Google Maps API Alternatives for Indie Developers (2026)

Short answer: For most indie apps, Mapbox is the easiest cheaper swap for Google Maps, because its free tier covers 50,000 web map loads and 100,000 temporary geocodes a month. If you want tiles for $0 with commercial use allowed, use OpenFreeMap or self-host a Protomaps file, and pair it with a geocoder whose free plan permits commercial use, such as Geoapify or LocationIQ.

Every price, limit and policy below comes from the vendor's or operator's own page, checked on 12 Nov 2026. Our advice is marked "Our read".

TL;DR#

• Google's free credit is gone. Since 1 March 2025, the $200 monthly credit is replaced by free thresholds per SKU: 10,000 a month for Essentials, 5,000 for Pro, 1,000 for Enterprise (Google March 2025 changes, Google pricing).
• Mapbox has the biggest managed free tier for web maps: 50,000 loads, then $5.00 per 1,000 (Mapbox pricing).
• Free tiles exist. OpenFreeMap says its public instance has "no limits on the number of map views or requests" and allows commercial use (OpenFreeMap).
• Read the commercial-use line. Stadia's free plan says "Commercial use not allowed" (Stadia pricing). Geoapify's free plan allows production commercial use (Geoapify pricing).
• Do not mix and match with Google. Google's terms ban using Geocoding API content with a non-Google map (Google service terms).

Disclosure: ZeroRaised is a launch site for bootstrapped products and has no commercial relationship with any vendor in this post. We earn nothing if you sign up. Facts come from the linked sources as checked on 12 Nov 2026.

What Google Maps Platform costs now#

On 1 March 2025 Google introduced Essentials, Pro and Enterprise categories and replaced the USD $200 monthly recurring credit with a free monthly usage threshold per SKU (Google March 2025 changes). It also moved Places API, Directions API and Distance Matrix API to Legacy status.

The SKUs most indie apps touch, at the first paid tier (up to 100,000 a month) (Google pricing):

Prices drop with volume, down to $0.53 per 1,000 Dynamic Maps loads above 5 million a month. Some SKUs, such as the Maps Embed API and the mobile Maps SDKs, are listed as unlimited.

Two terms matter before you plan a hybrid setup. Google says you "may temporarily cache latitude (lat) and longitude (lng) values from the Geocoding API for up to 30 consecutive calendar days", with a narrower allowance for indefinite caching "solely to support the direct, End User facing functionality" of the app that made the request. And you "must not use Google Maps Content from the Geocoding API in conjunction with a non-Google map" (Google service terms).

Our read: the cost hits web apps that show an interactive map on every page view, such as directories and marketplaces.

The alternatives at a glance#

Managed map platforms#

Mapbox#

Mapbox is the closest like-for-like replacement: vector maps with GL JS on the web, SDKs for mobile, geocoding, search and directions. Web map loads are free up to 50,000 a month, then $5.00 per 1,000 for the next 50,000. Temporary geocoding is free up to 100,000 requests, then $0.75 per 1,000 (Mapbox pricing).

The catch is storage. Mapbox's docs say "Temporary results are not allowed to be cached, while Permanent results are allowed to be cached and stored indefinitely." Permanent geocoding needs a credit card on file (Mapbox geocoding docs), has no free allowance on the pricing page and costs $5.00 per 1,000 for the first 500,000 (Mapbox pricing).

Our read: if you geocode an address once when a listing is created and store the coordinates, that is a Permanent request. Budget for it, or geocode with a provider that allows storage on cheaper terms.

MapTiler Cloud#

MapTiler's Free plan includes 5k sessions and 100k API requests a month and pauses until the next month when you hit the limit, so there is no surprise bill. The page calls it "Suitable for testing, PoC, prototyping, personal, or non-commercial use." Flex is $30 a month with 25k sessions and 500k requests, then $2.50 per 1k sessions and $0.15 per 1k requests (MapTiler pricing).

Stadia Maps#

Stadia bills in credits. Standard vector basemaps cost 1 credit per tile; forward, structured and reverse geocoding cost 20 credits per request; autocomplete costs 1 credit. The free plan has 200,000 credits a month but states "Commercial use not allowed." Starter is $20 a month for 1,000,000 credits plus 3 cents per 1,000 extra; Standard is $80 for 7,500,000 (Stadia pricing).

Our read: per-tile billing means cost depends on how far users pan and zoom, so measure tiles per session first.

Geoapify#

Geoapify meters by credits per day. The free plan gives 3,000 credits a day and the pricing page says "You can use the Free plan for commercial websites, apps, and business projects, including in production." Simple requests such as geocoding, places and routing cost 1 credit (Geoapify pricing), and a map tile costs 0.25 credits, so "100 map tiles cost 25 credits" (Geoapify map tiles docs). Paid plans start at $59 a month for 10,000 credits a day.

LocationIQ#

LocationIQ's free plan allows 5,000 requests a day at 2 per second, and commercial use needs "a prominent link back to us on your website or app". Free users can cache request-response pairs "for upto 48 hours"; paid users can cache them "for as long as you're a customer". It does not allow server-side caching of map tiles. Paid plans start at $45 a month for Maps Lite and $100 for Developer (LocationIQ pricing).

TomTom, Radar and Geocodio#

• TomTom lists free monthly requests per API with "no credit card needed": 200K vector tiles, 200K raster tiles, 20K geocoding and 20K reverse geocoding requests (TomTom pricing). Per-1,000 rates sit on separate pages.
• Radar has no free tier. Core Maps (geocoding, autocomplete, static maps, directions) starts at $0.50 per 1,000 API calls and Premium Maps at $2.00 (Radar pricing).
• Geocodio is geocoding only, with "2,500 lookups free per day, forever" on pay-as-you-go. Pay-as-you-go covers the US, Canada, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand, and its terms "allow you to store results long-term" (Geocodio pricing). The page did not show a per-lookup price when we checked.

Free and self-hosted options#

OpenFreeMap#

OpenFreeMap serves OpenStreetMap-based vector tiles. Its homepage says "Using our public instance is completely free", that there are "no limits on the number of map views or requests", and that there is "no registration, no user database, no API keys, and no cookies." Commercial use is allowed. It aims to cover costs "through donations", and you can self-host instead (OpenFreeMap).

Our read: a great default for an early product. Because it is donation-funded, keep your style URL in config so you can switch quickly.

Protomaps and PMTiles#

Protomaps describes itself as "a free, customizable map of the world, deployable as a single static file on cloud storage", using HTTP range requests, with the pitch "If you know how to use S3, you know how to publish earth-scale, interactive maps." You can download the planet or extract a region with the CLI. Its hosted API is free for noncommercial use; "for commercial use, become a GitHub Sponsor" (Protomaps, Protomaps docs).

Our read: you trade a monthly bill for an afternoon of setup and occasional data refreshes.

The OpenStreetMap tile server and Nominatim#

These are community services, not free APIs for your product. The OSM tile usage policy says "Availability is best-effort: there is no SLA or guarantee", requires visible attribution, a valid Referer and an identifying User-Agent, and prohibits bulk downloading and offline use. The Nominatim usage policy sets "an absolute maximum of 1 request per second", prohibits autocomplete search, and requires results to be cached on your side.

Our read: fine for a prototype or an internal tool. Do not ship a public app that depends on them.

Worked example: 50k map loads and 20k geocodes a month#

Illustrative example at list prices on 12 Nov 2026, not a quote: a web directory with 50,000 interactive map loads and 20,000 forward geocodes a month, results stored.

Assumptions: Google counts one Dynamic Maps load per map view; all requests are at the first price tier; the MapTiler row assumes your geocodes and tiles fit in the 500k included requests; Geocodio only covers its listed countries and spikes above 2,500 in one day would be billed. Stadia and Geoapify depend on tiles per session, so measure your own before estimating.

Our read: the cheapest serious setup for a bootstrapped directory is free vector tiles (OpenFreeMap or your own Protomaps file) plus a geocoder whose terms let you store results, geocoding each address once on write, not on every page view.

How to switch without breaking things#

1. Audit your SKUs. In Google Cloud billing, list which SKUs you actually pay for. Often it is Dynamic Maps on a few pages, not geocoding.
2. Replace the map and geocoder together. Google's terms bar Geocoding API content on a non-Google map, so move both.
3. Use MapLibre GL JS or the provider's SDK with a style URL held in config, so changing provider is a config change.
4. Show the right attribution. OSM-based maps need it visibly on the map.
5. Re-geocode stored addresses with a provider whose terms allow storage.
6. Lazy-load maps so a map only loads when the user scrolls to it or clicks "Show map".

If you are building a listings product, our guides on building a directory website and building a two-sided marketplace without VC cover the rest of the stack. On mobile, see how to build a mobile app as a solo developer, and for messaging costs, our Twilio alternatives for indie developers.

Frequently asked questions#

Is the Google Maps API still free for small apps?#

Partly. Since 1 March 2025 Google replaced the $200 monthly credit with free usage thresholds per SKU. Essentials SKUs such as Dynamic Maps, Static Maps and Geocoding get 10,000 free events a month each, Pro SKUs 5,000 and Enterprise SKUs 1,000. Above that you pay per 1,000, for example $7.00 for Dynamic Maps and $5.00 for Geocoding at the first tier.

What is the cheapest Google Maps alternative for a commercial app?#

For map tiles, OpenFreeMap's public instance is free, needs no API key, has no limits on map views and allows commercial use, though it is funded by donations and you should have a fallback. Self-hosting a Protomaps PMTiles file on cloud storage is the other low-cost route. For a managed service with a large free tier, Mapbox includes 50,000 web map loads a month.

Can I use the free OpenStreetMap tile server or Nominatim in production?#

Only lightly. The OSM tile policy says availability is best-effort with no SLA, bans bulk and offline downloading, and requires attribution and an identifying User-Agent. Nominatim allows an absolute maximum of 1 request per second and prohibits autocomplete search. For a real product, use a provider built on OSM data or self-host.

Can I store geocoding results from these APIs?#

It depends on the provider. Google lets you cache Geocoding API lat/lng for up to 30 consecutive calendar days, with a narrow exception for indefinite caching. Mapbox temporary geocoding results may not be cached; Permanent geocoding allows storage. LocationIQ allows 48 hours of caching on free and caching for as long as you are a customer on paid plans. Geocodio says its terms allow long-term storage.

Can I use Google geocoding with a Mapbox or OpenStreetMap map?#

No. Google's service specific terms say Geocoding API content must not be used in conjunction with a non-Google map. If you move your map tiles off Google, move geocoding and place search too.

Launch your map-powered app#

ZeroRaised is a launch directory for products built without institutional VC. When your app is live, work through our product launch checklist for bootstrapped makers, then submit your product for free. For more cost-cutting guides for indie developers, join the ZeroRaised newsletter.

Sources#

• Google Maps Platform pricing, last checked 12 Nov 2026
• Google Maps Platform March 2025 changes, last checked 12 Nov 2026
• Google Maps Platform Service Specific Terms, last checked 12 Nov 2026
• Mapbox pricing, last checked 12 Nov 2026
• Mapbox Geocoding API docs, last checked 12 Nov 2026
• MapTiler Cloud pricing, last checked 12 Nov 2026
• Stadia Maps pricing, last checked 12 Nov 2026
• Geoapify pricing, last checked 12 Nov 2026
• Geoapify map tiles docs, last checked 12 Nov 2026
• LocationIQ pricing, last checked 12 Nov 2026
• TomTom pricing, last checked 12 Nov 2026
• Radar pricing, last checked 12 Nov 2026
• Geocodio pricing, last checked 12 Nov 2026
• OpenFreeMap, last checked 12 Nov 2026
• Protomaps and Protomaps docs, last checked 12 Nov 2026
• OSM tile usage policy, last checked 12 Nov 2026
• Nominatim usage policy, last checked 12 Nov 2026