Pricing overview
Geokeo offers a pricing structure centered around a free tier and subsequent monthly subscription plans, determined by the volume of API requests. This model covers access to its core services, including geocoding, reverse geocoding, and IP geolocation APIs. The free tier provides a daily allocation of requests, allowing developers to integrate and test the service without an initial financial commitment. As usage scales beyond this free limit, users transition to a tiered subscription model, where the monthly cost increases with the number of requests made. This approach aims to provide predictable costs for varying levels of API consumption, from small projects to applications requiring higher volumes of geospatial data lookups.
The tiered system is common among geospatial API providers, balancing accessibility for developers with revenue generation for sustained service operation. Understanding the specific request types and their consumption rates is crucial for cost estimation, as some providers may differentiate pricing based on the complexity or data-intensity of the API call. Geokeo's unified request count across its primary APIs simplifies this aspect, offering a single metric for billing purposes. For detailed information on specific plan inclusions and current rates, the Geokeo pricing page serves as the primary reference.
Plans and tiers
Geokeo's paid plans are structured into several tiers, each offering a specific monthly request allowance for a fixed price. These plans are designed to accommodate a range of usage scenarios, from moderate application needs to high-volume enterprise requirements. All plans, including the free tier, grant access to Geokeo's full suite of APIs: geocoding, reverse geocoding, and IP geolocation. The primary differentiator between tiers is the maximum number of requests permitted per month.
| Plan Name | Monthly Price | Monthly Requests | Key Limits | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 75,000 (2,500/day) | 2,500 requests/day | Development, testing, low-volume personal projects |
| Starter | $10 | 100,000 | No daily limit on paid plans | Small applications, startups, moderate data processing |
| Developer | $25 | 250,000 | No daily limit | Growing applications, mid-size projects |
| Pro | $50 | 500,000 | No daily limit | Established applications, higher data volumes |
| Business | $100 | 1,000,000 | No daily limit | Large-scale applications, enterprise use |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | Custom limits, dedicated support | Very high volume, specific requirements |
Users can upgrade or downgrade their plans as their usage patterns change, providing flexibility. Overage policies, if applicable, would typically be outlined on the official Geokeo pricing page, detailing costs for requests exceeding the monthly allowance on paid plans. Generally, overages are billed at a per-request rate that may be higher than the effective per-request cost within a plan.
Free tier and limits
Geokeo provides a free tier designed to allow developers to integrate and test its geocoding services without incurring costs. This free tier includes access to all of Geokeo's core APIs: geocoding, reverse geocoding, and IP geolocation. The primary constraint of the free tier is a daily request limit of 2,500, which translates to approximately 75,000 requests per month. This daily limit resets every 24 hours.
The free tier is suitable for:
- Initial Development and Testing: Developers can use the free tier to build and test applications that rely on geocoding functionality.
- Low-Volume Personal Projects: Small-scale projects or personal applications with infrequent geocoding needs can operate within the free tier limits.
- Proof-of-Concept: Businesses can validate concepts or demonstrate prototypes using real geocoding data before committing to a paid plan.
When the daily limit is reached on the free tier, subsequent API requests will typically return an error message indicating that the quota has been exceeded. To continue using the service without interruption, users must either wait for the daily limit to reset or upgrade to a paid plan. Paid plans do not have a daily request limit, only a monthly maximum, offering more flexibility for bursts of activity. More details on the free tier are available in the Geokeo pricing documentation.
Real-world cost examples
To illustrate Geokeo's pricing, consider several common usage scenarios for its geocoding, reverse geocoding, and IP geolocation APIs. The costs are based on the published tiered pricing, where all API call types contribute to the same request count.
Scenario 1: Small Blog with Location Features
- Usage: A blog that displays the location of events or users on a map, performing about 1,500 geocoding requests per day for new content and user profiles.
- Monthly Requests: 1,500 requests/day * 30 days = 45,000 requests/month.
- Applicable Plan: Since 45,000 requests/month is within the free tier's monthly equivalent (75,000 requests/month based on 2,500/day), this scenario would likely fit within the Free tier.
- Monthly Cost: $0.
- Notes: This assumes consistent daily usage below the 2,500 request daily limit. If usage spikes above 2,500 requests on any given day, the free tier will block further requests until the next day.
Scenario 2: Medium-Sized E-commerce Store
- Usage: An e-commerce platform that processes 3,000 orders daily, using reverse geocoding to verify delivery addresses or show nearby pickup points. It also performs about 500 IP geolocation lookups daily for fraud detection.
- Monthly Requests: (3,000 geocoding requests/day + 500 IP geolocation requests/day) * 30 days = 105,000 requests/month.
- Applicable Plan: This volume exceeds the free tier. The Starter plan offers 100,000 requests for $10/month. The additional 5,000 requests would incur overage charges, if applicable, or necessitate an upgrade to the next tier.
- Monthly Cost: $10 (Starter plan) + potential overage charges for 5,000 requests. Assuming a typical overage rate (e.g., $0.50 per 1,000 requests), this might be an additional $2.50, totaling $12.50. Upgrading to the Developer plan ($25 for 250,000 requests) would remove overage concerns.
Scenario 3: Logistics and Delivery Service
- Usage: A logistics company optimizing routes and tracking deliveries, requiring 20,000 geocoding and reverse geocoding requests per day.
- Monthly Requests: 20,000 requests/day * 30 days = 600,000 requests/month.
- Applicable Plan: This volume falls between the Pro plan (500,000 requests for $50) and the Business plan (1,000,000 requests for $100). The Business plan would be the most suitable to avoid significant overage fees.
- Monthly Cost: $100 (Business plan).
- Notes: While 600,000 requests exceed the Pro plan by 100,000, the incremental cost of overages might approach or exceed the cost of the next tier. Opting for the Business plan provides headroom and cost predictability.
How the pricing compares
Geokeo's pricing model, characterized by a generous free tier and tiered subscription plans based on request volume, positions it competitively within the geospatial API market. Many providers, such as Google Maps Platform, Mapbox, and OpenCage, also utilize usage-based billing, but their specific tiers, pricing per request, and free tier allowances can vary significantly. Comparing these models requires examining not only the raw cost per request but also the features included, rate limits, and the types of requests counted.
Google Maps Platform
Google Maps Platform employs a pay-as-you-go model with a monthly free credit rather than a fixed number of free requests. For example, Google provides a $200 monthly free credit across its services. Geocoding API calls under this model typically cost $5 per 1,000 requests after the free credit is exhausted. This can be more expensive for high-volume users compared to Geokeo's tiered approach, especially for basic geocoding tasks. However, Google offers a broader suite of mapping and location services, including advanced routing, places, and elevation APIs, which might justify the higher per-request cost for applications requiring comprehensive functionality.
Mapbox
Mapbox offers a free tier that includes 50,000 geocoding requests per month, which is lower than Geokeo's free daily limit equivalent of 75,000 per month. Beyond the free tier, Mapbox's pricing can be more granular, with different rates for forward geocoding, reverse geocoding, and other services like mapping tiles and routing. For instance, Mapbox Geocoding might cost $4 per 1,000 requests once the free tier is exceeded. This can lead to more complex cost calculations but also allows for optimization if usage is heavily skewed towards one type of service. Geokeo's simpler, unified request count for all its core APIs can be advantageous for predictability.
OpenCage
OpenCage also provides a free tier, offering 2,500 requests per day, directly comparable to Geokeo's free daily limit. Its paid plans typically start at a similar price point for a comparable number of requests (e.g., $10 for 100,000 requests). OpenCage's pricing is straightforward, focusing purely on geocoding and reverse geocoding, similar to Geokeo's core offerings. The key difference often lies in data sources, coverage, and specific features like result formatting or language support. Both Geokeo and OpenCage often appeal to developers looking for robust geocoding solutions without the extensive overhead or complex pricing models of larger platforms.
In summary, Geokeo's pricing strategy emphasizes accessibility with a strong free tier and transparent, tiered subscription models. It positions itself as a cost-effective solution for applications primarily focused on standard geocoding, reverse geocoding, and IP geolocation, particularly when compared to platforms with broader service portfolios and potentially higher per-request costs for basic operations.