very different rates. A pricing comparison only means something if it compares the specific endpoints your app calls.

The free tier is the real headline

Most providers give away a monthly block of requests — sometimes tens of thousands, sometimes a fixed dollar credit. For a small or early-stage product this often covers the entire bill, so the first question isn't "what's the per-request price" but "how far does the free allowance get me, and what happens at the edge of it." Some providers throttle; some bill; some downgrade you to a slower tier.

Where the cost concentrates

Directions and distance-matrix calls are usually the most expensive endpoint, because a single matrix request can fan out to dozens of origin-destination pairs, each metered. A logistics or delivery app lives on this line.

Map tiles are cheap per request but called constantly — every pan and zoom in an interactive map loads a batch. A consumer app with a heavily-used map view is priced on tile volume, and the difference between vector tiles (billed per session or per load) and raster tiles (billed per tile) can swing the bill significantly.

Geocoding is the endpoint people most often want to compare, and it's where the smaller providers — the ones built specifically for address lookup — undercut the big platforms by a wide margin, often with more permissive caching terms.

The caching clause matters as much as the rate

Google's Maps Platform terms restrict how long you may store geocoding results; several competitors allow you to cache coordinates indefinitely. If your app geocodes the same addresses repeatedly, a provider that lets you cache turns a recurring per-request cost into a one-time one — that's frequently a bigger saving than the difference in sticker price.

Comparing providers

Identify which endpoints your app actually calls and roughly how often. Check whether the free allowance covers your volume. Then price the paid overage per endpoint against two or three providers, and read the caching and data-retention terms — they're part of the cost. The comparisons here do this for the common matchups; the full rate dataset is on the [data page](/data).