Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Google Maps API VS Geocode Earth

Compare Google Maps API VS Geocode Earth and see what are their differences

Google Maps API logo Google Maps API

Choose Google Maps Platform to create immersive location experiences and make better business decisions with accurate real time data & dynamic imagery.

Geocode Earth logo Geocode Earth

Build smarter location experiences with our fast, accurate & affordable geocoding solutions.
  • Google Maps API Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-08-21
  • Geocode Earth Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-06-24

Geocode Earth provide quality Address Autocomplete, Reverse Geocoding & Place Geocoding solutions to small-to-medium sized businesses.

The company is run by the team behind the popular open-source geocoding engine Pelias, they are committed to preserving User Privacy and have been publishing Open Source GIS software since 2014.

Discounts are available for non-profit, academic & open-source projects

Google Maps API

Pricing URL
-
$ Details
-
Platforms
-
Release Date
-

Geocode Earth

$ Details
paid Free Trial $100.0 / Monthly
Platforms
REST API Browser JavaScript Node JS
Release Date
2018 January

Google Maps API features and specs

  • Comprehensive Coverage
    Google Maps API offers detailed and extensive global coverage, making it ideal for applications that require accurate location data worldwide.
  • Regular Updates
    The platform benefits from frequent updates, ensuring that the map data is current and incorporates the latest geographical changes and business listings.
  • Integration with Other Google Services
    Seamless integration with other Google services and APIs, such as Google Places, allows for the development of enriched, feature-complete applications.
  • Robust Documentation and Support
    Google provides comprehensive documentation, tutorials, and community support, making it easier for developers to troubleshoot and implement features.
  • Customizability
    The API offers various customization options, allowing developers to tailor the map's appearance and behavior to suit the specific needs of their application.
  • Strong Analytics
    With integrated analytics, developers can gain insights into how their application is being used, which can inform future development and optimization efforts.

Possible disadvantages of Google Maps API

  • Cost
    The pricing model can get expensive, especially for applications with high traffic or extensive API usage, posing a challenge for budget-constrained projects.
  • Complexity
    The extensive feature set and customization options can make the API overwhelming and complex for new developers or those with limited experience.
  • Performance Issues
    In some cases, users have reported latency or performance issues, particularly when rendering complex or high-density map visualizations.
  • Rate Limits
    API usage is subject to rate limits, which can restrict the number of requests made within a certain time frame, potentially impacting application performance during peak periods.
  • Privacy Concerns
    Using Google's services often involves sharing data with Google, which may not align with privacy policies or preferences, especially in regions with strict data protection regulations.

Geocode Earth features and specs

  • Address Autocomplete
  • Places Autocomplete
  • Reverse Geocoding
  • Structured Geocoding
  • Batch Geocoding
  • Geocoding API
  • Address Interpolation
  • Street Intersections
  • ZIP Code Geocoding
  • OpenStreetMap Data
  • Geonames Data
  • US Census Data

Analysis of Google Maps API

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Google Maps API is considered to be a good option for developers looking to integrate mapping services into their applications. It provides comprehensive documentation, reliable performance, and continuous updates, which ensure accuracy and a rich set of features.

Why this product is good

  • Google Maps API is widely regarded as a powerful tool because of its extensive and accurate mapping data, robust functionality, and large developer community. It offers various features such as geolocation, route planning, and real-time traffic updates, making it suitable for a wide range of applications. Its integration capabilities with other Google services also enhance its functionality.

Recommended for

  • Businesses looking to integrate location services into their apps or websites
  • Developers requiring detailed mapping and geolocation features
  • Companies needing real-time traffic and route optimization solutions
  • Organizations that benefit from visualizing spatial data
  • Apps requiring integration with other Google services for enhanced functionality

Google Maps API videos

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Geocode Earth videos

Address Autocomplete

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Google Maps API and Geocode Earth)
Maps
74 74%
26% 26
Web Mapping
80 80%
20% 20
Mapping And GIS
100 100%
0% 0
Geolocation
0 0%
100% 100

Questions and Answers

As answered by people managing Google Maps API and Geocode Earth.

What's the story behind your product?

Geocode Earth's answer:

Geocode Earth was founded after the core geocoding team left Mapzen after its shutdown in 2017. After years of building open-source geocoding software, we knew we had the expertice and connections to build better geocoding for everyone.

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Google Maps API and Geocode Earth

Google Maps API Reviews

5 Best Tools For Creating Your Own Interactive Maps
Google Maps API is a well-known tool and is frequently used, the Google Maps API is the most basic for online maps that are effortlessly integrated across the settings. Google Maps API enables you to view the streets along with Google

Geocode Earth Reviews

18 Top Google Places API Alternatives for Points of Interest Data in 2022
Geocode Earth offers location data, geocoding and content localisation features. You can use these to Add geographic search features to your website or app. Since its service uses open data, you can store search results within your own database.
Source: traveltime.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Geocode Earth should be more popular than Google Maps API. It has been mentiond 6 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Google Maps API mentions (2)

  • How to create a Google Maps API key for Website
    1. Go to Google Maps Platform and Sign up or log in with your existing with your Google account. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • Given a users city, get their latitude and longitude?
    In case you don't want to use a local database file or need something more precise than a city's long/lat, I used the openroutservice api for geo coding in one of my recent projects. It offers 1.000 queries per day for free and has a python wrapper. Another option would be the Google maps API which offers 40k requests per month. Source: about 4 years ago

Geocode Earth mentions (6)

  • Geocoding APIs compared: Pricing, free tiers and terms of use
    Geocoding is a really fun (and sometimes frustrating) problem I've been lucky enough to have been working to solve for over 10 years now. I joined Mapzen in 2015 which ostensibly was part of a Samsung startup accelerator, but looking back, it's more descriptive to say it was an open-source mapping software R&D lab. We built what is now foundational open-source geospatial tools like the Pelias geocoder (my team)... - Source: Hacker News / about 2 months ago
  • Serverless maps at 1/700 the cost of Google Maps API
    As the developer of this system, I concur with this; Protomaps is focused on map tiles, and can be used with other solutions such as http://geocode.earth for search. A small detail: I don't believe this is the absolute cheapest way to deliver map tiles. Renting an unmetered bandwidth server is always going to be the cheapest way to host content, but unmanaged servers don't give you SSL termination, infinite... - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
  • Is there a free version / alternative of google places api?
    The honest truth is that google places is simply the best in the world, and the 2nd place is far behind. that's probably foursquare. After that, mapbox, then mapquest, then https://geocode.earth/. All of those are paid. Source: about 3 years ago
  • Mantle – Serverless Maps Using Lambda or Cloudflare Workers
    The stack I describe in the post is only for map tiles - Map tiles are a good fit for CDNs because the input space is small (just Z/X/Y coordinates on a square grid) and thus very cacheable. Geocoding is a very different problem because the input space - human language - is much, much larger, and answering queries quickly to support features like autocomplete really requires a server with hot data in memory. One... - Source: Hacker News / about 3 years ago
  • Positionstack (by APILayer) Geocoding-API down for over 14 days, with no ETA
    If anyone comes across this looking for an alternative, we can help at Geocode Earth (https://geocode.earth). We're a small independent company that has been working on geocoding since 2013, first as part of Mapzen(https://mapzen.com), and then with our own self-funded business after Mapzen shut down at the start of 2018. Our core software, the Pelias Geocoder (https://pelias.io) is open source, and ironically we... - Source: Hacker News / over 3 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Google Maps API and Geocode Earth, you can also consider the following products

Esri ArcGIS - ArcGIS provides contextual tools for mapping and spatial reasoning so you can explore data & share location-based insights. ArcGIS is the heart of the Esri Geospatial Cloud. Try ArcGIS for free with 21-day trial.

Google Maps - Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

Google Earth Pro - Google Earth Pro allows you fly anywhere around the earth to view satellite imagery, maps, 3D building, and terrain, from galaxies in outer space to the canyons of the ocean.

Algolia Places - Intelligent address autocomplete for any <input>

Geopointe - Geopointe enables Salesforce users to gain spatial insights via maps and apply geography to business processes.

Mapbox - An open source mapping platform for custom designed maps. Our APIs and SDKs are the building blocks to integrate location into any mobile or web app.