10 Best Alternatives to Google Maps in 2026 (Free & Paid)

In March 2025, Google replaced the $200 monthly credit with per-SKU free usage caps.

This guide compares 10 Google Maps alternatives by pricing, included usage, features, and licensing.

#Quick Comparison Table

Apple MapKit JS requires Apple Developer Program membership ($99/year).

#What Changed in Google Maps Pricing and APIs

#The $200 Monthly Credit Is Gone

Before March 2025, Google gave every project a flat $200/month credit that covered Maps, Geocoding, Places, and Directions under one umbrella. A small app using multiple APIs could run effectively for free.

Google replaced this with per-SKU free usage caps. Most Essentials SKUs include 10,000 monthly billable events, most Pro SKUs include 5,000, and most Enterprise SKUs include 1,000. Some SKUs have different caps, so the cost of a multi-API app depends on the exact services it calls.

#Cost Controls

Google Maps has no default daily spending cap. Budget alerts notify you but do not cap spending; request quotas are the control that can stop further API calls.

Stadia Maps and MapTiler stop requests at published limits by default and provide optional overage controls.

#Legacy API Status

In the March 2025 overhaul, Google labeled several core APIs as "Legacy": Directions API, Distance Matrix API, and the original Places API. These still work but receive no new features and get limited volume discounts. Google recommends Routes API and Places API (New) for new development; moving an existing app to them requires integration changes.

#Content Storage Terms

Google's terms restrict caching and using Google Maps content outside its services, but the rules vary by content. For example, geocoding latitude and longitude values may generally be cached for up to 30 days. Check the terms for each API rather than assuming all returned data has the same storage rights.

#1. Mapbox

Mapbox publishes maps, geocoding, directions, and search products.

Pricing: Mapbox includes 50,000 monthly GL JS map loads and 100,000 temporary geocoding requests. The first paid bands are $5 per 1,000 GL JS loads and $0.75 per 1,000 temporary geocoding requests. One GL JS map load includes unlimited tile requests and interaction during a session of up to 12 hours.

Published capabilities:

• Custom map styles
• Client-side vector-map rendering
• Terrain and globe rendering

#2. MapTiler

MapTiler is built on OpenStreetMap data and provides hosted mapping services as well as self-hosting options.

Pricing: The non-commercial Free plan includes 5,000 map sessions, 1,000 search sessions, and 100,000 API requests per month. Flex costs $30 per month and includes 25,000 map sessions, 3,000 search sessions, and 500,000 API requests. Flex overage starts at $2.50 per 1,000 map sessions and $0.15 per 1,000 API requests; custom pricing is quote-based.

Published capabilities and terms:

• Hosted maps and search
• Self-hosting options
• MapLibre support
• The Free plan pauses at its limit; Flex publishes overage rates

#3. MapLibre GL JS

MapLibre is the open-source fork of Mapbox GL JS v1.13, created by the community after Mapbox went proprietary in 2020. It provides GPU-accelerated vector map rendering with zero licensing costs.

Pricing: MapLibre GL JS is an open-source renderer under the BSD-3-Clause licence. It has no renderer licence fee, but you still need a tile source and any geocoding, routing, or search services your application uses.

Published capabilities:

• GPU-accelerated WebGL rendering
• Custom map styles and data layers

#4. OpenStreetMap + Leaflet

OpenStreetMap is community-maintained open map data. Leaflet is an open-source JavaScript rendering library. Together they provide the data and renderer, not unlimited hosted infrastructure.

Pricing: OpenStreetMap data is available for commercial use under the ODbL, and Leaflet has no licence fee. The OpenStreetMap Foundation's public tile servers are best-effort, carry no SLA, prohibit bulk downloading and may block heavy use. Public Nominatim is capped at one request per second and forbids autocomplete. Production deployments should self-host or pay a provider.

Published capabilities and terms:

• Open map data under the ODbL
• Leaflet rendering with self-hosted or commercial tile infrastructure

#5. HERE Maps

HERE provides mapping, routing, traffic, and logistics services.

Pricing: HERE advertises a free starting option and usage-based pricing, but the current public page does not expose a stable numeric API rate card. Contact HERE or check its live Base Plan pricing for the services you need.

Published capabilities:

• Mapping and search
• Routing and traffic
• Logistics services

#6. Radar

Radar combines maps, geocoding, search, routing, and geofencing in one platform.

Pricing: Radar explicitly publishes no free tier. Core Maps starts at $0.50 per 1,000 calls and Premium Maps starts at $2 per 1,000 calls. Higher-volume agreements are annual and quote-based, with negotiated rather than automatic discounts.

Published capabilities:

• Maps and geocoding
• Search and routing
• Geofencing
• Open-source SDKs

#7. TomTom

TomTom's Maps API provides mapping, routing, geocoding, and traffic services.

Pricing: TomTom requires no credit card to start and publishes monthly allowances by SKU: 200,000 Orbis map tile requests, 20,000 routing requests, 20,000 geocoding requests, 20,000 reverse-geocoding requests, and 2,500 matrix requests. Requests return HTTP 429 after the allowance is exhausted. Contact TomTom for current paid rates.

Published capabilities:

• Maps and geocoding
• Routing and traffic

#8. Stadia Maps

Stadia Maps uses MapLibre GL JS for rendering.

Pricing: The non-commercial Free plan includes 200,000 credits per month. Starter costs $20 per month for 1 million credits, Standard costs $80 for 7.5 million, and Professional costs $250 for 25 million. A standard vector tile consumes one credit and forward geocoding consumes 20 credits per request.

Published terms:

• Server logs are generally retained for approximately 7–14 days
• Hard usage limits by default, with optional pay-as-you-go overage
• MapLibre-based rendering

#9. Apple MapKit JS

Apple MapKit JS includes 250,000 map views and 25,000 service calls per day with an Apple Developer Program membership. Apple asks customers who need more capacity to contact it.

Pricing: Apple Developer Program membership costs $99 per year. Each membership includes daily limits of 250,000 MapKit JS views, 25,000 shared service calls, and 25,000 unique snapshot requests.

Published capabilities:

• Interactive web maps
• Search and directions
• Look Around imagery

#10. Azure Maps

Azure Maps is Microsoft's mapping platform, replacing Bing Maps. Bing Maps for Enterprise remains available to existing customers until June 30, 2028. If you're already in the Azure ecosystem, Azure Maps integrates natively with Azure services.

Pricing: Azure Maps Gen2 includes 5,000 monthly Base Map Tiles transactions and 5,000 Search transactions; routing includes 1,000. Paid prices vary by region and agreement, so use Microsoft's live calculator or request a quote. Microsoft lists a June 2028 migration deadline for Bing Maps Enterprise customers.

Published capabilities:

• Map rendering and search
• Routing and traffic
• Weather and geospatial analytics

#Street-Level Imagery Coverage

Street View. Google says Street View imagery spans more than 100 countries and territories. Apple Look Around and Mapillary also publish street-level imagery products, so compare current coverage for the markets you need.

#The Shortcut: Skip the API Entirely

If your goal is to put locations on a map with search functionality, a purpose-built store locator is another option.

StoreRocket provides Google Maps or Mapbox rendering, import geocoding, search, filtering, analytics, and lead capture. On a subscribed project, you connect your own Google Maps or Mapbox key and the provider bills its usage directly.

This replaces the map integration work with an embed while retaining location search, filters, directions, and analytics.

Try StoreRocket free for 7 days →

#How to Compare the Alternatives

If cost is your primary concern: Compare the exact workload. Radar publishes Core Maps from $0.50 per 1,000 calls but has no free tier. MapLibre has no renderer licence fee, although tiles and other services still need infrastructure. Apple MapKit JS includes 250,000 map views per day with a Developer Program membership.

Compare the exact APIs, billing units, licence terms, support terms, hosting responsibilities, and geographic coverage your application needs. Test address and point-of-interest data against a representative sample from each market you serve.

#Frequently Asked Questions

#Is Google Maps API still free?

Not in the way it used to be. Google eliminated the flat $200 monthly credit in March 2025 and replaced it with per-SKU free usage caps. Most Essentials SKUs include 10,000 monthly billable events, most Pro SKUs include 5,000, and most Enterprise SKUs include 1,000, with exceptions for some services.

#What is the cheapest Google Maps API alternative?

It depends on the workload. Radar publishes Core Maps from $0.50 per 1,000 calls but has no free tier. MapLibre GL JS has no renderer licence fee, while Apple MapKit JS includes 250,000 daily map views with a Developer Program membership. Tile hosting, geocoding, routing, and licence terms still need separate comparison.

#Can I use OpenStreetMap data for free commercially?

Yes. OpenStreetMap data is licensed under the Open Database License (ODbL), which allows commercial use as long as you attribute OpenStreetMap and share any modifications to the data itself. You don't need to open-source your application.

#What should I check before migrating from Google Maps?

Inventory every Google API the application uses, then compare the replacement's rendering, geocoding, place search, directions, storage terms, and billing units. Test the new provider with representative addresses and traffic before switching production use.

#Which alternative has the best geocoding accuracy?

Accuracy varies by country, address type, and input quality. Test each provider against a representative sample of your own addresses before choosing.

#Do any alternatives offer Street View?

Yes. Google says Street View imagery spans more than 100 countries and territories. Apple Look Around and Mapillary also provide street-level imagery; compare their current coverage for your target markets.

Related: Is Mapbox free? | Mapbox alternatives | Google Maps API pricing explained | Google Maps vs Mapbox | How to put multiple locations on Google Maps