Google makes Maps cheaper for developers, free limits increased significantly
What's the story
Google has announced plans to increase the free usage limits for all its Google Maps services, starting March 2025.
The move comes as part of the tech giant's strategy to lure developers building mapping and location-based solutions around the world and in India.
The announcement comes months after a major price cut by up to 70% for the Google Maps Platform in India.
Product accessibility
Free access to mapping products for developers
Starting March 1, 2025, developers will get free access to all of Google's mapping products. This includes Maps, Routes, Places, and Environment APIs (application programming interfaces) and SDKs (software development kits).
The company has defined a monthly cap for this free usage. For Indian developers in particular, this change means an increase in free monthly usage from about ₹17,000 ($200) to nearly ₹5.7 lakh ($6,800).
Developer benefits
Google's initiative aims to boost developer flexibility
Google thinks this move will give developers more freedom to build better solutions and play with its APIs and SDKs without paying a penny.
The company said, "Now, they can evaluate whether a new product is right for their business—for example, they can integrate Places Nearby or Dynamic Street View into their app to make the experience more rich and immersive."
Pricing strategy
Continued free usage and country-specific pricing
Google confirmed that the Maps Embed API and Maps SDK will continue to offer unlimited free usage.
Back in July, Google introduced a country-specific pricing structure to facilitate the development of location-based solutions.
This revised pricing structure was exclusively available to India-based customers who primarily use and are billed in India.
Strategic collaboration
Google's partnership with ONDC and industry reactions
Google has also partnered with the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) to offer further discounts for developers building ONDC projects.
This could lead to as much as a 90% discount on select Google Maps Platform APIs for e-commerce and related use cases.
Industry leaders have welcomed the changes, with Shan MS, COO of Namma Yatri, saying that "Maps are a crucial component of ride-hailing experience."