Google Maps Platform vs Mapbox pricing
Both are in maps & geocoding apis. Google Maps Platform is billed per 1k requests (per-sku); Mapbox is billed per 1k req / mau-based. Numbers below are copied from each vendor's pricing page.
Google Maps PlatformFree tier or trial
- Free tier
- 10k free geocoding events/mo (Essentials SKUs)
- Billed
- Per 1k requests (per-SKU)
- Best for
- Enterprise-grade global maps & places
- Verified
- Jun 27, 2026
MapboxFree tier or trial
- Free tier
- 50k web map loads/mo + free geocoding tier
- Billed
- Per 1k req / MAU-based
- Best for
- Customizable maps & nav SDKs
- Verified
- Jun 27, 2026
Google Maps Platform plans
| Plan | Price | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Pay-as-you-go (free tier) | $0 | Free monthly cap per SKU: 10,000 events for Essentials SKUs, 5,000 for Pro, 1,000 for Enterprise; plus a $300 new-customer trial credit. |
| Starter (subscription) | $100/mo | 50,000 monthly calls; includes Dynamic Maps and Geocoding; marketed as saving up to $180 vs pay-as-you-go. |
| Essentials (subscription) | $275/mo | 100,000 monthly calls across the most popular Maps, Routes, Places, and Environment products. |
| Pro (subscription) | $1,200/mo | 250,000 monthly calls with advanced features and enhanced customization. |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom monthly call allowances and access to the most powerful/customizable features; requires contacting sales. |
- Expensive at high request volumes compared to Mapbox, HERE, and MapTiler
- Pricing structure is complex and bills can spike unpredictably; the March 2025 removal of the $200 universal credit frustrated many existing users
- Per-SKU billing model makes cost forecasting hard, especially for keystroke-heavy autocomplete usage
Mapbox plans
| Plan | Price | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Map Loads (GL JS web) | Free up to 50,000/mo, then $5.00 per 1,000 | Pay-as-you-go web map loads with automatic volume discounts at higher tiers. |
| Temporary Geocoding | Free up to 100,000/mo, then $0.75 per 1,000 | Forward/reverse geocoding results that may not be stored permanently. |
| Permanent Geocoding | $5.00 per 1,000 (no free tier) | Geocoding results licensed for permanent storage. |
| Directions API | Free up to 100,000/mo, then $2.00 per 1,000 | Routing requests; drops to $1.60/1K above 500K within the billing period. |
| Static Images | Free up to 50,000/mo, then $1.00 per 1,000 | Server-rendered static map images. |
| Mobile Maps SDK (MAU) | Free up to 25,000 MAU/mo, then $4.00 per 1,000 | Mobile maps billed per monthly active user rather than per request. |
- No hard spending caps - each API bills independently with unlimited financial exposure, producing documented bill-shock cases
- Cost modeling at scale is complex because web map loads, mobile MAU, geocoding, directions, and search all meter and bill separately
- High-compute products like Matrix routing and Optimization can get expensive quickly
Source: https://www.mapbox.com/pricing