Maps & GEO

Google Maps PlatformFree tier and limits

Maps, routes and places APIs with free monthly calls per SKU. Subscriptions start at $100 a month.

Sniffed 8d ago Card required#maps#geocoding#places-api#routes-api#street-view#google#pay-as-you-go

The familiar map on your site, billed per call after the free monthly allowance. Google Maps Platform is Google's paid suite of mapping, routing and places APIs. Since March 1, 2025 the old $200 monthly credit has been replaced by free monthly calls per SKU: 10,000 on Essentials SKUs, 5,000 on Pro and 1,000 on Enterprise, and new customers get a $300 trial credit. Subscription plans bundle calls at $100 a month for 50,000 (Starter), $275 for 100,000 (Essentials) and $1,200 for 250,000 (Pro). G2 reviewers rate it 4.7 out of 5 from about 60 reviews. Reddit is full of billing stories, including a poster who described a bill close to $10,000 after four days of testing and a thread titled Google Maps API billing keeps surprising people.

Free tier quotas

Free calls, Essentials SKUs	10,000 per SKU per month, and up to 100,000 for Essentials Map Tiles APIs
Free calls, Pro SKUs	5,000 per SKU per month
Free calls, Enterprise SKUs	1,000 per SKU per month
Trial credit	$300 for new customers
Starter subscription	$100 per month, 50,000 calls, Dynamic Maps and Geocoding
Essentials subscription	$275 per month, 100,000 calls
Pro subscription	$1,200 per month, 250,000 calls
Volume discounts	Start at 20 percent above 100K monthly requests for most products
Credit programs	Available to eligible nonprofit, startup, crisis response and news media organizations
Product areas	Maps, Routes, Places and Environment such as the Weather API

Last sniffed Oct 17, 2026. Always confirm on the official pricing page.

👍 Good boy

+Free monthly calls apply per SKU: 10,000 on Essentials, 5,000 on Pro and 1,000 on Enterprise, and the page footnote says Essentials Map Tiles APIs get up to 100,000 free calls per SKU.
+The product range is the widest here: Maps SDKs for Android and iOS, JavaScript API, Static Maps, Street View, Routes, Places, Geocoding and weather data.
+Subscriptions give a predictable bill. The page claims savings versus pay as you go of up to $180 on Starter, $625 on Essentials and $5,000 on Pro.
+Online volume discounts start at 20 percent above 100K monthly requests for most products, with no sales call required.
+G2 shows 4.7 out of 5 across about 60 reviews with 86 percent giving five stars, and G2's summary says users appreciate ease of use and app integration.
+An r/FlutterDev commenter called Google Maps API arguably the best product out there, while noting it is one of the most expensive.
+New customers get a $300 trial credit, and the page says the Google Cloud $300 no-charge trial can be used with Maps Platform.
+Credits exist for eligible nonprofit, startup, crisis response and news media organizations.

👎 Watch out

−Billing surprises are common in the threads. An r/webdev poster described a bill close to $10,000 after four days of testing and said they got no warning emails.
−A commenter in that thread said they received a $15,000 bill after 2 days and that Google removed it after they explained how they would prevent a repeat.
−An r/googlecloud thread is titled Google Maps API billing keeps surprising people, and the poster says it even happens to people who thought they were within the free tier.
−An r/googlecloud poster said that after the March 1, 2025 change their calculator showed $210 for 30,000 requests and called it a potential cost increase for many users.
−A commenter in an r/googlecloud thread called the free credit confusing and said the 10k allowance depends on the specific API and SKU.
−The Starter subscription covers only Dynamic Maps and Geocoding, so routing and places usage falls outside its 50,000 calls.
−An r/webdev poster said a company was charged 1,700 euros for a Distance Matrix load of about 5,000 requests. It is one account and the cause is not confirmed.

The catch

The free allowance is per SKU, not per account. The page groups products into Essentials, Pro and Enterprise, with 10,000, 5,000 and 1,000 free calls per SKU each month, and a footnote says Essentials Map Tiles APIs provide up to 100,000 free calls per SKU. The page says this replaced the $200 monthly credit on March 1, 2025. Multiply by the number of SKUs your app touches, because a single page load can call several. Subscriptions are the other route. Starter is $100 a month for 50,000 calls and covers Dynamic Maps and Geocoding. Essentials is $275 for 100,000 calls and Pro is $1,200 for 250,000 calls, and Enterprise is custom. The page says you can change or cancel anytime, and compares each against pay as you go. Billing is where the bad reviews come from. Reddit posters describe large unexpected bills, a thread about surprise bills, and cost increases after the March 2025 change. The posts are individual accounts and I cannot tell how typical they are. One commenter said Google reversed a large charge after they explained a fix. Set budget alerts and API quotas in Google Cloud before you put a key in a public page. The pricing page text I read does not say whether a credit card is required, so card requirement and commercial terms are marked unknown. G2 reviewers rate the product highly for ease of use, but the review excerpts I read said little about cost.

What’s included

✓Dynamic Maps
✓Static Maps and Street View
✓Geocoding
✓Autocomplete and Places
✓Routes and Distance Matrix
✓Geolocation
✓Address Validation
✓Weather API
✓Photorealistic 3D Tiles
✓Android and iOS Maps SDKs

Free tier value

Generosity: B
Estimated value: 10,000 free calls per Essentials SKU each month
Feature parity: 10,000 free calls per Essentials SKU a month. Pro and Enterprise have different free calls.

Screenshots

Paid plans

Starter, $100 per month

50,000 monthly calls for Dynamic Maps and Geocoding. The page claims savings up to $180 versus pay as you go.

Essentials, $275 per month

100,000 monthly calls across popular Maps, Routes, Places and Environment products. The page claims savings up to $625.

Pro, $1,200 per month

250,000 monthly calls and Pro-tier products such as Address Validation Pro, Nearby Search Pro and Place Details Pro. The page claims savings up to $5,000.

Enterprise

Custom monthly calls and pricing by quote. Enterprise SKUs get 1,000 free calls per month on pay as you go.

Common questions

Is Google Maps Platform free?

There are free monthly calls per SKU: 10,000 on Essentials, 5,000 on Pro and 1,000 on Enterprise. Beyond that you pay per call or subscribe.

What happened to the $200 monthly credit?

The pricing page says that from March 1, 2025 it was replaced by free monthly calls per SKU.

Can I use the Google Cloud trial?

Yes, the FAQ says the Google Cloud $300 no-charge trial can be used with Maps Platform, and new customers get a $300 trial credit.

How do I avoid a surprise bill?

Reddit commenters recommend setting quotas and budget alerts in Google Cloud and restricting the API key. Check the SKUs each of your pages calls before launch.

Do volume discounts exist?

Yes. Online volume discounts start at 20 percent above 100K monthly requests for most products.

Change history

Checked October 22, 2026
Pricing page shows free calls per SKU by category, three subscription plans and a $300 trial credit for new customers. G2 shows 4.7 from about 60 reviews.