Plaza vs Google Maps Platform
The core Maps APIs on open data, up to 90% cheaper.
Feature by feature
| Feature | Google Maps Platform | Plaza | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forward Geocoding | $5/1K | from $0.50/1K | Cheaper |
| Reverse Geocoding | $5/1K | from $0.50/1K | Cheaper |
| Places Search | $32/1K | from $0.50/1K | Cheaper |
| Place Details | $17/1K | from $0.50/1K | Cheaper |
| Directions | $5-10/1K | from $1.50/1K | Cheaper |
| Distance Matrix | $5-10/1K elements | from $1.50/1K | Cheaper |
| Elevation | $5/1K | from $1.50/1K | Cheaper |
| Map Matching | $10/1K (Roads API) | from $1.50/1K | Cheaper |
| Route Optimization | $10/1K (Routes API) | from $1.50/1K | Cheaper |
| EV Routing | EV options in the Routes API | Battery state + planned charging stops | Unique |
| Departure-Time Routing | Live traffic, billed at a higher rate | Hourly speed profiles, no extra charge (no live traffic) | Cheaper |
| Custom Tag Queries | Not available | Full PlazaQL | Unique |
| Data Caching | Restricted by ToS | Unlimited (ODbL) | Unique |
| Open Data (ODbL) | No | Yes | Unique |
| Custom Datasets | Datasets API (for map styling) | Upload GeoJSON, query alongside OSM | Unique |
First region: North America, loading now. More regions on request. See coverage
Why developers switch from Google Maps
Google Maps Platform pricing is unpredictable. The 2018 price hike (up to 14x overnight) caught thousands of developers off guard, and per-request costs keep climbing. The Terms of Service also prohibit caching, so you pay again every time a user revisits the same location. And you're locked into proprietary data you can never take with you. Plaza uses OpenStreetMap under ODbL. Cache responses, store them in your own database, redistribute with attribution. If you ever leave, your integration patterns work with any OSM-compatible provider.
What does it actually cost?
At 100K geocoding requests per month, Google charges roughly $500. Plaza's Pro 100K plan is $50. For routing, Google charges $5-10 per thousand requests, which adds up to $500-1,000 at 100K volume. Plaza includes routing on every Pro plan, with premium endpoints counting as 4x against your allocation. Most teams switching from Google Maps cut their bill by 80-90%.
What you get with Plaza
Plaza covers geocoding, routing, directions with turn-by-turn navigation data, distance matrix, isochrones, elevation, map matching, and route optimization. On top of that: PlazaQL for arbitrary tag-based queries against the full OSM dataset, EV routing that plans charging stops, and departure-time routing at no extra charge. Departure-time ETAs come from hourly speed profiles per road class and urban density, not live traffic. Feature responses are standard GeoJSON, and the data is ODbL-licensed: cache it and redistribute it with attribution.
What you'd actually pay
Hobby project
1K req/week
Growing startup
100K req/mo
At scale
1M req/mo
Common questions
Is Plaza a drop-in replacement for Google Maps?
Plaza covers the same core APIs — geocoding, directions, distance matrix, elevation, and places search. The REST endpoints follow similar patterns, so most migrations take an afternoon. Plaza also adds PlazaQL, EV routing with charging stops, and custom dataset queries.
How much can I save switching from Google Maps to Plaza?
Most teams cut their bill by 80-90%. At 100K geocoding requests/month, Google charges roughly $500. Plaza's Pro plan is $50/mo for the same volume, with every endpoint included.
Can I use Plaza with my existing Google Maps code?
Plaza's REST API uses similar concepts (forward geocode, reverse geocode, directions, matrix). You'll change the base URL and auth header, and adapt a few parameter names. We have a step-by-step migration guide.
Can I cache Plaza API responses?
Yes. Google Maps restricts caching in its ToS. Plaza data is OpenStreetMap under ODbL — cache indefinitely, store in your own database, redistribute with attribution.
Does Plaza have a free tier?
Yes. 500 standard requests/day + 50 premium requests/day, no credit card required. All endpoints included.
Does Plaza support all the same endpoints as Google Maps?
Plaza covers geocoding, reverse geocoding, places search, place details, directions, distance matrix, elevation, and map matching. It also offers PlazaQL, EV routing with charging stops, and isochrones. Departure-time routing costs nothing extra, but it uses hourly speed profiles per road class and urban density rather than Google's live traffic.
How does data freshness compare?
Google Maps data is proprietary and updated on their schedule. Plaza uses OpenStreetMap, updated by over 10 million contributors worldwide. Plaza applies the daily OpenStreetMap diff, so new map edits typically appear within a day.
Switching is straightforward
Plaza's REST API uses similar concepts to Google Maps Platform. Most migrations take an afternoon.