# Keep the coordinates you paid for

> Every geolith plan, including the Free plan with 100,000 requests a month, lets you store geocoding results permanently in your own database. geolith answers from OpenStreetMap and Overture Maps data, and under the OpenStreetMap Foundation’s geocoding guideline a single result is an insubstantial extract. Google’s terms limit caching, and Mapbox prices its Permanent Geocoding API at $5.00 per 1,000 requests (checked 22 Oct 2026) against $0.75 for temporary results.

## What does permanent storage of geocoding results mean?

Permanent storage means keeping geocoded coordinates and labels in your own database and reusing them indefinitely, instead of calling the API again each time an address is shown. Some providers forbid it or charge more for it; geolith allows it on every plan because its results come from OpenStreetMap and Overture Maps.

> "Individual Geocoding Results are insubstantial database extracts." (OpenStreetMap Foundation, Geocoding Guideline, https://osmfoundation.org/wiki/Licence/Community_Guidelines/Geocoding_-_Guideline)

## What you may do

Store latitude, longitude, the label, the gid and the address parts next to your own records. Geocode once, then read from your database for every later page view.

- Save results in your database, data warehouse or CSV files.
- Use them in your own product and analytics.
- Show the attribution where you display the data: "© OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Overture Maps Foundation".

## Why it matters for cost

If you must re-geocode every time you show an address, your bill grows with page views. If you can store, it grows with new addresses only. For a store locator or a CRM that is the difference between millions of requests and a few thousand.

## What to keep in mind

OpenStreetMap data is under the Open Database License. Storing results for your own use is fine. If you extract a substantial part of the database and publish it as a database, the ODbL share-alike terms apply to that database.

## Questions

### Can I cache geolith results forever?

Yes, on every plan. Keep showing the OpenStreetMap and Overture attribution where you display them.

### Does permanent storage cost extra?

No. There is one price per request, and storage is allowed on all plans including Free.

### How is this different from Mapbox or Google?

Mapbox sells permanent results through a separate Permanent Geocoding API at $5.00 per 1,000 requests (temporary is $0.75, checked 22 Oct 2026). Google’s Maps Platform terms restrict how long you may cache results. geolith has no such split.

## Guides

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

## Sources

1. [Community Guidelines: Geocoding Guideline](https://osmfoundation.org/wiki/Licence/Community_Guidelines/Geocoding_-_Guideline), OpenStreetMap Foundation (read 2026-10-22)
2. [Open Database License (ODbL) v1.0](https://opendatacommons.org/licenses/odbl/1-0/), Open Data Commons (read 2026-10-22)

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