Google Maps vs SmartyStreets: What are the differences?
Introduction
Google Maps and SmartyStreets are both online mapping platforms that provide various services related to location and address data. While they have some similarities, there are key differences between the two platforms that make them unique in their offerings.
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Data Coverage: Google Maps is a widely recognized mapping platform with global coverage, providing detailed maps and street-level imagery for numerous countries. On the other hand, SmartyStreets specializes in address verification and standardization services primarily focused on the United States, with extensive coverage of US addresses and geocoding capabilities specific to the US.
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API Focus: Google Maps offers a comprehensive set of APIs for developers, allowing them to integrate mapping, geocoding, and directions services into their applications. It provides a wide range of features and customizability options, making it suitable for both small-scale and large-scale projects. SmartyStreets, on the other hand, primarily focuses on their address verification API, providing developers with a simple and efficient way to validate and standardize US addresses.
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Address Verification: While both platforms offer address-related services, SmartyStreets excels in address verification and standardization. Their API verifies addresses in real-time, correcting spelling mistakes, adding missing components, and updating the address in accordance with the USPS database. This ensures accuracy and reduces returned mail due to address errors. Google Maps, although it provides geocoding and reverse geocoding services, does not have the same level of address data validation and standardization capabilities.
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Business Listings and Reviews: Google Maps has an extensive database of business listings, including reviews, photos, and other relevant information. Users can search for businesses, view ratings, and contribute their reviews. SmartyStreets, being primarily focused on address verification, does not offer comparable business listing and review features.
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Satellite Imagery and Street View: Google Maps provides high-resolution satellite imagery and street-level view capabilities, allowing users to visually explore locations. This feature is not available in SmartyStreets, which focuses more on address verification and geocoding rather than visual representations.
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Pricing Structure: The pricing structure of Google Maps and SmartyStreets differs significantly. Google Maps offers a freemium model, allowing limited usage at no cost, with different pricing tiers based on usage and additional features. SmartyStreets, on the other hand, follows a subscription-based model, with pricing plans based on the number of verifications or lookups per month, making it more suitable for businesses with specific address verification needs.
In summary, while both Google Maps and SmartyStreets are online mapping platforms, they differentiate in terms of data coverage, API focus, address verification capabilities, business listings and reviews, satellite imagery and street view, as well as pricing structure, catering to different user requirements.
