Free Map Tiles APIs in 2026: How Many Map Views Are Free?

A free maps API includes anywhere from about 5,000 to 60,000 map views a month, depending on whether the provider counts map loads, sessions or individual tiles. Load- and session-based quotas count a view once however much the user pans or zooms, while tile- and credit-based quotas count every tile the map loads. Below we convert the free tiers of six map tile providers into map views, with sources checked on 9 October 2026, and add the card, commercial-use and limit terms. Then we show how to estimate the tiles your own map needs.

Key takeaways

• Compare map views, not headline numbers: 10,000 map loads, 200,000 tiles and 3,000 credits a day are different units.
• Interaction counts differently: load and session quotas count a view once; tile and credit quotas count each loaded tile, so panning and zooming use more.
• Check the terms: whether a card is needed, whether commercial use is allowed, and what happens at the limit.
• Estimate in tiles per view: an 800×600 map needs about 4–9 vector tiles or 12–20 raster tiles.

What Does "Free" Mean for a Map Tiles API?

A free maps API for map display is a map tile service you can use without paying, up to a quota and under the provider's terms. Two providers can both say "free" and still fit very different projects. Before you pick one, check these five things:

1. Unit and quota. What is counted (map loads, map sessions, tiles, requests or credits) and over what period (per day or per month).
2. Credit card. Whether you need a billing account or card before you can use the free quota, or only when you move to production.
3. Commercial use. Whether a business website, a SaaS product or a paid app may run on the free tier.
4. Attribution. Which credits must stay visible on the map: the provider, OpenStreetMap, or both.
5. Behaviour over the limit. Whether usage is billed automatically, the service pauses, requests stop, or the provider contacts you.

The first item decides how far the quota goes. The other four decide whether you can use the free tier at all for your project.

Free Maps APIs Compared (October 2026)

The table below lists the free tier of six commonly used map tile and map API options. Each row links to the provider's official page; quotas and terms change, so check the source before you commit.

Each option has its own strengths. Google Maps Platform covers a broad product range under one billing account, and the Demo Key lets you prototype before setting up billing. Mapbox has a generous monthly tile quota and mature SDKs for web and mobile. MapTiler and Stadia Maps build on open standards and work with open-source renderers such as MapLibre GL JS. The OpenStreetMap tile servers are community infrastructure for the OSM project, funded by donations and sponsorship, and open to light third-party use.

Two columns usually decide the shortlist: commercial use on free and over the limit. A personal project can choose on quota alone; a business site needs a free tier that allows commercial use and a limit behaviour it can plan around.

How many map views does each free tier include?

To compare the quotas, we convert each one into map views. The assumptions: one view is one person opening an 800×600 map, and an initial vector view loads about 6 tiles (the Geoapify maps pricing docs give 4–9).

The last column is the main difference between the models. Load- and session-based quotas (Google, Mapbox, MapTiler) count a view once, however much the user pans or zooms. Tile- and credit-based quotas (Stadia, Geoapify) count each loaded tile: a map that is only shown uses very little, while a map users explore uses more. Neither model is better in general; match it to how people use your map.

Why Aren't Free Map Quotas Comparable?

Free quotas aren't comparable because each provider counts a different unit, and one map view produces a different amount of each. The period also differs: most quotas reset monthly, Geoapify's resets daily.

Four units for the same map

A single user opening an 800×600 map can count as one unit or as several, depending on the provider:

Before you compare 50,000 against 200,000 or 3,000, translate each into the same thing: map views your users open. The units also differ in what happens after the map opens.

What happens when users pan and zoom

For load- and session-based quotas, interaction is included in the view:

• Google Maps Platform: the billable event is a "successful map load", and "user interactions with the map don't generate additional map loads, including panning, zooming, or switching map layers" (SKU details).
• Mapbox: "it counts as one map load regardless of how much the user interacts with the map" (pricing guide).
• MapTiler Cloud: a session starts when a user opens a page with the map; a new one starts on reload, after 6 hours, or after 10,000 requests (map sessions).

For tile- and credit-based quotas (Stadia Maps, Geoapify), every tile the map loads counts, including the new tiles loaded while panning and zooming. A contact page whose map is only looked at stays close to the initial 6 tiles; a store locator that users browse loads several times that. Both models are predictable once you know which kind of map you have.

How many tiles one view needs

A map tile is a square piece of the map that the library requests for the visible area and zoom level. According to the Geoapify maps pricing docs, raster tiles are 256×256 px and vector tiles are rendered at 512×512 px, for example by MapLibre GL:

The exact number depends on where the tile grid falls on the map. Panning and zooming load more tiles, and a perspective (tilted) view loads more again. For the difference between the two formats, see our raster vs vector map tiles comparison.

How Do You Estimate Your Monthly Map Usage?

Estimate usage as tiles per day: map size, tile size, number of users and how actively they use the map. The Geoapify docs give this rough formula:

MAP_WIDTH * MAP_HEIGHT / (TILE_SIZE * TILE_SIZE) * NUMBER_OF_USERS * USER_ACTIVITY_COEFF

TILE_SIZE is 256 for raster and 512 for vector tiles. The activity coefficient reflects the map's role: 1–2 when the map shows a location, 5–10 when users search or analyse data on the map. Because the tile grid rarely lines up with the map edges, real views usually load more than the area alone suggests, so the examples below use about 6 vector tiles or about 16 raster tiles per 800×600 view.

Worked example: Geoapify's Free plan

Geoapify's Free plan has 3,000 credits a day, and one map tile costs 0.25 credits. Step by step:

1. Tiles per day: 3,000 credits ÷ 0.25 = 12,000 tiles a day.
2. Vector views per day: 12,000 tiles ÷ about 6 tiles per 800×600 view ≈ 2,000 map views a day.
3. Raster views per day: 12,000 tiles ÷ about 16 tiles per 800×600 view ≈ 750 map views a day.

Over 30 days, that is about 60,000 vector or 22,500 raster views. Because the quota is daily, plan for your busiest day rather than the monthly average.

Three typical sites

The same arithmetic works for any provider that counts tiles. The table applies it to three common cases, with an 800×600 map:

Vector tiles cover the same view with fewer requests, which is why the same store locator fits the Free plan with vector tiles and needs about 2.7 times the quota with raster tiles. These are estimates: the docs recommend starting on the Free plan and measuring real usage, and the Credits Calculator on the pricing page does the conversion for you.

What Does "Free" Include on Geoapify?

Geoapify's Free plan gives 3,000 credits a day, with no credit card required, and allows commercial use with attribution. The same free credits also cover Geoapify's geocoding, routing and places APIs.

Free plan facts

These are the terms from the pricing page and the maps pricing docs:

• Quota: 3,000 credits a day, up to 12,000 map tiles a day (one tile request = 0.25 credits).
• Card: no credit card required.
• Commercial use: allowed, including in production, within the quota, rate limits and feature limits (details).
• Rate limit: up to 5 requests per second; the pricing FAQ notes that for map tiles this limit can be multiplied by 4, because a tile costs a quarter of a credit.
• Over the limit: limits are soft. If usage constantly goes over the quota, we contact you and ask for an upgrade.

Add the map with style.json

For a vector map, pass the style.json URL to MapLibre GL JS. The style is compatible with the Mapbox style specification, so it works in modern map libraries; the map tiles docs list all 18 styles.

import maplibregl from "maplibre-gl";
import "maplibre-gl/dist/maplibre-gl.css";

const map = new maplibregl.Map({
  container: "map",
  style: "https://maps.geoapify.com/v1/styles/osm-bright/style.json?apiKey=YOUR_API_KEY",
  center: [13.405, 52.52], // Berlin
  zoom: 12
});

For a raster map in Leaflet or QGIS, use the ZXY tile URL. The @2x variant serves high-resolution tiles for retina screens:

https://maps.geoapify.com/v1/tile/osm-bright/{z}/{x}/{y}.png?apiKey=YOUR_API_KEY
https://maps.geoapify.com/v1/tile/osm-bright/{z}/{x}/{y}@2x.png?apiKey=YOUR_API_KEY

Where the attribution goes

On the Free plan, the map must show the Geoapify credit and the data credits. When you create the map with style.json, the attribution is added to the bottom of the map automatically; keep it visible. With raster tiles, add it yourself in the map corner, for example in Leaflet:

L.tileLayer("https://maps.geoapify.com/v1/tile/osm-bright/{z}/{x}/{y}.png?apiKey=YOUR_API_KEY", {
  attribution: 'Powered by <a href="https://www.geoapify.com/">Geoapify</a> | ' +
    '<a href="https://openmaptiles.org/" target="_blank">© OpenMapTiles</a> ' +
    '<a href="https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright" target="_blank">© OpenStreetMap contributors</a>'
}).addTo(map);

The OpenMapTiles credit applies to all styles except osm-carto; the OpenStreetMap credit applies to all of them. Paid plans include a white-label option, so the Geoapify credit is no longer needed there. To start, get a free API key and see the Map Tiles page for the available styles.

When Is a Free Maps API Not Enough?

A free tier stops fitting when steady usage passes the quota, when you need guarantees such as an SLA, or when the terms don't cover your use. There are four usual next steps, and the right one depends on volume and how much infrastructure you want to run:

• Upgrade to a subscription. A fixed monthly plan gives a larger quota and predictable cost. On Geoapify, paid plans add the white-label option and a default SLA of 99.5% monthly availability; see Pricing.
• Pay as you go. Google Maps Platform and Mapbox bill usage above the free quota automatically, so cost follows actual usage.
• Move to a plan that allows commercial use. On MapTiler Cloud and Stadia Maps, commercial projects use a paid plan; both offer several sizes.
• Self-host the tiles. OpenStreetMap data is open, so you can run your own tile server and pay for hardware and maintenance instead of requests. The OSM tile usage policy is meant for light use, so heavier traffic should move to a provider or your own server. Geoapify also offers dedicated servers on the Custom plan.

If you are comparing providers for a broader move, our Google Maps API alternative page and the post on Mapbox GL's license and free alternatives cover the libraries and services in more detail.

Frequently Asked Questions