Google Maps Platform vs HERE Location Services
Default scenario: At 500K map loads / month, 100K geocoding requests / month, estimated bills are $8,088/yr for HERE Location Services and $36,180/yr for Google Maps Platform. That’s a $28,092 difference before accounting for different features or operating costs.
The services may differ in features, performance, support and the work you need to do yourself. Read the notes and test what matters to your setup.
Your selected usage
500K map loads / month, 100K geocoding requests / month
- Google Maps Platform: $36,180/yr estimated
- HERE Location Services: $8,088/yr estimated
Estimated costs at different usage levels
| Usage | Google Maps Platform | HERE Location Services |
|---|---|---|
| Default scenario500K map loads / month, 100K geocoding requests / month | $36,180/yrEssentials subscription · $2,240 map loads + $500 geocoding | $8,088/yrBase plan · $175 map loads + $62 geocoding |
| Store locator30K map loads / month, 5K geocoding requests / month | $1,500/yrStarter subscription · $0 map loads + $25 geocoding | $444/yrBase plan · $37 map loads + $0 geocoding |
| Delivery app500K map loads / month, 1M geocoding requests / month | $77,040/yrPay-as-you-go · $0 map loads + $0 geocoding | $17,592/yrBase plan · $175 map loads + $854 geocoding |
| Map-heavy product5M map loads / month, 500K geocoding requests / month | $185,040/yrPay-as-you-go · $0 map loads + $0 geocoding | —Over plan limit: 666 map loads / month (thousands) |
Web map loads (dynamic/vector). Many vendors restrict storing geocoding results, so check terms before comparing. Try your own numbers against all maps & geocoding providers.
Side by side
| Google Maps Platform | HERE Location Services | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Google's maps, geocoding, places and routes APIs, billed per call per SKU with volume tiers, plus optional monthly subscription bundles. | HERE Technologies' map tiles, geocoding, search and routing APIs on the pay-per-transaction Base plan, billed per tile and per request. |
| Headquarters | 🇺🇸 United States | 🇳🇱 Netherlands |
| Parent jurisdiction | 🇺🇸 United States (Alphabet) | 🇳🇱 Netherlands |
| EU self-serve plan | No / not documented | No / not documented |
| GDPR DPA | Yes | Yes |
| Billing | payg | payg |
| Free tier | 10,000 free calls per month per Essentials SKU (Dynamic Maps, Geocoding); $300 trial credit for new customers. | 30,000 vector tile and 30,000 geocode transactions per month on the Base plan (credit card required). |
| Open source | No | No |
| Source last checked | 2026-10-06 | 2026-10-06 |
| Pricing evidence | Published rates | Modeled rates |
Which should you choose?
HERE Location Services has the lower estimated bill wherever both list a self-serve price, from 50K map loads / month, 10K geocoding requests / month to 500K map loads / month, 100K geocoding requests / month. From about 1M map loads / month, 200K geocoding requests / month, HERE Location Services is over its self-serve plan limits.
Choose Google Maps Platform if…
Our data shows no advantage on price, residency, jurisdiction or licensing. Compare features in the notes below.
Choose HERE Location Services if…
- it has the lower estimated bill at Store locator and Delivery app usage
- you want a provider whose parent company is outside the US (Netherlands)
Based on estimated list-price bills and the facts above. Features, performance and support aren’t scored.
Google Maps Platform pricing
Calculated from the listed vendor rates; exclusions still apply.
| Plan | Base fee / month | 1k additional map loads | 1k additional geocodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pay-as-you-go | $0 | $7 | $5 |
| Pay-as-you-go | $450 | $7 | $4 |
| Pay-as-you-go | $2,050 | $7 | $3 |
| Pay-as-you-go | $3,550 | $7 | $1.5 |
| Pay-as-you-go | $9,550 | $7 | $0.38 |
| Pay-as-you-go | $630 | $5.6 | $5 |
| Pay-as-you-go | $1,080 | $5.6 | $4 |
| Pay-as-you-go | $2,680 | $5.6 | $3 |
| Pay-as-you-go | $4,180 | $5.6 | $1.5 |
| Pay-as-you-go | $10,180 | $5.6 | $0.38 |
| Pay-as-you-go | $2,870 | $4.2 | $5 |
| Pay-as-you-go | $3,320 | $4.2 | $4 |
| Pay-as-you-go | $4,920 | $4.2 | $3 |
| Pay-as-you-go | $6,420 | $4.2 | $1.5 |
| Pay-as-you-go | $12,420 | $4.2 | $0.38 |
| Pay-as-you-go | $4,970 | $2.1 | $5 |
| Pay-as-you-go | $5,420 | $2.1 | $4 |
| Pay-as-you-go | $7,020 | $2.1 | $3 |
| Pay-as-you-go | $8,520 | $2.1 | $1.5 |
| Pay-as-you-go | $14,520 | $2.1 | $0.38 |
| Pay-as-you-go | $13,370 | $0.53 | $5 |
| Pay-as-you-go | $13,820 | $0.53 | $4 |
| Pay-as-you-go | $15,420 | $0.53 | $3 |
| Pay-as-you-go | $16,920 | $0.53 | $1.5 |
| Pay-as-you-go | $22,920 | $0.53 | $0.38 |
| Starter subscription | $100 | $7 | $5 |
| Essentials subscription | $275 | $5.6 | $5 |
Pay-as-you-go, per 1,000 calls after 10,000 free per SKU per month. Dynamic Maps (JS map load): $7.00 (10K-100K), $5.60 (100K-500K), $4.20 (500K-1M), $2.10 (1M-5M), $0.53 (5M+). Geocoding: $5.00, $4.00, $3.00, $1.50, $0.38 in the same bands. The volume tiers are graduated, so the plans above are the affine pieces of that tiered curve (the calculator's cheapest-fitting pick reproduces the graduated total exactly). Subscriptions (monthly, cancel anytime, bought in Cloud Console): Starter $100/month for 50,000 calls and Essentials $275/month for 100,000 calls, pooled across included SKUs (Dynamic Maps and Geocoding are both included); usage above the cap is not blocked and is billed at pay-as-you-go rates. Pooling can't be modelled exactly, so the subscription rows apply the included calls to map loads and charge geocodes at list rates (conservative). Pro is $1,200/month for 250,000 calls. Terms: Geocoding results may not be stored or cached except latitude/longitude for up to 30 consecutive days (place IDs may be kept indefinitely), and Google content must be shown on a Google map. Billing accounts with an EEA address have used separate terms without the Google-map-only rule since 8 July 2025. Google Maps Platform data protection terms are controller-to-controller; no EU-only processing option. History: until 2018 web maps were free up to 25,000 loads per day; from July 2018 they cost $7 per 1,000 after a $200 monthly credit, and in March 2025 the credit was replaced by 10,000 free calls per SKU per month (see the migration guide).
Google Maps Platform plan limits, full rates and cheaper alternatives · official pricing page
HERE Location Services pricing
Published rates converted using workload assumptions. Read the notes. Assumes 15 tiles per map load. Tile activity and feature-specific transaction rules change cost.
| Plan | Base fee / month | 1k additional map loads | 1k additional geocodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base plan | $0 | $1.32 | $0.88 |
| Base plan | $4,373.6 | $1.32 | $0.7 |
| Base plan | $437.36 | $1.05 | $0.88 |
| Base plan | $4,810.96 | $1.05 | $0.7 |
HERE bills map display per tile request, not per map load. Vector Tile API: 30,000 free, then $0.088 (EUR 0.07) per 1,000 tiles up to 5M, $0.07 (EUR 0.056) from 5M to 10M, above 10M contact sales. Modelled at ~15 tiles per map load (Azure Maps' own convention is 1 transaction per 15 tiles), i.e. $1.32 per 1,000 map loads (2K loads free), so ~667K map loads/month (10M tiles) is the self-serve ceiling; real tile counts depend on viewport size and panning. Geocode and reverse geocode: 30,000 free, then $0.88 (EUR 0.70) per 1,000 up to 5M, $0.70 (EUR 0.56) from 5M to 10M, above 10M contact sales. Tiers are graduated; the plans are the affine pieces of that curve. Prices from the Base plan rate card on here.com, described by HERE as indicative. Permanent geocoding (storing results) is not included in the Base plan and needs a sales contract. HERE Global B.V. (Eindhoven/Amsterdam) is owned by a consortium led by Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz, none a majority owner. No EU-only processing region documented for Base plan APIs.
HERE Location Services plan limits, full rates and cheaper alternatives · official pricing page
Frequently asked questions
Is Google Maps Platform cheaper than HERE Location Services?
HERE Location Services has the lower estimated bill wherever both list a self-serve price, from 50K map loads / month, 10K geocoding requests / month to 500K map loads / month, 100K geocoding requests / month. From about 1M map loads / month, 200K geocoding requests / month, HERE Location Services is over its self-serve plan limits. At 500K map loads / month, 100K geocoding requests / month, the estimates are $36,180/yr for Google Maps Platform and $8,088/yr for HERE Location Services. Estimates use list prices and leave out features, support and operating costs.
Do Google Maps Platform and HERE Location Services offer EU data residency?
Neither documents EU data residency on a self-serve plan.
Do Google Maps Platform and HERE Location Services have a free tier or trial?
Google Maps Platform: 10,000 free calls per month per Essentials SKU (Dynamic Maps, Geocoding); $300 trial credit for new customers. HERE Location Services: 30,000 vector tile and 30,000 geocode transactions per month on the Base plan (credit card required).
Where are Google Maps Platform and HERE Location Services based?
Google Maps Platform is headquartered in the United States and owned by Alphabet (the United States). HERE Location Services is headquartered in the Netherlands.