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Maps & Navigation · head to head

Google Maps Platform vs Mapzen

Google Maps Platform logo

Google Maps Platform

Maps & Navigation

Comprehensive set of APIs and SDKs that allow developers to embed Google

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Mapzen logo

Mapzen

Maps & Navigation

Mapzen was an open-source mapping platform that provided geocoding, routing, and map rendering services

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Google Maps Platform free allowances are per service rather than pooled, at 10,000 events a month for dynamic maps, geocoding and autocomplete; Mapzen the vendor's own pricing page as captured by the Internet Archive on 2 January 2018 priced its mobility APIs on a free tier plus overage model: Turn-by-Turn navigation free for the first 5,000 requests per month then 50 cents per additional 1,000 requests, and Isochrone and Optimized Route each free for the first 100 requests per month then $1.50 per additional 1,000 requests; Mapzen shut down as a project in 2018 shortly after this capture and this pricing no longer applies to any live service

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Google Maps Platform and Mapzen actually diverge.

Attributes where Google Maps Platform and Mapzen differ
AttributeGoogle Maps PlatformMapzen
Founded2005Unknown

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 Google Maps Platform

Nothing recorded that Mapzen does not also cover.

Only in Mapzen

Nothing recorded that Google Maps Platform 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.

Google Maps Platform

  • Embedding dynamic maps, Street View and photorealistic 3D tiles in an applicationnot Mapzen
  • Route computation, navigation and fleet route optimisationnot Mapzen
  • Geocoding, place autocomplete and address validationnot Mapzen
  • Environmental data including weather, solar, air quality and pollennot Mapzen
  • Geospatial analytics through Earth Enginenot Mapzen

Mapzen

No use cases recorded yet. See the Mapzen review.

Where each one falls short

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

Google Maps Platform

  • Free allowances are per service rather than pooled, at 10,000 events a month for dynamic maps, geocoding and autocomplete
  • Dynamic Maps cost $7.00 per 1,000 calls at the entry tier
  • Geocoding and the Directions API both cost $5.00 per 1,000 calls at the entry tier
  • Pricing is tiered by volume, so the effective unit price depends on total monthly usage and is hard to predict in advance
  • Billing is usage based with no flat plan, so a traffic spike is a cost spike

Mapzen

  • The vendor's own pricing page as captured by the Internet Archive on 2 January 2018 priced its mobility APIs on a free tier plus overage model: Turn-by-Turn navigation free for the first 5,000 requests per month then 50 cents per additional 1,000 requests, and Isochrone and Optimized Route each free for the first 100 requests per month then $1.50 per additional 1,000 requests; Mapzen shut down as a project in 2018 shortly after this capture and this pricing no longer applies to any live service

Pricing, plan by plan

Google Maps Platform

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Google Maps Platform review.

Mapzen

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Mapzen review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Google Maps Platform if

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

Google Maps Platform review

Choose Mapzen if

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

Mapzen review

Questions people ask

Is Google Maps Platform or Mapzen better?
Neither clearly leads. Google Maps Platform starts at On request and Mapzen at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Google Maps Platform or Mapzen?
Google Maps Platform starts at On request and Mapzen at On request.
Does Google Maps Platform or Mapzen run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
What is Google Maps Platform best used for?
Google Maps Platform is most often used for embedding dynamic maps, street view and photorealistic 3d tiles in an application, route computation, navigation and fleet route optimisation, geocoding, place autocomplete and address validation, environmental data including weather, solar, air quality and pollen. Of those, embedding dynamic maps, street view and photorealistic 3d tiles in an application and route computation, navigation and fleet route optimisation are not what Mapzen is typically brought in for.
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Related pages

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