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Google Maps vs Google Places API: What are the differences?
Google Maps is a comprehensive mapping platform, while Google Places API allows developers to access detailed information about places, businesses, and points of interest. Let's explore the key differences between them.
Usage: Google Maps API is used to display maps and geographic information on a website, allowing users to interact with the map interface. On the other hand, Google Places API is used to retrieve information about places such as businesses, landmarks, and addresses.
Data: With Google Maps API, you can display maps that contain various types of information such as roads, landmarks, and satellite imagery. In contrast, Google Places API provides detailed data about specific places, including their names, addresses, phone numbers, websites, and user reviews.
Functionality: Google Maps API primarily focuses on visualizing and interacting with maps, offering features like map customization, directions, and street view. Google Places API, on the other hand, focuses on providing place-related information, such as the types of places nearby, the distance to a certain place, and specific details about a place.
Integration: In terms of integration, while Google Maps API can be used to embed maps into a website and allow users to interact with them, Google Places API enables developers to integrate place-related information into their applications, enhancing functionality and user experience.
Pricing: Google Maps API and Google Places API have different pricing models. With Google Maps API, you are billed based on the number of map loads and geocoding requests. On the other hand, Google Places API has its own pricing structure, where you are billed based on the number of places details requests, query autocomplete requests, and place photos requests.
Access restrictions: Another key difference is the access restrictions. Google Maps API requires an API key to be included in the website code to access the maps functionality. In contrast, while Google Places API also requires an API key for authentication, it is used primarily for accessing place-related information rather than displaying maps.
In summary, Google Maps API is focused on providing map visualization and interaction, while Google Places API is geared towards retrieving detailed information about places.
From a StackShare Community member: "We're a team of two starting to write a mobile app. The app will heavily rely on maps and this is where my partner and I are not seeing eye-to-eye. I would like to go with an open source solution like OpenStreetMap that is used by Apple & Foursquare. He would like to go with Google Maps since more apps use it and has better support (according to him). Mapbox is also an option but I don’t know much about it."
I use Mapbox because We need 3D maps and navigation, it has a great plugin for React and React Native which we use. Also the Mapbox Geocoder is great.
Google Maps is best because it is practically free (they give you $300 in free credits per month and it's really hard to go over the free tier unless you really mean business) and it's the best!
I use OpenStreetMap because that has a strong community. It takes some time to catch up with Google Maps, but OpenStreetMap will become great solution.
I use Google Maps because it has a lot of great features such as Google's rich APIs, geolocation functions, navigation search feature, street map view, auto-generated 3D city map.
I use OpenStreetMap because i have the control of the environment, using Docker containers or bare-metal servers.
Pros of Google Maps
- Free253
- Address input through maps api136
- Sharable Directions81
- Google Earth47
- Unique46
- Custom maps designing3
Pros of Google Places API
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Cons of Google Maps
- Google Attributions and logo4
- Only map allowed alongside google place autocomplete1
