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Maps & Navigation · head to head

Bing Maps vs Nominatim

Bing Maps logo

Bing Maps

Maps & Navigation

Web mapping services with street maps, aerial imagery, and APIs for developers

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Nominatim logo

Nominatim

Maps & Navigation

Open-source geocoding tool for OpenStreetMap data, providing address search and reverse geocoding capabilities

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Bing Maps bing Maps API keys are split into Basic (free-use, capped) and Enterprise (billable) tiers, and Spatial Data Services requests exceeding 1,000,000 per year are billable even when a session ID is used, per Microsoft's own developer documentation.; Nominatim the public API allows an absolute maximum of 1 request per second

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Bing Maps and Nominatim actually diverge.

Attributes where Bing Maps and Nominatim differ
AttributeBing MapsNominatim

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (freemium), free tier (No), platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Maps & Navigation).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Bing Maps

Nothing recorded that Nominatim does not also cover.

Only in Nominatim

Nothing recorded that Bing Maps does not also cover.

Both cover

  • Core Functionality
  • User Interface

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Bing Maps

No use cases recorded yet. See the Bing Maps review.

Nominatim

  • Geocoding addresses to coordinates from OpenStreetMap datanot Bing Maps
  • Reverse geocoding coordinates to a place namenot Bing Maps
  • Self hosting a geocoder over an OSM extractnot Bing Maps

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Bing Maps

  • Bing Maps API keys are split into Basic (free-use, capped) and Enterprise (billable) tiers, and Spatial Data Services requests exceeding 1,000,000 per year are billable even when a session ID is used, per Microsoft's own developer documentation.

Nominatim

  • The public API allows an absolute maximum of 1 request per second
  • Bulk geocoding must run in a single thread and cannot be distributed across machines
  • Scripts running longer than a day or on a schedule are limited to 4 requests per minute
  • Autocomplete search against the public API is explicitly prohibited
  • Systematic queries such as grid based reverse lookups and complete data downloads are prohibited
  • Reselling geocoding results or acting as an API intermediary is prohibited
  • Every request must send a valid HTTP Referer or User-Agent identifying the application, and default library headers are rejected
  • Results must be cached client side, and repeated identical queries can lead to blocking
  • Attribution to OpenStreetMap under ODbL must be displayed

Pricing, plan by plan

Bing Maps

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Bing Maps review.

Nominatim

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Nominatim review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Bing Maps if

Nothing in the data separates Bing Maps from Nominatim on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Bing Maps review

Choose Nominatim if

Nothing in the data separates Nominatim from Bing Maps on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Nominatim review

Questions people ask

Is Bing Maps or Nominatim better?
Neither clearly leads. Bing Maps starts at On request and Nominatim at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Bing Maps or Nominatim?
Bing Maps starts at On request and Nominatim at On request.
Does Bing Maps or Nominatim run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
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Related pages

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