I just received a notification from Google that, effective March 1st, it is changing its policy on the Google Maps API, including the free usage limits.
I always felt uneasy about giving out my Credit Card to companies, saying, “You’re welcome to charge as much as you wish.” When Google removed the free use in 2018, they offered a $200 credit for every month that covered some 28,000 Map loads. I wasn’t sure this would be enough, as I have many sample albums with map integrations and didn’t have usage stats, but it turned out it was far from the limits. So far, so good.
I was still afraid that, being a for-profit company, they could unilaterally change the terms at any time. And they did it now. Fortunately, they still provide a free usage bracket, though it’s shrunk to 10,000 Map loads a month. I would say it’s still plenty for an average user, but if you host a map-heavy site, you might want to monitor the stats.
You can check how this change will affect you: Google Maps platform pricing calculator
OpenStreet Map is an obvious alternative to Google Maps. If you don’t provide an API key in the Plain skin, the skin will use OpenStreet Map automatically.
Check out Plain sample album! (Click the location mark to see the map!)
Here you can see the difference between the two:
I was reluctant to add OpenStreet Maps to my other skins because Google Maps provided a much nicer user experience, and OpenStreet Maps didn’t offer all the features Google Maps offered. However, I think the time has come to integrate OSM into my skins so that those who use maps heavily can still enjoy free use.
I’m afraid that once loads of users switch to OSM, they cannot keep up their free service. But we will see.
/Laza