Mapbox Places API alternative

Using Mapbox just for place search? You don't need the whole platform.

Mapbox is a full location platform: maps, tiles, SDKs, geocoding, Search Box, navigation, and more. Open Places API is not that. It replaces only the backend "nearby places as JSON" slice.

Start for free Read the docs Read the Mapbox guide

The part Open Places API can replace.

Need	Open Places API	Mapbox
Nearby place search from a backend	Yes. Send query text, latitude, longitude, and radius; get JSON places back.	Available through Mapbox search products, with a broader product surface.
Interactive search box	No.	Yes. Mapbox Search Box is built for suggestions and retrieval.
Geocoding and reverse geocoding	No.	Yes. See the Mapbox Geocoding API.
Maps, tiles, SDKs, navigation	No.	Yes. That is the main reason to choose Mapbox.
Base data	Open Overture Places, monthly refresh after validation.	Mapbox's platform data and search stack.
Pricing model for this workload	Flat monthly quotas with hard caps: $0 / $19 / $99.	Product-specific pricing; see current Mapbox pricing.

Use Mapbox for interaction. Use us for capped backend lookup.

Search Box is the right product when a user types a place or address and expects suggestions. Open Places API starts later in the workflow: your backend already has a coordinate and needs nearby places, ranked and returned as JSON.

curl -G "https://api.openplacesapi.com/v1/places" \
  --data-urlencode "q=coffee" \
  --data-urlencode "lat=34.0522" \
  --data-urlencode "lon=-118.2437" \
  --data-urlencode "radius_mi=20" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $OPEN_PLACES_API_KEY"

Fit and anti-fit.

Stay with Mapbox

The map is the product, the UI needs typeahead, you need geocoding, or you want one vendor across maps, search, and navigation.

Use Open Places API

The map stack is already chosen, and this feature only needs server-side nearby place search with flat quotas and open-data foundations.

Use both

Mapbox can handle maps or typed search, while Open Places API handles capped nearby search around the coordinate your app already knows.

Mapbox alternative FAQ.

Is Open Places API a Mapbox replacement?

No. It does not replace Mapbox maps, tiles, SDKs, geocoding, routing, navigation, or an interactive Search Box. It can replace one slice: server-side nearby place search when you already have a coordinate.

When should I use Mapbox Search Box?

Use Mapbox Search Box when the user is typing into an address or place search UI, when you need suggestions and retrieval, or when you already use Mapbox's maps and search stack.

When should I use Open Places API instead?

Use Open Places API when your backend has a latitude and longitude and needs nearby place results as JSON with flat quotas, hard caps, open Overture-backed data, and account-owned layers.

Can I use both?

Yes. A common split is Mapbox or another geocoder for user-entered addresses, then Open Places API for capped backend place search around the resulting coordinate.

More comparisons.

Google Places · Foursquare · HERE · Geoapify · LocationIQ