Maps & Navigation · head to head
PositionStack vs Google Maps Platform
PositionStack
Maps & Navigation
Free, developer-friendly geocoding API for forward and reverse geocoding with global coverage
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
Google Maps Platform
Maps & Navigation
Comprehensive set of APIs and SDKs that allow developers to embed Google
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: PositionStack the free plan allows only 100 requests per month; Google Maps Platform free allowances are per service rather than pooled, at 10,000 events a month for dynamic maps, geocoding and autocomplete
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which PositionStack and Google Maps Platform actually diverge.
| Attribute | PositionStack | Google Maps Platform |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | Unknown | 2005 |
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 Google Maps Platform does not also cover.
Only in Google Maps Platform
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 Google Maps Platform
- Reverse geocoding coordinates to addressesnot Google Maps Platform
- Batch geocoding location data in a backend servicenot Google Maps Platform
Google Maps Platform
- Embedding dynamic maps, Street View and photorealistic 3D tiles in an applicationnot PositionStack
- Route computation, navigation and fleet route optimisationnot PositionStack
- Geocoding, place autocomplete and address validationnot PositionStack
- Environmental data including weather, solar, air quality and pollennot PositionStack
- Geospatial analytics through Earth Enginenot PositionStack
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
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
Pricing, plan by plan
PositionStack
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the PositionStack review.
Google Maps Platform
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the Google Maps Platform review.
Which should you pick?
Choose PositionStack if
Nothing in the data separates PositionStack from Google Maps Platform on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.
Choose Google Maps Platform if
Nothing in the data separates Google Maps Platform from PositionStack on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.
Questions people ask
- Is PositionStack or Google Maps Platform better?
- Neither clearly leads. PositionStack starts at On request and Google Maps Platform at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, PositionStack or Google Maps Platform?
- PositionStack starts at On request and Google Maps Platform at On request.
- Does PositionStack or Google Maps Platform 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 Google Maps Platform is typically brought in for.