Google Maps API Free Tier Cut by 65%
As of March 1, 2025, Google is changing its free tier system for Maps API usage. Previously, users received $200 in free monthly credit, which could be spent across various APIs before charges applied.
Now, each service has a fixed free usage limit, categorized into different tiers. The most basic tier, Essentials, grants 10,000 free monthly billable events per API.
Who Benefits and Who Pays More?
If you were using multiple different Google API services, you might benefit from the change, as each API now has its own free tier. However, if you primarily used Google Maps API for displaying markers or clustering icons, you are likely to pay more under the new system.
Cost Comparison for Dynamic Maps: Before vs. Now
Previous system:
- A Google Maps API page load cost $0.007
- With $200 free credit, you received 28,571 free page loads per month.
New system:
- The free limit is now 10,000 page loads.
- After 10,000 loads, you pay $0.007 per additional load.
So if you only were using Dynamic Maps, the change is a cut of 65%.
How to Check Your Current Google Maps API Usage
You can check your current usage of your google maps API in the console cloud https://console.cloud.google.com/ and search for Google Map API
Go to metric and select 30 days and scroll down
Further down, you see you current usage of APIs
Now you are allowed to have 10,000 requests for most APIs, but check the exact numbers at https://developers.google.com/maps/billing-and-pricing/faq#pricing-sheet
Mapbox as a Possible Alternative
If you mainly use Google Maps API for displaying markers or clustering, Mapbox currently offers a more generous free tier and is cheaper:
- Mapbox provides 50,000 free map loads per month (vs. 10,000 in Google Maps).
- After that, Mapbox charges $5 per 1,000 extra views (vs. $7 per 1,000 in Google Maps).
- If you stay under 50,000 map loads/month, Mapbox remains free.
Mapbox also works very nicly with https://leafletjs.com
However, it’s important to note that pricing structures for both Google Maps and Mapbox may change in the future, so always verify current rates before switching services.
