Store locator software mapping service cost estimator
Calculate approximate costs for your store locator based on visitor numbers
To compare the appearance of our locator using each service, see our Mapping Service Comparison guide..
Our Service
We provide integrations for our customers who wish to use any of the mapping services listed above. For a comparison of how our locator looks in each of these mapping services, please refer to our Mapping Service Comparison guide.
About this Calculator
Our store locator software requires integration with a third party mapping service provider to provide the following key features:
- Map Images. These are usually composed of square tiles which fit together to make up the visible map and can be displayed in a range of different zoom levels.
- Place Suggestions. This feature provides suggested matches as you type an address into the address search field in the locator.
- Geocoding. When using the 'My Location' button to find your position on the map, the reverse geocoding feature is needed to translate your device's coordinates (GPS or otherwise) into an address.
- Directions. Used to display routing and text directions to get from point A to point B on the map.
The use of any one of these features by your customers has a cost associated with it which means that not only does the cost of using the mapping service depend on how many users visit it each day, it also depends on the activity profile of each of these users on each visit to your store locator page.
For example, if they mostly just view the locator without any interaction then there will be less requirement to make place suggestions and update the view of the map. Conversely, if they search for many different locations on each visit that will mean that more requests are made to the mapping provider for the services listed above.
This makes it very difficult to make an accurate assessment of how much the mapping service will cost as it depends on the actions of your store locator users which can vary considerably. What we've done above is provided a way to switch between three levels of usage per user: view only, light and heavy. We recommend switching between them to get a better idea of the potential impact on your costs.
How we calculated the numbers
Each service provider costs a different amount and has a differet free quota and this is set out below:
- ExpressMaps. ExpressMaps include 100,000 page views per month with their free plan. They don't charge more for Place Suggestions, Geocoding or Directions.
- Google Maps. Google grant $200 worth of free Google Maps Platform credit each month to anyone who signs up for an API key. You are also required to provide your credit card information at the time of signing up for the API key so that if you exceed your free quota your service will continue however you will be charged a fee for any usage in excess of the free quota. Each type of activity (map loads, places suggestions, geocoding etc) costs a different amount and counts towards this free quota amount.
- Mapbox. Mapbox give 50,000 map views per month in return for signing up for a free API key. A credit card is not required to sign up for a key. If the user interacts with the map then additional map tiles are loaded by the store locator which counts against the map view quota. Mapbox also includes 50,000 geocoding requests per month as part of their free quota.
For a more detailed breakdown of the costs involved in each mapping service, please refer to our article 'Will Google charge me for my Store Locator usage'.