Best Map API for Location-Based Services: Mapbox vs Google Maps vs OpenStreetMap

In this article, we compare the three most popular mapping services: Mapbox, Google Maps, and OpenStreetMap. Find out which is best for your project.

Mapping functionality is an essential part of almost any logistics software. For example, route planning in a traffic management system and real-time tracking in a customer portal rely heavily on maps. Choosing the right mapping tool can lower your operating costs and help you build transparent relationships with your customers. But which tool should you choose?

Google Maps

While it seems like Google Maps has been around since time immemorial, it’s not Brontosaurus when it comes to updating data and providing new features. Especially when the pricing policy changes — but we will return to this later.

GMP, or the Google Maps Platform, has 99 percent global reach and over 1 billion monthly active users. It has long been the industry standard for map integration and is used by Bolt, Uber, Allianz, and many other large and small businesses.

Using satellites, Street View cars, and Android devices as well as by gathering data from local participants, GMP provides vast amounts of detailed and accurate data in real time. And the GMP products (Maps, Routes, and Locations) are designed to meet the needs of any industry — if businesses can handle the price.

Pros & cons of using Google Maps

Google Maps is based on reliable navigation data and has over one billion monthly active users, making it the most popular service. Let’s pay attention to its main pros and cons:

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Pros

The best information

With Google satellites, Street View cars, and custom fixes, Google’s geographic coverage is considered the best.

Multiple style options

The JSON-like syntax used by Google Maps is loaded immediately along with the map. You can control the visibility, color, and transparency of all map elements.

Street View

Street View is a feature that provides interactive panoramas from different angles on different streets around the world. This feature can visualize Keyhole Markup Language (KML) and GeoRSS data on a map. For example, the KML syntax tells Google Maps how to display geographic features such as landmarks, images, polygons, and more, and can provide everything from crime statistics to information on recent earthquakes. By integrating Street View into the mobile or web version of their apps, restaurants, shops, and other service providers can allow customers to virtually visit their locations.

Extensive language support

Google Maps supports multiple languages. In 2018, Google added 39 new languages, including Swedish and Armenian, to the Google Maps software, allowing an additional 1.25 billion people to use the service in their own language.

Instantly recognizable

Most smartphone and computer users are familiar with the Google Maps interface, which will likely inspire a sense of trust when interacting with the version built into your application.

Excellent global and local data quality

Google Maps has won global popularity with the help of their mapping services and has collected immeasurable amounts of local information.

Cons

Browser limitations

Not all web browsers support the Google Maps JavaScript API.

Usage limitations

Google Maps limits the number of requests you can send to Google Maps Platform products per second. You can find a table with limits on the Google Maps website. For example, you can send 50 requests per second to the Directions API. You must constantly monitor your API usage to check spending, and if you exceed the limits, your account will be blocked.

Few customization options

Although new custom styles are being released in beta, the Google Maps API currently has limited support for creating a unique look and feel when maps are integrated into an application.

Not an open-source API

Whether it’s because Google requires no help from the developer community or because the corporation is holding on to the right to implement certain features without external consent, this is simply the way things are.

Tricky pricing

Google Maps’ pricing model is not easy to understand. This is the biggest gimmick: to attract users, Google allocates $200 per user for API calls every month. When that amount is spent, Google starts charging you. The price hike for the Google Maps API in 2018 made a splash among loyal users. A great service like this deserves to be monetized and should be profitable, but customer trust is another currency worth saving.

Mapbox

Mapbox provides map data and analysis to non-profit environmental and humanitarian organizations and has grown into an industry giant. While providing customizable maps and location tools to big players like Facebook, Snapchat, and Foursquare, the company is also meeting the needs of local entrepreneurs.

If you want to read about the pros and cons of Mapbox and other map services, check our article at Mobindustry.net.