Maps & Navigation · head to head
GraphHopper vs PositionStack
GraphHopper
Maps & Navigation
Open-source routing engine for road networks, providing fast route calculations, turn-by-turn navigation
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
PositionStack
Maps & Navigation
Free, developer-friendly geocoding API for forward and reverse geocoding with global coverage
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: GraphHopper the free plan is non commercial use only; PositionStack the free plan allows only 100 requests per month
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which GraphHopper and PositionStack actually diverge.
| Attribute | GraphHopper | PositionStack |
|---|
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 GraphHopper
Nothing recorded that PositionStack does not also cover.
Only in PositionStack
Nothing recorded that GraphHopper 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.
GraphHopper
- Routing, distance matrix and route optimisation over an APInot PositionStack
- Map matching GPS traces and generating isochronesnot PositionStack
PositionStack
- Forward geocoding addresses to coordinates via REST APInot GraphHopper
- Reverse geocoding coordinates to addressesnot GraphHopper
- Batch geocoding location data in a backend servicenot GraphHopper
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
GraphHopper
- The free plan is non commercial use only
- Free allows 500 credits a day, 5 locations per request and a single vehicle
- Request complexity is capped per plan, at 30 locations and 2 vehicles on Basic at 69 EUR a month, rising to 200 locations and 20 vehicles on Premium at 479 EUR
- Isochrone range is limited by plan, at 15 minutes on Basic and 30 on Premium
- Credits are a daily allowance, so a busy day cannot draw on a quiet one
PositionStack
- The free plan allows only 100 requests per month
- The free plan is a personal licence, so commercial use requires a paid plan
- The free plan is rate limited, with an extended rate limit only from the Basic plan up
- Requests beyond the monthly quota are billed as overage, at $0.0003996 per request on Basic
- The lowest advertised rates require annual prepayment
- Enterprise volumes are priced by quote with no published rate
Pricing, plan by plan
GraphHopper
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the GraphHopper review.
PositionStack
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the PositionStack review.
Which should you pick?
Choose GraphHopper if
Nothing in the data separates GraphHopper from PositionStack on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.
Choose PositionStack if
Nothing in the data separates PositionStack from GraphHopper on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.
Questions people ask
- Is GraphHopper or PositionStack better?
- Neither clearly leads. GraphHopper starts at On request and PositionStack at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, GraphHopper or PositionStack?
- GraphHopper starts at On request and PositionStack at On request.
- Does GraphHopper or PositionStack run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- What is GraphHopper best used for?
- GraphHopper is most often used for routing, distance matrix and route optimisation over an api, map matching gps traces and generating isochrones. Of those, routing, distance matrix and route optimisation over an api and map matching gps traces and generating isochrones are not what PositionStack is typically brought in for.