The Guide to Geocoding API Pricing in 2025
Choosing the right geocoding API can significantly impact your project’s budget and capabilities. In this guide, we’ll explore pricing, features, and restrictions across major global providers and lesser-known alternatives to help you make an informed decision.
Examples of free geocoding tools here
What Are Geocoding APIs?
Geocoding APIs translate addresses or place names into geographic coordinates (forward geocoding) and vice versa (reverse geocoding). They’re essential for applications with location-based functionality, from mapping user addresses to complex spatial analysis.
Major Global Geocoding API Providers
Google Maps Geocoding API
Pricing: Google offers 10,000 requests per month free, with additional requests billed at $5 per 1,000. For high-volume usage (500,000+ monthly requests), volume discounts are available through their sales team.
Rate Limits: Google imposes a rate limit of 50 requests per second but no daily cap beyond the monthly quota.
Licensing Restrictions: Google’s terms are notably restrictive. Geocoding results cannot be stored permanently outside of Google’s services. You may cache results for up to 30 days for performance, but permanent storage is only allowed if data is displayed on a Google map and used within Google’s ecosystem.
Coverage & Features: Google provides extensive global coverage with high accuracy, especially in North America and Europe. Data is continuously updated, and the API handles international addresses and languages well. However, service availability may be limited in some regions, like mainland China.
Mapbox Geocoding API
Pricing: Mapbox offers a generous free tier of 100,000 requests per month. Beyond that, their pricing is tiered based on usage and whether you need to store results:
- “Temporary Geocoding” (no storage): $0.75 per 1,000 for 100k-500k monthly, decreasing to $0.45 per 1,000 for 1M-5M requests
- “Permanent Geocoding” (allowing storage): $5 per 1,000 requests
Rate Limits: Default rate limit of 1,000 requests per minute (16-17 requests/second), which can be adjusted for higher-volume customers.
Licensing Restrictions: Mapbox differentiates between temporary and permanent usage. By default, results cannot be stored long-term unless you use their more expensive Permanent Geocoding API. Unlike Google, results can be used with any mapping platform, not just Mapbox.
Coverage & Features: Global coverage using primarily OpenStreetMap data, with particularly strong results in well-mapped urban areas. The API supports batch geocoding and returns rich information including address components and context.
HERE Geocoding API
Pricing: HERE offers 250,000 transactions per month free on their Freemium plan. Additional usage costs $1 per 1,000 transactions. The Pro plan ($449/month) includes 1 million transactions monthly and support.
Rate Limits: No daily limit, but approximately 5 requests per second on the Freemium plan. The monthly quota is the primary constraint.
Licensing Restrictions: Standard plans do not allow permanent storage of geocoding results. Enterprise licenses are required for caching or exporting geocoding data. However, HERE does not require display on their maps.
Coverage & Features: Worldwide coverage with particularly strong data in Europe and North America. HERE’s geocoder handles batch processing and supports multi-language queries. Data updates occur regularly, with particularly reliable coverage of road networks.
TomTom Geocoding API
Pricing: TomTom provides 2,500 free geocoding requests daily. Beyond that, additional calls cost approximately $0.75 per 1,000 requests, with credits purchased in advance.
Rate Limits: Limited to 5 requests per second and 2,500 free requests per day, with daily reset.
Licensing Restrictions: TomTom prohibits storing geocoding results beyond temporary caching for performance. However, displaying results on third-party maps is permitted.
Coverage & Features: Global coverage with strong European data, supporting forward, reverse, and batch geocoding. The API returns confidence scores for results and handles international addresses well.
Bing Maps Geocoding
Pricing: Bing offers approximately 10,000 geocoding transactions per month free (often stated as 125,000/year). For higher usage, Azure Maps provides tiered pricing starting around $4.50 per 1,000 geocodes.
Rate Limits: Approximately 50 requests per second, with the free tier monthly quota as the primary limit.
Licensing Restrictions: Similar to Google, geocoding results cannot be stored indefinitely without permission. Results are typically expected to be displayed on Bing Maps.
Coverage & Features: Global coverage using TomTom data and OpenStreetMap in some regions. Supports batch geocoding and returns confidence levels for matches.
Alternative Geocoding Providers
Beyond the major players, several alternative providers offer competitive pricing and sometimes more flexible terms:
OpenCage Geocoder
Pricing: Free trial allowing 2,500 requests per day. Paid plans start at $50/month for 10,000 requests/day (~$0.17 per 1,000).
Key Advantage: Very permissive licensing—cache results indefinitely and display on any map. Based on open data (primarily OpenStreetMap).
Features: Returns additional useful data like timezone, currency, and administrative boundaries. Global coverage that varies with OSM quality.
Geocodio
Pricing: 2,500 addresses per day free (trial), then $0.50 per 1,000 lookups, with volume discounts down to $0.10 per 1,000.
Key Advantage: US and Canada focus with extremely permissive terms—no storage restrictions and no required map tie-in.
Features: Can append valuable data like Congressional districts, Census information, and timezones during geocoding.
LocationIQ
Pricing: 5,000 requests per day free. Paid plans start at $100/month for 25,000 requests/day.
Rate Limits: 2 requests per second (free tier); 20 requests per second (paid plans).
Features: Global coverage using OpenStreetMap data. Permissive storage terms.
PositionStack
Pricing: 25,000 requests per month free. Paid plans from $9.99/month (100k requests) to $99.99/month (2M requests).
Features: Forward and reverse geocoding, batch processing up to 10 addresses per request. Global coverage based on open data.
MapQuest
Pricing: Approximately 2,500 free requests daily (OSM-based API). Pay-as-you-go rates around $0.50-$0.75 per 1,000 for higher usage.
Features: Two API options—Open (OSM-based, more permissive) and Premium (TomTom-based, more restrictive).
OpenStreetMap Nominatim
Pricing: Free public API with strict usage limits (1 request per second, ~1,000 per day). Can be self-hosted for unlimited usage.
Key Advantage: Completely free and open source—ideal for low-volume or self-hosted applications.
Regional Providers
Some providers excel in specific regions:
- Yandex Geocoder: Best for Russia and CIS countries with Cyrillic addresses
- Baidu Maps: Essential for China, where Google services are restricted
- MapmyIndia: Detailed coverage for Indian addresses, including landmarks
- US Census Geocoder: Free batch geocoding for US addresses with unlimited usage
Comparison Tables
Pricing and Quotas
| Provider | Free Tier | Pay-as-you-go / Plan Pricing | Rate Limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Maps | 10k/mo | $5 per 1,000 beyond free | 50 QPS; no daily cap |
| Mapbox | 100k/mo | Temporary: $0.75/1k to $0.45/1k tiered<br>Permanent: $5/1k | 1000 requests/min (≈16.7 QPS) |
| HERE | 250k/mo | $1 per 1,000 after free<br>Pro: $449/mo for 1M | ~5 QPS default (freemium) |
| TomTom | 2,500/day | ~$0.75 per 1,000 geocoding requests | 5 QPS; 2.5k/day free |
| Bing Maps | ~10k/mo | Azure Maps: ~$4.5/1k (first 5M) | ~50 QPS; quota resets monthly |
| OpenCage | 2,500/day | $50/mo (10k/day) to $1000/mo (250k/day) | 1 QPS free; 15 QPS paid |
| Geocodio | 2,500/day (trial) | $0.50/1k, volume discounts to $0.10/1k<br>Unlimited: $1000/mo | 1,000 per min (16.7 QPS) |
| LocationIQ | 5,000/day | $100/mo (25k/day) to $950/mo (300k/day) | 2 QPS free; 20 QPS paid |
| PositionStack | 25k/mo | $9.99/mo (100k) to $99.99/mo (2M) | Moderate; can batch requests |
| MapQuest | ~2,500/day | ~$0.50-$0.75 per 1,000 | ~5 QPS on free tier |
| OSM Nominatim | Public API (no key) | N/A (self-host to scale) | 1 QPS, ~1000/day (public) |
Features and Policies
| Provider | Storage Policy | Key Features | Regional Strength |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Maps | No storing beyond cache | High accuracy; place names; multi-language | Global; limited in China |
| Mapbox | Storage requires Permanent API | OSM-based; batch geocoding; contextual info | Strong where OSM is detailed |
| HERE | No storing without enterprise plan | Batch geocoding; POI search integration | Excellent in Europe, NA |
| TomTom | Temporary caching only | Confidence scoring; category search | Strong in Europe |
| Bing Maps | No persistent storage | Batch processing; confidence levels | Global with TomTom data |
| OpenCage | Unlimited storage allowed | Additional data (timezone, etc.); multi-language | Varies with OSM quality |
| Geocodio | Unlimited storage allowed | Data appending (districts, demographics) | US & Canada only |
| LocationIQ | Storage allowed (OSM terms) | Simple REST API; global coverage | Follows OSM quality patterns |
| PositionStack | Storage allowed | Place name lookup; IP geocoding | Global open data |
| MapQuest | OSM tier: storage allowed<br>Premium: no storage | Quality codes; dual API options | US historically strong |
| OSM Nominatim | Storage allowed (under ODbL) | Raw OSM data access; detailed components | Varies with OSM quality |
Choosing the Right Geocoding API
When selecting a geocoding provider, consider these factors:
Budget constraints: For tight budgets, OpenCage, LocationIQ, or MapQuest’s free tiers offer good starting points.
Storage needs: If you need to store geocoding results:
- Use providers with permissive terms (OpenCage, Geocodio)
- Consider Mapbox’s Permanent Geocoding API (though costlier)
- Negotiate enterprise terms with major providers
Geographic focus: Regional providers often have better data in their specialized areas.
Volume requirements: High-volume users should prioritize providers with volume discounts.
Data accuracy needs: Major commercial providers (Google, HERE, TomTom) generally offer the most consistent global accuracy, especially in challenging regions.
Many developers adopt a hybrid approach—using free OSM-based providers for bulk processing and premium services for user-facing, accuracy-critical features.
