Google Maps API one of the most popular mapping APIs announced a change in their pricing. While it still starts with a free plan (up to 28.000 map views a month), the price for more intense usage grows hugely: the price hike hits unbelievable 1400% percent (from $0.5 to $7 for extra 1.000 map views). Sites with hundreds of thousands or even millions of visitors can get pricey. Also, because some of the changes might not be too comfortable, and there is a lot of maps other than Google, this is why, especially for you, we made a comparison of the best and affordable Google Maps API alternatives.
| Free Tier | Maximum View (for free) | Cost/1000 Cals(Views) | |
| Microsoft Bing (Azure) | Yes | Up to 10,000 map views/month | |
| MapBox | Yes | Up to 50,000 map views/month | $0.50 |
| TomTom | Yes | Up to 2,500 map views/day | $0.50 |
| Mapfit | Yes | Up to 2,500 map views/day | $0.50 |
| Here | Yes | Up to 250,000 map views/month | $1.00 |
| Algolia | Yes | Up to 100,000 map views | $0.40 |
| LocationIQ | Yes | Up to 10,000 map views/day | $0.08 |
| OpenCage Geocoder | Yes | Up to 2,500 map views/day | $0.22 |
Microsoft Bing (Azure)
Azure Maps is Google Maps API Alternatives. The product of Microsoft is a service, which was specially created for building, testing, deploying and managing applications and services. Azure Maps is a really great looking alternative to Google Maps which has such a nice fresh view of maps other than Google. A map is containing many markers of the most important places like a school, street names, and numbers of the biggest routes. They have been that created to not affect on the bad perception of the map.
Bing Maps offers a wide variety of licensing programs, including Open Value, Microsoft Product and Services Agreement, Select Plus, and Enterprise Agreement. Bing typically does not publish its pricing structure, but it does note that subscription based programs start at 100,000 transactions per month for $4,500.
MapBox
MapBox has been created especially for custom designed maps. As an alternative to Google Maps, it is one of the most popular live location platforms. Currently, this very developed open source mapping platform is providing a lot of interesting options, which are making that, we are on the really basic level, will find out the way to our destination point.
You can add many extensions and custom maps or embed turn-by-turn directions and search location. You can add many fictional attractions, by which you can mark the interesting points for you or just add global object persistence for multi-user. MapBox also offering real-time routing and asset tracking.
Mapbox offers plans ranging from a free starter plan to a high-volume enterprise plan. Example prices include:
- Free up to 50,000 map views per month in a web app or 50,000 monthly active users in a mobile SDK
- $0.50 per 1,000 directions requests
- $499 per month for commercial licensing
TomTom
One of the first platforms that come to mind when you think of the best and affordable Google Maps API Alternatives, TomTom offers developers 2,500 free daily transactions, global customer support, and a really lucrative pay-as-you-grow credit package. Depending on your volume and usage, you can expect additional transactions to be charged at $0.5/1000 call or even less.
TomTom Maps are specially created, to make drivers life simpler just by adding a lot of multiple functions which aren’t affected on a transparency of map. TomTom maps despite multiple markers or traffics jams marked on the maps, is having good transparency. For the one who is choosing to move around the city, a product of TomTom can be a better map than Google.
The free version of TomTom Maps APIs, allow you to make 2.500 transactions per day.
Online Maps and Online Traffic tiles, for which a transaction equals 15 requests.
Mapfit
MapFit is the new kid on the mapping block that developed a powerful platform enabling millions of map data updates a minute based on any type of location-based Big Data. The engine allows to automatically identify the physical entrances for 95% of addresses assigned to building structures, making a new quality for storefront geocoding.Mapfit’s Features
- Navigate door-to-door – Mapfit have the highest accuracy geocoder worldwide. Addresses are doorway-accurate and include entrance definition, such as primary, secondary, parking garage, and freight docks.
- License data sets – Mapfit platform includes the highest commercial quality maps available across the world. We’re better or equal to Google Maps in accuracy in every country.
- SEO Friendly – Don’t compromise on page speed for a good user experience. Mapfit map’s load speed is unrivaled and will always be SEO friendly.
Here is Google Maps API Alternatives
Here is offering a product which might be an interesting Google Maps API Alternative, just by its mapping and location data services for the companies and individuals. The default layer of Here is offering a view of the map, which contains the most needed information. It proves that the best view of the map is that, which is not having flooded data. Also, this Google Map alternative contains the routes marked on a different colour, which depends on the level of importance of the road.
Here gives insights into real-time weather information, shows estimated toll costs and road conditions, also giving information about the traffics and roads incidents.
Is there a free alternative to Google Map API that can be used in Android apps without incurring any costs for requests?
OpenStreetMap is an open data project which companies may use totally for free in a commercial way. The only one requirement is that they have to comply with the OpenStreetMap license. Because of using this Google Maps competitor, you don’t have to worry about paying fees, so you can create a free editable map of the world without any problem.
There are a lot of features, which OpenStreetMap provides like mapping the different facilities by visitors, tagging the different form of transportation, identifying individual buildings or group of connected buildings, Aerialway, Aeroway, Amenity, Barrier, Boundary, Building, Craft, Emergency, Geological, Highway, Office, Place, Railway, Route, Shop, Sport, Address, etc. You can read more information about that at OpenStreetMap features page
