Maps & Navigation · head to head
PositionStack vs GraphHopper
PositionStack
Maps & Navigation
Free, developer-friendly geocoding API for forward and reverse geocoding with global coverage
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
GraphHopper
Maps & Navigation
Open-source routing engine for road networks, providing fast route calculations, turn-by-turn navigation
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: PositionStack the free plan allows only 100 requests per month; GraphHopper the free plan is non commercial use only
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which PositionStack and GraphHopper actually diverge.
| Attribute | PositionStack | GraphHopper |
|---|
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 GraphHopper does not also cover.
Only in GraphHopper
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 GraphHopper
- Reverse geocoding coordinates to addressesnot GraphHopper
- Batch geocoding location data in a backend servicenot GraphHopper
GraphHopper
- Routing, distance matrix and route optimisation over an APInot PositionStack
- Map matching GPS traces and generating isochronesnot 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
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
Pricing, plan by plan
PositionStack
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the PositionStack review.
GraphHopper
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the GraphHopper review.
Which should you pick?
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.
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.
Questions people ask
- Is PositionStack or GraphHopper better?
- Neither clearly leads. PositionStack starts at On request and GraphHopper at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, PositionStack or GraphHopper?
- PositionStack starts at On request and GraphHopper at On request.
- Does PositionStack or GraphHopper 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 GraphHopper is typically brought in for.