The LocationIQ alternative, geocoding + tiles in one API key
Compare maps.guru vs LocationIQ: free tier limits, INR pricing, attribution requirements, and what you get beyond geocoding.
LocationIQ pricing in 2026: 5,000 free requests per day (about 150,000 per month) with a mandatory attribution link, and the Developer plan at ₹7,000/month for 25,000 requests per day. Tiles are raster only, where 16 tiles equal one map view. maps.guru pricing: free forever with 50,000 vector tile requests and 10,000 geocoding requests per month with no attribution requirement, and Pro at ₹3,999/month ($49) for 1,000,000 vector tiles plus 200,000 geocoding requests.
| Metric | LocationIQ | maps.guru |
|---|---|---|
| Free requests / day | 5,000 requests/day (≈150K/month) with attribution link | 50,000 tiles + 10,000 geocoding/month, no attribution |
| Attribution on free plan | "Search by LocationIQ.com" link mandatory | No attribution required |
| INR pricing | Yes, Developer ₹7,000/mo (25K req/day) | Yes, Pro ₹3,999/mo (1M tiles + 200K geo) |
| Tile serving | Raster tiles only (16 tiles = 1 map view) | Vector tiles: MapLibre GL JS native, retina support |
| Entry paid plan (INR) | Maps Lite ₹3,500/mo (10K map views/day, geocoding only) | Pro ₹3,999/mo: 1M vector tiles + 200K geocoding |
| Routing APIs | Included in paid plans | Coming soon |
| Overage billing | Yes, strict daily request limits; upgrade required | None: monthly hard quota enforced |
LocationIQ enforces per-day request limits (e.g., 5K/day on Free, 25K/day on Developer). A traffic spike on a single day can exhaust the daily quota, making the API return 429 for the rest of that day. maps.guru uses monthly quotas, a single busy day will not cut off service.
Source: LocationIQ PricingLocationIQ Free requires embedding a visible "Search by LocationIQ.com" link in the UI for any search or geocoding result displayed. This is a branding requirement that affects UI design freedom, especially for search-box and autocomplete implementations.
Source: LocationIQ PricingLocationIQ's map tiles are raster (PNG/image tiles). MapLibre GL JS requires vector tiles (MVT format) for interactive, retina-quality maps with layer-level styling control. To use LocationIQ for tile serving with MapLibre GL JS, you would need to use a separate vector tile source, negating the single-provider benefit.
Source: LocationIQ PricingLocationIQ's free tier offers 5K requests/day (≈150K/month) which is 15× maps.guru's 10K geocoding free tier. If geocoding volume is your primary need and you're comfortable with the attribution requirement and daily limits, LocationIQ's free tier is more generous. maps.guru's advantage is bundled tile serving in the same plan with no attribution requirement.
Yes, maps.guru includes both forward geocoding (address → coordinates) and reverse geocoding (coordinates → address) in all plans. Autocomplete and batch geocoding are not currently offered; for those use cases, LocationIQ or Mapbox geocoding APIs are dedicated alternatives.
maps.guru Pro at ₹3,999/mo includes 1M vector tile requests and 200K geocoding calls. LocationIQ Developer at ₹7,000/mo includes 25K requests/day (≈750K/month) for geocoding only, raster map tiles are a separate counter. For teams needing both tiles and geocoding in one plan, maps.guru is ~43% cheaper at the entry paid tier.
The vocabulary behind tiles, geocoding, and API pricing, in plain language.
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