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Free Google Maps API Key in 2026: Free Limits, Billing, and Another Option for Maps Data
The short answer: A Google Maps API key is free to create, but Google Maps Platform requires billing to be enabled on your Google Cloud project before the key works. Since March 1, 2025, each API has a free monthly cap instead of the old $200 credit: 10,000 calls per Essentials SKU, 5,000 per Pro SKU, and 1,000 per Enterprise SKU. Above the cap, calls are billed, for example $32 per 1,000 Text Search Pro requests.
If what you need is Google Maps search and place data as JSON, rather than a map embedded in your app, PrismCrawl is another option. To be clear about what it is: PrismCrawl does not give out Google Maps API keys. A PrismCrawl account comes with its own API key and 100 free credits, given once at signup, with no credit card. The free credits do not renew each month. After that, prepaid credits start at $5 for 16,667 requests.
This guide is published by PrismCrawl. Google Maps Platform limits and prices come from Google's pricing overview and SKU price list, checked November 2, 2026.
How to get a Google Maps API key
- Create or choose a Google Cloud project in the Google Cloud console.
- Enable billing on the project. Google lists this as a required setup step, even if your usage stays within the free caps.
- Enable the APIs you need, such as the Maps JavaScript API, Places API, Geocoding API, or Routes API.
- Create the key under APIs & Services, then Credentials.
- Restrict the key to your website domains or app and to the APIs you enabled, so a leaked key cannot run up charges elsewhere.
New Google Cloud customers can also get a $300 welcome credit that Google says can be spent on Google Maps Platform. The trial ends after 90 days or once $300 of charges accrue, whichever comes first.
What is free on Google Maps Platform in 2026
Free usage is counted per SKU, per month, so each API you call has its own allowance.
| SKU | Category | Free calls a month | Price per 1,000 after the cap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dynamic Maps | Essentials | 10,000 | $7.00 |
| Geocoding | Essentials | 10,000 | $5.00 |
| Autocomplete Requests | Essentials | 10,000 | $2.83 |
| Routes: Compute Routes Essentials | Essentials | 10,000 | $5.00 |
| Places API Place Details Essentials | Essentials | 10,000 | $5.00 |
| Places API Place Details Pro | Pro | 5,000 | $17.00 |
| Places API Text Search Pro | Pro | 5,000 | $32.00 |
| Places API Nearby Search Pro | Pro | 5,000 | $32.00 |
| Places API Place Details Enterprise | Enterprise | 1,000 | $20.00 |
| Places API Text Search Essentials (IDs only) | Essentials | Unlimited | Free |
Prices shown are Google's first paid tier, up to 100,000 calls a month. Larger volumes get lower rates. Which SKU a request bills under depends on the fields you ask for, so a Place Details call that requests ratings or opening hours can cost more than one that requests only an address.
What a PrismCrawl account includes
PrismCrawl is a search data API. Its Maps endpoints return what Google Maps and other map services show for a search, as JSON:
- Google Maps search: places for a query and area, with addresses, categories, ratings, reviews, hours, contact details, and website links.
- Google Maps reviews, photos, and posts for a place.
- Google Maps directions and autocomplete.
- Apple Maps, Bing Maps, and DuckDuckGo Maps search.
How the free credits work:
- 100 free credits, once. They are added when you sign up, with no credit card. They are not a monthly allowance and do not reset.
- One credit per successful request. Failed requests are free.
- After the free credits, you buy prepaid packages with no subscription, from $5 for 16,667 requests ($0.30 per 1,000) to $1,000 for 6,666,667 ($0.15 per 1,000). Paid credits are valid for 90 days. See SERP API pricing.
PrismCrawl does not render maps, so it does not replace the Maps JavaScript API or Map Tiles in a website or app. It also does not geocode arbitrary addresses the way the Geocoding API does.
Google Maps Platform or PrismCrawl: which fits
Use Google Maps Platform if you need to display an interactive Google map, put markers or routes on it, geocode addresses, or rely on Google's official licensed service and its terms for place data. For an app with modest traffic, the free caps may cover most of your usage.
Consider PrismCrawl if you need data from Google Maps search results in bulk: local business lists for a category and area, ratings and review counts, full review text, or rankings for local SEO. Those workloads run into Google's Pro SKUs, which have the smallest free caps and the highest prices.
For a sense of scale, here is the monthly cost of place search requests at three volumes, using Google's Text Search Pro SKU and PrismCrawl's Google Maps search endpoint. The two return different data under different terms, so treat this as a budget guide, not a feature comparison.
| Requests a month | Google Places Text Search Pro | PrismCrawl Google Maps search |
|---|---|---|
| 10,000 | About $160 (5,000 free, then $32 per 1,000) | About $3 ($0.30 per 1,000) |
| 50,000 | About $1,440 | About $12.50 ($0.25 per 1,000) |
| 100,000 | About $3,040 | About $23 ($0.23 per 1,000) |
PrismCrawl costs assume you buy a package you can use within its 90 day validity. To try it first, the 100 free signup credits cover 100 Maps searches. The Google Maps, Yelp, and Tripadvisor reviews tutorial shows a complete Python workflow.
Frequently asked questions
Is a Google Maps API key free?
Creating the key is free, but Google Maps Platform requires billing to be enabled on the Google Cloud project that owns it. Each API then has a free monthly cap: 10,000 calls per Essentials SKU, 5,000 per Pro SKU, and 1,000 per Enterprise SKU. Calls above the cap are billed.
How many free Google Maps API calls do you get per month?
Since March 1, 2025, each SKU has its own free monthly cap instead of the old $200 monthly credit: 10,000 calls for Essentials SKUs such as Geocoding, Dynamic Maps, and Autocomplete, 5,000 for Pro SKUs such as Text Search and Nearby Search, and 1,000 for Enterprise SKUs. Map Tiles API Essentials SKUs get 100,000.
Does PrismCrawl give a free Google Maps API key?
No. PrismCrawl does not issue Google Maps Platform keys. A PrismCrawl account comes with its own API key and 100 free credits, given once at signup with no credit card. The free credits do not renew monthly. One credit covers one successful request to a PrismCrawl Maps endpoint, such as Google Maps search, reviews, photos, directions, or autocomplete.
Is there a free Google Maps API without billing?
Not from Google. Google Maps Platform needs billing enabled even when your usage stays under the free caps. New Google Cloud customers can use a $300 welcome credit for up to 90 days. If you need Google Maps search and place data as JSON rather than an embedded map, PrismCrawl gives 100 one-time free credits without a card, then sells prepaid credits from $5.