Free Maps, Geocoding and Routing APIs
Which maps, geocoding and routing APIs a startup can use for free today, how many map loads or requests the free tier covers, its attribution and commercial-use rules, whether a card is needed and what paid usage costs, read from each provider's own page.
Free allowances read on each provider's own pages, all checked on or after . Maps providers change their free tiers from time to time: confirm the terms on the provider's page before you launch a map to your users.
Maps, geocoding and routing APIs a startup can use for free today include Mapbox (50,000 map loads a month), OpenCage (2,500 requests a day), Google Maps Platform (10K free calls per SKU a month), Geoapify (3,000 credits a day), and MapTiler (5k sessions, 100k API requests a month). Each of the 12 free tiers below links to the provider's page that states it, with its main limit, its attribution rules, whether a card is needed and what paid usage costs.
A store locator, a delivery estimate or an address field all run on a maps API: map tiles to show the map, geocoding to turn addresses into coordinates, and routing to plan trips. Most providers give a free monthly or daily allowance, and a few let you host a free basemap yourself.
The headline rarely tells you how far it goes. Free tiers are counted per SKU, per map load or per credit, some are for personal or non-commercial use only, and many require the provider's logo or a link on the map. Each API below shows what is free, its main limit, its attribution rules, whether a card is needed and what paid usage costs, quoted from the provider's own page with the date we read it.
Which APIs we picked and the order they appear in are our editorial choices; the terms are the providers'. Some of these providers pay us a referral commission when someone signs up through our link: those links are labeled, and they play no part in which APIs are listed or where.
Map tiles and SDKs with a free tier
Interactive maps for web and mobile apps, with free map loads each month.
- 1
Mapbox
Web maps and geocoding, with no card to start
Mapbox counts map loads for Web free up to 50,000 a month, then bills $5.00 per 1,000 loads. You can start without a card, and results from its Permanent Geocoding API are for your own use only.
- Payment card
- No card needed (source: account.mapbox.com)
- 2
Google Maps Platform
Google map data, with 10K free calls per SKU
Google Maps Platform gives 10K free calls per SKU each month on Essentials. Calls are API requests or map loads, and the first paid option is a Starter subscription at $100 a month.
Start free at GoogleTerms read on mapsplatform.google.com on Google Maps Platform: the free allowance and how to start - 3
MapTiler
Prototypes and personal or non-commercial maps
MapTiler's Free plan includes 5k sessions and 100k API requests a month with no card, but it is for personal or non-commercial use only. Its Flex plan is $30 a month (USD).
- Attribution and use
- MapTiler logo on the map (source: maptiler.com)
- Payment card
- No card needed (source: maptiler.com)
- 4
Stadia Maps
Non-commercial maps with a monthly credit budget
Stadia Maps' Free plan gives 200,000 credits a month at $0. Commercial use is not allowed on it, so a shipped product needs a paid plan such as Starter at $20 a month.
Start free at Stadia MapsTerms read on stadiamaps.com on Stadia Maps: the free allowance and how to start - 5
Thunderforest
Hobby sites and small map tests
Thunderforest's Hobby Project plan gives 150,000 tile requests a month for free, with a limited quota. Attribution cannot be removed, and the Solo Developer plan is $125 a month.
- Attribution and use
- Attribution stays on your map (source: thunderforest.com)
Start free at ThunderforestTerms read on thunderforest.com on Thunderforest: the free allowance and how to start - 6
HERE
Maps, geocoding and routing from one account
HERE's Base plan gives each API a free tier, with 0 to 30,000 transactions free in several of its vector and raster products. Usage restrictions apply, so read them before you ship.
- 7
TomTom
Map tiles and routing, with no card to start
TomTom's Map Display API includes 200K free tiles a month, and no upfront credit card is needed to start. The allowance is set per API, so check each one on the pricing page.
- Payment card
- No card needed (source: developer.tomtom.com)
Start free at TomTomTerms read on developer.tomtom.com on TomTom: the free allowance and how to start - 8
Protomaps
Self-hosted maps on the storage you already pay for
Protomaps lets you download the planet for free and host the map as a single file. Its homepage says that is how you reduce map bills to pennies, on the cloud storage you already use.
Start free at ProtomapsTerms read on protomaps.com on Protomaps: the free allowance and how to start
Geocoding and routing APIs with a free tier
Turn addresses into coordinates and plan routes, with free requests each month.
- 1
OpenCage
Testing an address geocoder before you pay
OpenCage's free trial gives 2,500 requests a day with no credit card. It is for testing only, so do not use it for anything mission critical.
- Payment card
- No card needed (source: opencagedata.com)
Start free at OpenCageTerms read on opencagedata.com on OpenCage: the free allowance and how to start - 2
Geoapify
Geocoding and routing on a daily credit budget
Geoapify's Free plan gives 3,000 credits a day with no credit card required, and up to 5 requests a second. Attribution to Geoapify is required, and the first paid plan is $59 billed monthly.
- What's free
- 3,000 credits a day (source: geoapify.com)
- Attribution and use
- Geoapify attribution required (source: geoapify.com)
- Payment card
- No card needed (source: geoapify.com)
- 3
LocationIQ
Low-volume geocoding and maps for a small app
LocationIQ's free plan gives 5000 requests a day and 2 requests a second, with limited commercial use. You may use it commercially if you link back to LocationIQ.com, and Maps Lite is $45 billed monthly.
- Attribution and use
- Link back to LocationIQ.com (source: locationiq.com)
Start free at LocationIQTerms read on locationiq.com on LocationIQ: the free allowance and how to start - 4
GraphHopper
Routing tests on a daily credit budget
GraphHopper's free plan gives 500 credits per day, and you can launch it with no credit card required.
- What's free
- 500 credits a day (source: graphhopper.com)
- Payment card
- No card needed (source: graphhopper.com)
Start free at GraphHopperTerms read on graphhopper.com on GraphHopper: the free allowance and how to start
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How this comparison is built
The list covers maps, geocoding and routing APIs a founder can use for free today without applying to a program. The order and the "best for" notes are our editorial reading of each API's terms. Every term comes from the API's own pricing or help page on the date shown, never from a third-party list; follow each link for the full conditions. A cap on map loads or requests, or attribution and storage rules, can matter more than the headline, so the comparison quotes them wherever the provider states them. Some of these APIs pay StartupPerks a referral commission, and their links are labeled as referral links; that decides neither whether nor where a API appears, and no API pays for a placement on this page.
Read the full methodologyCommon questions
What is the best free maps API?
It depends on what you build. By the terms each provider states, Mapbox gives 50,000 map loads a month, Google Maps Platform 10,000 free calls per SKU a month, TomTom 200,000 map tiles a month, and Thunderforest 150,000 tile requests a month.
Is the Google Maps API free?
Google Maps Platform gives 10,000 free calls per SKU each month; above that, its plans start with Starter at $100 a month.
Is there a free geocoding API?
Yes. By their own pages, LocationIQ gives 5,000 requests a day, Geoapify 3,000 credits a day, and OpenCage 2,500 requests a day for testing.
Can I use a free maps API commercially?
Not always. MapTiler's free plan is for personal or non-commercial use, Stadia Maps' free plan does not allow commercial use, and LocationIQ limits commercial use on its free tier.
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