# geolith vs the Google Maps Geocoding API

> Google’s Geocoding API has the broadest proprietary data and bills per request: 10,000 free events a month, then $5.00 per 1,000 up to 100,000 (Google’s pricing page, read 22 Oct 2026). geolith uses open data (OpenStreetMap and Overture), includes 100,000 requests a month free, sells flat monthly plans from $19, and lets you store results permanently. On 194 real Indian queries, geolith’s first result was within 1 km of Google’s 58% of the time; we do not claim to be better than Google.

## Side by side

| | geolith | Google Geocoding API |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Data | OpenStreetMap + Overture Maps | Google’s proprietary data |
| Hosted pricing | Free 100,000 requests/month; Starter $19 (1M); Growth $99 (7.5M); Scale $299 (25M) | 10,000 free events/month; then $5.00, $4.00, $3.00, $1.50, $0.38 per 1,000 by volume tier |
| Storing results | Allowed on every plan, no extra fee | Restricted by the Google Maps Platform terms |
| Autocomplete | /v1/autocomplete, same price as any request | Billed as a separate SKU: 10,000 free, then $2.83 per 1,000 in the first tier |
| Self-hosting | One static .glx file, no database | No |
| Agreement with Google (India, 194 queries) | First result within 1 km of Google’s: 113/194 (58%) | Reference |

Vendor pricing and policy read from their public pages on 2026-10-22.

## When Google is the better choice

If you need Google’s place data, its Places details such as opening hours and reviews, use Google. geolith covers the world with open data from OpenStreetMap and Overture Maps.

## When geolith is the better choice

If you geocode addresses to store them (CRMs, store locators, analytics), the storage terms and the bill matter more than the last few percent of match rate. geolith results may be kept, the data is open, and the monthly price is fixed.

- Store coordinates in your database without extra fees.
- Know the monthly bill in advance: plans stop at quota rather than overage.
- Self-host the same API from one file if you need to.

## Questions

### Is geolith a drop-in replacement for the Google Geocoding API?

No. The request and response formats differ: geolith returns GeoJSON from /v1/search?text=. Moving takes a small adapter in your code.

### How close are geolith’s results to Google’s?

On 194 real Indian queries, geolith’s first result was within 1 km of Google’s first result for 113 (58%). Photon was about 18%, Nominatim about 12% and Pelias about 8% on the first 110 queries.

## Guides

- https://geolith.app/guides/geocode-a-csv

## Sources

1. [geolith search benchmarks: engines](https://docs.geolith.app/search/benchmarks/engines), geolith (read 2026-10-22)

Get a free API key (100,000 requests a month): https://console.geolith.app/signup