Mapbox vs MapTiler Cloud
Default scenario: At 500K map loads / month, 100K geocoding requests / month, estimated bills are $14,610/yr for MapTiler Cloud and $18,600/yr for Mapbox. That’s a $3,990 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
- Mapbox: $18,600/yr estimated
- MapTiler Cloud: $14,610/yr estimated
Estimated costs at different usage levels
| Usage | Mapbox | MapTiler Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| Default scenario500K map loads / month, 100K geocoding requests / month | $18,600/yrPay-as-you-go · $900 map loads + $0 geocoding | $14,610/yrFlex · $1,188 map loads + $0 geocoding |
| Store locator30K map loads / month, 5K geocoding requests / month | $0/yrPay-as-you-go · $0 map loads + $0 geocoding | $510/yrFlex · $13 map loads + $0 geocoding |
| Delivery app500K map loads / month, 1M geocoding requests / month | $25,800/yrPay-as-you-go · $900 map loads + $0 geocoding | $15,510/yrFlex · $1,188 map loads + $75 geocoding |
| Map-heavy product5M map loads / month, 500K geocoding requests / month | $160,200/yrPay-as-you-go · $10,000 map loads + $0 geocoding | $149,610/yrFlex · $12,438 map loads + $0 geocoding |
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
| Mapbox | MapTiler Cloud | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Vector maps (Mapbox GL JS), geocoding, search and navigation APIs with monthly free tiers and graduated per-1,000 pricing. | Swiss vector map tiles, styles and geocoding built on OpenStreetMap, billed per map session with an EU-only API endpoint on paid plans. |
| Headquarters | 🇺🇸 United States | 🇨🇭 Switzerland |
| Parent jurisdiction | 🇺🇸 United States | 🇨🇭 Switzerland |
| EU self-serve plan | No / not documented | Available; check eligible plans and regions |
| GDPR DPA | Yes | No / not documented |
| Billing | payg | subscription |
| Free tier | 50,000 web map loads and 100,000 temporary geocoding requests per month. | 5k map sessions and 100k API requests per month; service pauses at the quota. |
| Open source | No | No |
| Source last checked | 2026-10-06 | 2026-10-06 |
| Pricing evidence | Published rates | Modeled rates |
Which should you choose?
Mapbox has the lower estimated bill up to about 50K map loads / month, 10K geocoding requests / month. From about 100K map loads / month, 20K geocoding requests / month, MapTiler Cloud is cheaper. From about 10M map loads / month, 2M geocoding requests / month, Mapbox is over its self-serve plan limits.
Choose Mapbox if…
- it has the lower estimated bill at Store locator usage
- you need a signed GDPR data processing agreement
Choose MapTiler Cloud if…
- it has the lower estimated bill at Delivery app and Map-heavy product usage
- you need EU data residency on a self-serve plan
- you want a provider whose parent company is outside the US (Switzerland)
Based on estimated list-price bills and the facts above. Features, performance and support aren’t scored.
Mapbox 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 | $5 | $0.75 |
| Pay-as-you-go | $300 | $5 | $0.6 |
| Pay-as-you-go | $600 | $5 | $0.45 |
| Pay-as-you-go | $250 | $4 | $0.75 |
| Pay-as-you-go | $550 | $4 | $0.6 |
| Pay-as-you-go | $850 | $4 | $0.45 |
| Pay-as-you-go | $650 | $3 | $0.75 |
| Pay-as-you-go | $950 | $3 | $0.6 |
| Pay-as-you-go | $1,250 | $3 | $0.45 |
| Pay-as-you-go | $3,050 | $2.5 | $0.75 |
| Pay-as-you-go | $3,350 | $2.5 | $0.6 |
| Pay-as-you-go | $3,650 | $2.5 | $0.45 |
Map loads for web (GL JS), per 1,000 after 50K free: $5.00 (50K-100K), $4.00 (100K-200K), $3.00 (200K-1M), $2.50 (1M-5M), above 5M contact sales. A map load covers unlimited tile requests in that session. Temporary Geocoding API, per 1,000 after 100K free: $0.75 (100K-500K), $0.60 (500K-1M), $0.45 (1M+). Tiers are graduated; the plans above are the affine pieces of that curve, so the cheapest-fitting pick gives the exact graduated total. Temporary geocoding results may not be stored; storing results requires the Permanent Geocoding API, from $5.00 per 1,000 requests (up to 500K/month, discounts via sales). Mapbox, Inc. is a private company headquartered in Washington, DC; DPA available at mapbox.com/legal/dpa.
Mapbox plan limits, full rates and cheaper alternatives · official pricing page
MapTiler Cloud pricing
Published rates converted using workload assumptions. Read the notes. Assumes maps use the SDK session pool and direct geocoding uses the API pool. Other renderers have different billing.
| Plan | Base fee / month | 1k additional map loads | 1k additional geocodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Flex | $30 | $2.5 | $0.15 |
Flex is $30/month with 25k map sessions (a page load that initialises a map with the MapTiler SDK; panning and zooming are free) then $2.50/1k, and 500k API requests then $0.15/1k. Forward geocoding called directly over REST counts as 1 API request each, so it is modelled against the 500k API-request pool (assumes map loads go through the SDK and don't draw on that pool; with third-party renderers tiles count as requests instead). Searches from the SDK geocoding control are billed as search sessions instead: 1k free / 3k on Flex, then $2.50/1k. Custom plans are prepaid annual contracts with volume discounts. Terms (s. 6.3-6.4) allow geocoding results to be used outside the service, including bulk geocoding into your own database with attribution; map tiles may not be cached server-side. The api.maptiler.eu endpoint keeps all request processing in the EU but is for paid plans only. MapTiler AG, Unterägeri, Switzerland; no public DPA found (GDPR info on its privacy pages).
MapTiler Cloud plan limits, full rates and cheaper alternatives · official pricing page
Frequently asked questions
Is Mapbox cheaper than MapTiler Cloud?
Mapbox has the lower estimated bill up to about 50K map loads / month, 10K geocoding requests / month. From about 100K map loads / month, 20K geocoding requests / month, MapTiler Cloud is cheaper. From about 10M map loads / month, 2M geocoding requests / month, Mapbox is over its self-serve plan limits. At 500K map loads / month, 100K geocoding requests / month, the estimates are $18,600/yr for Mapbox and $14,610/yr for MapTiler Cloud. Estimates use list prices and leave out features, support and operating costs.
Do Mapbox and MapTiler Cloud offer EU data residency?
MapTiler Cloud offers EU data residency on a self-serve plan. Mapbox doesn’t document it on a self-serve plan.
Do Mapbox and MapTiler Cloud have a free tier or trial?
Mapbox: 50,000 web map loads and 100,000 temporary geocoding requests per month. MapTiler Cloud: 5k map sessions and 100k API requests per month; service pauses at the quota.
Where are Mapbox and MapTiler Cloud based?
Mapbox is headquartered in the United States. MapTiler Cloud is headquartered in Switzerland.