Maps & Navigation · head to head
PositionStack vs Bing Maps
PositionStack
Maps & Navigation
Free, developer-friendly geocoding API for forward and reverse geocoding with global coverage
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
Bing Maps
Maps & Navigation
Web mapping services with street maps, aerial imagery, and APIs for developers
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: PositionStack the free plan allows only 100 requests per month; 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.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which PositionStack and Bing Maps actually diverge.
| Attribute | PositionStack | Bing Maps |
|---|
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 PositionStack
Nothing recorded that Bing Maps does not also cover.
Only in Bing Maps
Nothing recorded that PositionStack 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.
PositionStack
- Forward geocoding addresses to coordinates via REST APInot Bing Maps
- Reverse geocoding coordinates to addressesnot Bing Maps
- Batch geocoding location data in a backend servicenot Bing Maps
Bing Maps
No use cases recorded yet. See the Bing Maps review.
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
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
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.
Pricing, plan by plan
PositionStack
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the PositionStack review.
Bing Maps
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the Bing Maps review.
Which should you pick?
Choose PositionStack if
Nothing in the data separates PositionStack from Bing Maps on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.
Choose Bing Maps if
Nothing in the data separates Bing Maps from PositionStack on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.
Questions people ask
- Is PositionStack or Bing Maps better?
- Neither clearly leads. PositionStack starts at On request and Bing Maps at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, PositionStack or Bing Maps?
- PositionStack starts at On request and Bing Maps at On request.
- Does PositionStack or Bing Maps run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- What is PositionStack best used for?
- PositionStack is most often used for forward geocoding addresses to coordinates via rest api, reverse geocoding coordinates to addresses, batch geocoding location data in a backend service. Of those, forward geocoding addresses to coordinates via rest api and reverse geocoding coordinates to addresses are not what Bing Maps is typically brought in for.