Originally free, Google began monetizing its Google Maps service in October: “Lightweight usage was still free — subject to terms of service, of course. However, significant load volumes would begin to incur charges: basically, services and applications that generated more 25,000 map loads per day would be charged $40 to $10 for every additional 1,000 map loads. For folks using styled maps — the most intensive and customized option — the initial threshold is 2,500 maps per day,” reports Digital Trends.
For average users, this is of little effect. But for big companies like Foursquare and Apple that have incorporated the service on their various products, the pricing is too much.
Some companies have made the switch to UK-based OpenStreetMap, a free non-profit service reliant on users providing geographic data — similar to Wikipedia.
“OpenStreetMap data can differ from Google Maps in many significant ways. First, while it often has great coverage of cities and heavily populated areas, parts further afield can present some challenges. It also lacks niceties like satellite imagery and Google’s Street View,” the article explains.
Possibly more off-putting than the fees are Google’s ever-expanding advertising efforts on the Google Maps platform. Although providing its map service for free enabled Google to be fairly ubiquitous, the reliance on their service may subside. Apple might even look into developing its own map service.
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