Open Places API Inspectable base layer
Overture publishes open places data with a documented schema, so teams can reason about the source layer.
Comparison
Google Places API alternative for Overture-backed search.
If you need the full Google Maps Platform, use Google. If you need server-side place search, predictable quotas, and account-owned corrections on top of open Overture data, Open Places API is the narrower option.
Use Open Places API when place search is the product need.
| Need | Open Places API | Google Places |
|---|---|---|
| Backend place search | Yes. One authenticated /v1/places endpoint for server-side JSON results. | Yes. Google Places supports place search through Google Maps Platform APIs. |
| Open base data | Yes. Results come from an Overture-backed base layer. | No. The Google place index is proprietary. |
| Custom account-owned layers | Yes. Layers can add, patch, suppress, or mark places above the base result set. | Not as the same first-class API concept. |
| Full maps platform | No. It is intentionally not a routing, tiles, photos, reviews, mobile SDK, or map widget product. | Yes. Google Maps Platform is broader. |
| Pricing model | Predictable monthly quotas with hard caps. | See current Google Maps Platform pricing. |
The price math, loudly.
Google's Places text-search SKUs run on the order of $17 to $35 per 1,000 calls depending on SKU and tier. Our plans are flat. Here is what that does at real volumes:
| Monthly searches | Open Places API | Google Places text search, at $17–$35 per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|
| 10,000 | $0 — Free plan | roughly $170–$350 |
| 100,000 | $19 — Starter | roughly $1,700–$3,500 |
| 1,000,000 | $99 — Pro | roughly $17,000–$35,000 |
Google's per-SKU rates, free-call allowances, and volume discounts change, so treat the right-hand column as order-of-magnitude and verify against current pricing before procurement. The gap survives the fine print — because you're not buying the same thing. They sell a maps platform with a proprietary index. We sell proximity search over open data with your own layers on top.
What "cheaper" should mean here.
It is not "the same product for less money." It is narrower: for teams whose need is backend place search over a selected coverage set, the cost is easier to model because usage maps to simple monthly quotas and hard caps.
Before migrating, compare your required fields, countries, latency needs, and usage pattern against the current Google Places API docs and pricing. Open Places API is a fit when the Overture-backed base data and custom-layer model are more important than the breadth of the Google Maps Platform.
Why Overture-backed search is the stronger story.
Product-specific truth
Account layers let teams maintain corrections, suppressions, private records, and selected layer presets.
Narrow API surface
The public API focuses on server-side local search instead of bundling a complete maps platform.
Google Places alternative FAQ.
Is Open Places API a Google Places API replacement?
It can replace Google Places for products that need backend place search and JSON results. It is not a replacement for the full Google Maps Platform, mobile SDKs, map tiles, routing, photos, reviews, or every place detail field.
Is Open Places API cheaper than Google Places?
For workloads that fit its scope, dramatically. Google's Places text-search SKUs run on the order of $17–$35 per 1,000 calls, so 100,000 searches a month lands in the four figures; Open Places API Starter is $19 flat for the same volume and Pro is $99 for 1 million. Verify expected usage against current Google Maps Platform pricing — the gap survives the fine print.
What is the biggest difference?
Open Places API starts from open Overture Places data and lets accounts put their own layers on top. Google Places is broader and proprietary, with many features Open Places API intentionally does not provide.
Why choose the Overture-backed option?
Choose it when you want inspectable open base data, server-side search, a published API contract, and a path to product-specific corrections or private place records.
More comparisons.
Foursquare · Geoapify · LocationIQ · HERE