Top 10 Alternatives to Google Maps API
What is Google Maps API?
Google Maps is the most prominent platform for geolocation and visualization offered by Google. It comes up with plenty of features including satellite imagery, street maps, finding places, real-time traffic information and many more. In addition to all these services, it also help developers creating location-based applications like Uber, FoodPanda, Plane Finder etc. It offers developer APIs that give access to geographical data. Using Google Maps API, developer can embed live maps in their application and websites or retrieve data from Google Maps. Google Maps charges according to pay-as-you-go model but it gives free credit of $200 each month. For the static street view maps, it charges $7 for 1,000 transactions and $14 for 1,000 transactions for dynamic street view maps. Although Google Maps API is the most commonly used for mapping application but it’s not the only solution. There are several alternatives like Google Maps that offer features similar to Google Maps and charge less or don’t charge at all. Here is the list of top 10 substitutes you must give a try. Let’s explore them.
Google Maps API Alternatives
- Leaflet
- OpenStreetMap
- MapBox
- OpenLayers
- Bings Map API
- ArcGIS
- MapTiler
- MapQuest
- LocationIQ
- Tom Tom
1. Leaflet:
Leftlet is a free open-source Google Maps API alternative. It is a light-weight JavaScript Library. It is often best choice when it comes to mobile-friendly maps. It relies on the data provided by OpenStreetMap and other sources. The Leaflet API offers various plugins to enhance its functionality, and also allows users to contribute to the Leaflet ecosystem.
2. OpenStreatMap:
OpenStreetMap is a simple, and open-source substitute for Google Maps API. OpenStreetMap can be used freely without any cost or licenses. OpenStreetMap has frameworks that offer tools for displaying static or dynamic maps, geocoding, and navigation.
3. MapBox:
MapBox is another powerful open-source replacement to Google Maps API. We can develop static maps as well as dynamic maps. For data visualization, it also offers a tiling service. MapBox also let developer customize maps on various platforms. This API is free for up to 50,000 web loads and 25,000 mobile users.
4. OpenLayers:
OpenLayers provides an fast, simple and open-source library for JavaScript along with GitHub repository. It’s free to use and offers FreeBSD license. The API can be used to display maps, markers, and vector data from any sources that developers choose.
5. Bing Maps API
The Bing Maps offers variety of features including routing, spatial data, and logistics services. The API particularly supports Windows devices and applications. Bing Maps API provides a license for developers with 125,000 billable transactions for free.
6. ArcGIS:
ArcGIS provides the geographic information system to develop mapping and spatial analysis applications. It gives variety of features such as displaying maps, navigation, demographic data, content storage and management, security, and analyzing data offline. The API offered by ArcGIS is available for JavaScript, iOS, Android, .NET, Java, Python, and QT. This powerful service offers a freemium service which includes two million tile layers for free but after that we have to pay 15 cents per 1,000 additional layers.
7. MapTiler
MapTiler is a open-source and provide high flexibility to developer. It is best choice for rendering map tiles. MapTiler offers limited free map views as well as paid tiers based on usage. It is quite affordable as compared to Google Maps and costs 80% less than Google Maps API . The maps provided includes satellite images, basic street maps, and outdoor maps. In addition, it provides customization with color or fonts, editing and hosting.
8. MapQuest
MapQuest is the first web mapping service. The features offered by MapQuest are maps, points of interest, geocaching, directions, routing, and the API and SDK. It offer free plan that limit transactions to 15,000 per month and charge if limit exceeds.
9. LocationIQ:
LocationIQ is a great substitute when developers need API for geocoding or reverse geocoding. It relies on the data provided by OpenStreetMap, Open Addresses, and some other sources. Its affordable pricing strategy provides you 10,000 free transactions daily for non-commercial use. Whereas, for commercial users, it offers bestselling plan 50,000 calls per day for $100.
10. Tom Tom:
One of the popular and reliable substitute to Google Maps API that provide high-quality maps. It offers 2,500 free transactions, daily global customer support, and a really affordable pay-as-you-grow credit package. Additional transactions costs $0.5 for 1000 call.
Conclusion:
The potential and popularity of Google Maps can not be neglected but the cost of the Google Maps API has notably increased over the time. Additionally, Google Maps API is closed-source and offers less customization. Therefore, the alternatives should also be considered. The other substitutes may turn out to be better solutions due to their light-weight libraries, features, customization, easy licensing requirements and cost. I hope, this blog helps determining the optimal solution for your application.
