Softwr

Maps · head to head

Foursquare Places API vs Global Mapper

F

Foursquare Places API

Maps

Access to the world's most trusted location data, including points of interest

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Global Mapper logo

Global Mapper

Maps

A GIS and lidar desktop that still sells a genuine perpetual licence with published prices

From
$700/one-time
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Foursquare Places API has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Foursquare Places API premium endpoint features like photos and ratings require paid calls with no free option; Global Mapper it is Windows only with no macOS or Linux build, so mixed-platform teams end up running a virtual machine and lose graphics performance on large point clouds
  • They diverge on capability: Foursquare Places API covers Core Functionality, Global Mapper covers Format breadth.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Foursquare Places API and Global Mapper actually diverge.

Attributes where Foursquare Places API and Global Mapper differ
AttributeFoursquare Places APIGlobal Mapper
Starting priceFree$700/one-time
Pricing modelUnknownOne-time purchase
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWindows

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Maps).

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 Foursquare Places API

  • Core Functionality
  • User Interface

Only in Global Mapper

  • Format breadth
  • Lidar processing
  • Pixels to Points
  • Coordinate transformation
  • Terrain analysis
  • Scripting
  • Mobile companion

What people use each for

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

Foursquare Places API

No use cases recorded yet. See the Foursquare Places API review.

Global Mapper

  • A survey office that receives lidar in a different format from every client and needs reliable conversion without writing scriptsnot Foursquare Places API
  • A consultancy that wants to classify ground points and extract building footprints from a drone survey without an Esri enterprise agreementnot Foursquare Places API
  • An organisation with an irregular workload that wants to buy the licence outright and skip maintenance in quiet yearsnot Foursquare Places API
  • A geologist producing volumes, contours and cross sections from terrain data on a standalone office workstationnot Foursquare Places API

Where each one falls short

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

Foursquare Places API

  • Premium endpoint features like photos and ratings require paid calls with no free option
  • Entry-level free tier ($200/month) may be insufficient for high-volume applications
  • Limited real-time update frequency compared to enterprise solutions
  • Requires API key management and developer portal familiarity

Global Mapper

  • It is Windows only with no macOS or Linux build, so mixed-platform teams end up running a virtual machine and lose graphics performance on large point clouds
  • The interface has grown by accretion over two decades and features are scattered across menus, so new users are slow to find capabilities that are already installed
  • Node-locked perpetual licences are tied to the machine identifier, so a hardware refresh or a failed workstation means a support request rather than a login on a new device
  • Multi-user and web publishing are weak relative to Esri or QGIS with a server stack, so it is a desktop analysis tool and not a platform for sharing data across an organisation
  • Published prices apply to North America and differ elsewhere, so buyers outside that market must go through a reseller and cannot rely on the listed figures for budgeting

Pricing, plan by plan

Foursquare Places API

Free
  • Free TierFree
    • $200 monthly free credits
    • 500 free Pro endpoint calls
    • Access to standard place data
  • Pro Endpoints$0.00375/per call
    • Basic place search
    • Details and photos
  • Premium Endpoints$18.75/per 1000 calls
    • Photos
    • Tips
    • Hours

Global Mapper

$700/one-time
  • Global Mapper Standard, node-locked$700/one-time
    • Perpetual licence tied to one machine
    • First year of maintenance and support included
    • Renewal 245 USD per year, optional
  • Global Mapper Standard, floating or dongle$1050/one-time
    • Shared between users or carried on a USB dongle
    • Maintenance renewal 365 USD per year
    • Network licence 2,100 USD with a two-seat minimum
  • Global Mapper Pro, node-locked$1750/one-time
    • Adds lidar classification, feature extraction and Pixels to Points
    • Maintenance renewal 610 USD per year
    • Upgrade from Standard version 26 costs 1,050 USD
  • Global Mapper Pro, floating or dongle$2625/one-time
    • Shared or dongle licence
    • Maintenance renewal 915 USD per year
    • Network licence 5,250 USD with a two-seat minimum

Which should you pick?

Choose Foursquare Places API if

  • You need core functionality.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want user interface.
Foursquare Places API review

Choose Global Mapper if

  • You need format breadth.
  • You work on Windows.
  • You also want lidar processing.
Global Mapper review

Questions people ask

Is Foursquare Places API or Global Mapper better?
Neither clearly leads. Foursquare Places API starts at Free and Global Mapper at $700/one-time, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Foursquare Places API or Global Mapper?
Foursquare Places API has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Foursquare Places API and $700/one-time for Global Mapper.
Does Foursquare Places API or Global Mapper run on more platforms?
Foursquare Places API runs on Web, iOS, Android. Global Mapper runs on Windows.
Can I use Foursquare Places API for free?
Yes. Foursquare Places API has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Global Mapper starts at $700/one-time.
What can Foursquare Places API do that Global Mapper cannot?
Foursquare Places API covers Core Functionality, User Interface. Global Mapper covers Format breadth, Lidar processing, Pixels to Points, Coordinate transformation.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Foursquare Places API: How much free usage does Foursquare Places API provide?

All developer accounts receive $200 per month in free usage credits. After these are consumed, pay-as-you-go pricing applies. Pro endpoints have 500 free calls monthly, while premium endpoints have no free tier.

Source
Global Mapper: Is there still a perpetual licence?

Yes. Blue Marble sells perpetual node-locked, floating, dongle and network licences that keep working after maintenance lapses.

Foursquare Places API: What data does Foursquare Places API provide?

Foursquare provides a dataset of 100M+ places across 200 countries with 50+ attributes per place, including venue details, categories, hours, ratings, photos, and tips.

Source
Global Mapper: What is the difference between Standard and Pro?

Pro is an add-on to a matching Standard licence and carries the lidar classification, feature extraction, Pixels to Points photogrammetry and advanced terrain tools.

Foursquare Places API: What are the pricing tiers for premium endpoints?

Premium endpoints like photos, tips, hours, and ratings cost $18.75 per 1,000 calls with no free tier available. Pricing scales with usage.

Source
Global Mapper: Do I have to pay maintenance?

Only for the first year, which is included. After that it is optional; without it the software continues to run but you receive no upgrades or support.

Global Mapper: Can it replace ArcGIS?

For desktop format conversion, lidar and terrain analysis, often yes. For enterprise data management, web services and organisation-wide sharing, no.

Share

Related pages

More on Foursquare Places API

More on Global Mapper

Keep looking

Other head to heads