Plaza vs Mapbox
Full feature parity, simpler pricing, data you actually own.
Feature by feature
| Feature | Mapbox | Plaza | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forward Geocoding | $0.75/1K | from $0.50/1K | Cheaper |
| Reverse Geocoding | $0.75/1K | from $0.50/1K | Cheaper |
| Directions | $2/1K | from $1.50/1K | Cheaper |
| Multi-Waypoint Routing | Yes | Yes (up to 25 waypoints) | Parity |
| Alternative Routes | Yes | Yes (1-3 alternatives) | Parity |
| Turn-by-Turn Steps | Yes | Yes | Parity |
| Road Exclusions | Yes | Yes (toll, ferry, unpaved, motorway) | Parity |
| Isochrone | $2/1K | from $1.50/1K | Cheaper |
| Multi-Contour Isochrones | Yes | Yes (with denoise + generalize) | Parity |
| Distance Matrix | $2/1K | from $1.50/1K | Cheaper |
| Map Matching | $2/1K | from $1.50/1K | Cheaper |
| Route Optimization | $2/1K | from $1.50/1K | Cheaper |
| Elevation | Via Tilequery | Dedicated endpoint | Unique |
| EV Routing | Not available | Battery + charging stops | Unique |
| Traffic-Aware Routing | Yes (paid add-on) | Built in (depart_at param) | Unique |
| Text Search | Not available | Trigram-ranked full-text | Unique |
| Custom Tag Queries | Not available | Full PlazaQL | Unique |
| Data License | Proprietary | ODbL (cache freely) | Unique |
| Open Data (ODbL) | Partial | Yes | Unique |
| Custom Datasets | Not available | Upload GeoJSON, query alongside OSM | Unique |
Why developers switch from Mapbox
Mapbox bills separately for geocoding, directions, isochrones, and matrix. The costs add up fast when you use multiple APIs. Their proprietary vector tile format also creates real lock-in if you've built rendering pipelines around it. Plaza charges one flat rate per request tier, every endpoint included on every plan. Responses are standard GeoJSON. The data is OpenStreetMap under ODbL. Cache it, redistribute it, build derivative datasets.
What does it actually cost?
Mapbox charges $0.75/1K for geocoding and $2/1K for directions, isochrones, and matrix. Looks reasonable until you're using three or four products at scale. 100K routing requests alone is $200/month; add matrix, isochrones, and geocoding and you're at $400-600. Plaza's Pro 100K plan covers all those endpoints for $50. Premium endpoints count as 4x, but even so, Plaza costs less for any workload touching more than one API. Free tier: 500 requests/day, no credit card.
What Plaza adds beyond Mapbox
Plaza matches Mapbox on geocoding, directions, isochrones, distance matrix, and map matching. Beyond that: route optimization for multi-stop TSP/VRP, EV routing with battery and charging constraints, full-text search across the entire OSM dataset, and PlazaQL for arbitrary spatial queries (which would require self-hosting a database with Mapbox). Every response is standard GeoJSON.
What you'd actually pay
Hobby project
1K req/mo
Growing startup
100K req/mo
At scale
1M req/mo
Common questions
Is Plaza a drop-in replacement for Mapbox?
Plaza matches Mapbox on geocoding, directions, isochrones, distance matrix, and map matching. It adds route optimization, EV routing, full-text search, and PlazaQL. Responses are standard GeoJSON.
How does Plaza pricing compare to Mapbox?
Mapbox bills separately per API — geocoding at $0.75/1K, directions at $2/1K, isochrones at $2/1K. Plaza's Pro plan starts at $50/mo with all endpoints included. For workloads touching multiple APIs, Plaza costs significantly less.
Can I cache Plaza responses like I can with Mapbox?
Better — Mapbox limits caching to 30 days. Plaza data is OpenStreetMap under ODbL. Cache indefinitely, redistribute with attribution.
Does Plaza support vector tiles like Mapbox?
Plaza is a data API, not a rendering engine. For tiles, pair Plaza with any OSM-based tile provider, or use MapLibre GL JS for rendering while using Plaza for geocoding, routing, and search. They work well together.
Does Plaza have a free tier?
Yes. 500 standard requests/day + 10 premium requests/day, no credit card required. All endpoints included.
Does Plaza match Mapbox on geocoding quality?
Both use OpenStreetMap data. Plaza adds libpostal for international address normalization across 200+ countries. For most geocoding workloads, results are comparable, with Plaza costing less at scale.
Can I use Plaza with MapLibre GL JS?
Yes. Use MapLibre GL JS for map rendering and Plaza for data — geocoding, routing, search, elevation, and everything else. They're complementary, not competing.
Switching is straightforward
Plaza's REST API uses similar concepts to Mapbox. Most migrations take an afternoon.