Does Cartes.io offer a free tier for its geocoding API?

Yes, Cartes.io provides a free tier that includes 5,000 API requests per month for its geocoding, reverse geocoding, and search APIs. This tier is suitable for evaluation and small personal projects.

What is the cost of Cartes.io's entry-level paid plan?

The initial paid plan for Cartes.io starts at €10 per month, which includes an allowance of 50,000 API requests per month.

What happens if I exceed my monthly request limit on Cartes.io?

If you exceed your monthly request limit on Cartes.io's free or paid plans, API calls may be throttled or return an error until the next billing cycle, or until you upgrade to a higher-volume plan. Specific overage policies are detailed on their pricing page.

Is Cartes.io's pricing based on features or usage?

Cartes.io's pricing is primarily usage-based, meaning you pay based on the volume of API requests you make per month. All core API features are generally included across the plans.

How does Cartes.io's free tier compare to other geocoding providers?

Cartes.io's free tier offers 5,000 requests/month. Some alternatives like Mapbox (100,000/month) or OpenCage/Geocodio (around 75,000/month with daily limits) offer higher request volumes in their free or trial tiers, though these may come with specific daily limits or commercial use restrictions.

What currency is Cartes.io's pricing in?

Cartes.io's pricing is denominated in Euros (€).

Cartes.io Pricing: Geocoding API Costs (2026)

Pricing overview

Cartes.io provides a geocoding and reverse geocoding API with a usage-based pricing model. This structure allows users to pay for the volume of requests made, which includes queries to its geocoding, reverse geocoding, and search APIs Cartes.io API documentation. The service offers a free tier for low-volume usage and scales up with various paid plans designed for higher request volumes.

The pricing is denominated in Euros (€) and is transparently published on the official Cartes.io pricing page Cartes.io pricing details. This model aims to accommodate a range of users, from individual developers experimenting with mapping functionalities to businesses integrating location intelligence into their applications. The primary metric for billing is the number of API requests made within a monthly cycle.

Unlike some other geospatial providers that may charge for additional features like batch geocoding, autocomplete, or specific data layers, Cartes.io maintains a straightforward cost per request for its core services. This simplicity can make it easier for developers and technical buyers to estimate costs without encountering complex billing structures.

Plans and tiers

Cartes.io's pricing structure is divided into a free tier and several paid plans, each offering a specific monthly request allowance. The plans are designed to accommodate increasing usage, with the cost per request generally decreasing at higher volumes.

Plan comparison table

Plan Name	Price (€/month)	Monthly Requests Limit	Key Features / Best For
Free Tier	0	5,000	Evaluation, personal projects, very low-volume applications. Includes all core API features.
Starter	10	50,000	Small projects, prototyping, applications with moderate geocoding needs. Stepping up from the free tier.
Growth (Example)	40	250,000	Growing applications, small businesses requiring consistent geocoding services. Provides a higher volume at a decreasing per-request cost.
Professional (Example)	120	1,000,000	Mid-sized applications, businesses with significant daily geocoding requirements. Further cost efficiency for high volume.
Enterprise (Custom)	Custom	Custom	Large-scale applications, high-volume enterprise needs. Direct consultation for tailored pricing and support.

Beyond the listed tiers, Cartes.io also offers custom enterprise solutions for users requiring extremely high volumes of requests or specific service level agreements (SLAs). These custom plans are typically negotiated directly with the Cartes.io team Cartes.io pricing page.

Free tier and limits

Cartes.io provides a robust free tier that allows users to make up to 5,000 API requests per month without any cost Cartes.io free tier details. This free access includes full functionality of the geocoding, reverse geocoding, and search APIs, making it suitable for:

Trial and Evaluation: Developers can test the API's capabilities and determine its suitability for their projects without financial commitment.
Personal Projects: For hobbyists or developers working on personal applications with limited geocoding needs.
Low-Volume Applications: Small-scale applications that only require occasional geocoding services.
Learning and Development: Students or new developers learning about location-based services can use the free tier for educational purposes.

The 5,000 request limit resets monthly. If an application exceeds this limit, API calls will typically result in an error or be throttled until the next billing cycle begins, or until the user upgrades to a paid plan. It is important for developers to implement usage monitoring and error handling in their applications to manage these limits effectively. Using webhooks or API keys with usage tracking from the provider can help prevent unexpected service interruptions Twilio API usage monitoring guide.

Real-world cost examples

Understanding the practical implications of Cartes.io's pricing model involves looking at various usage scenarios:

Scenario 1: Small personal project

Usage: A developer builds a personal map application that geocodes 100 addresses daily.
Monthly requests: 100 requests/day * 30 days = 3,000 requests/month.
Cost: This usage falls within the Cartes.io free tier of 5,000 requests/month.
Total monthly cost: €0.

Scenario 2: Small business website

Usage: A local business website uses reverse geocoding to display approximate user locations on a map, averaging 1,500 user visits per day, each triggering one API call.
Monthly requests: 1,500 requests/day * 30 days = 45,000 requests/month.
Cost: This exceeds the free tier. The Starter plan offers 50,000 requests/month for €10.
Total monthly cost: €10.

Scenario 3: Growing e-commerce platform

Usage: An e-commerce platform geocodes customer delivery addresses during checkout and uses the search API for location lookups, totaling 200,000 requests per month.
Monthly requests: 200,000 requests/month.
Cost: This would fit into a hypothetical Growth plan (250,000 requests for €40).
Total monthly cost: €40.

Scenario 4: Large logistics application

Usage: A logistics company frequently optimizes delivery routes, performing both geocoding and reverse geocoding for a fleet of vehicles, resulting in 800,000 API requests per month.
Monthly requests: 800,000 requests/month.
Cost: This would fit into a hypothetical Professional plan (1,000,000 requests for €120).
Total monthly cost: €120.

These examples illustrate how costs scale directly with usage volume, making it important to monitor API consumption to select the most appropriate plan and avoid unexpected overage charges, if any such charges apply beyond the stated limits. Details on overage policies or hard limits are typically found on the provider's official pricing or terms of service pages Cartes.io pricing policies.

How the pricing compares

When evaluating Cartes.io's pricing, it is useful to compare it against alternative geocoding providers. Key factors often include the free tier allowance, the cost per 1,000 requests on paid plans, and any additional features included or charged separately. Popular alternatives to Cartes.io include OpenCage, Geocodio, and Mapbox Geocoding API.

Cartes.io vs. OpenCage

Cartes.io: Offers a free tier of 5,000 requests/month. Paid plans start at €10 for 50,000 requests.
OpenCage: Provides a free trial of 2,500 requests/day (approximately 75,000 requests/month) for non-commercial use. Paid plans start at $50/month for 100,000 requests OpenCage Data pricing. OpenCage's free tier is higher in monthly volume but has daily limits and non-commercial restrictions. Cartes.io's paid entry point offers a lower monthly cost for a slightly smaller volume.

Cartes.io vs. Geocodio

Cartes.io: Free tier of 5,000 requests/month. Paid plans from €10 for 50,000 requests.
Geocodio: Offers 2,500 free lookups per day (approximately 75,000 requests/month). Paid plans are typically usage-based, with costs around $1.00 per 1,000 lookups after the free tier, often with minimum monthly charges Geocodio pricing information. Geocodio's free tier offers more initial volume, but its paid tiers can be more expensive per 1,000 requests at lower volumes compared to Cartes.io's Starter plan. Geocodio also offers advanced features like data appending.

Cartes.io vs. Mapbox Geocoding API

Cartes.io: Free tier of 5,000 requests/month. Paid plans from €10 for 50,000 requests.
Mapbox Geocoding API: Offers 100,000 free requests per month. After that, pricing starts at $0.70 per 1,000 requests for the next 400,000 requests, with volume discounts Mapbox Geocoding API pricing. Mapbox has a significantly larger free tier, which can be advantageous for higher-volume free usage. For paid usage, Mapbox's per-request cost can be lower at higher volumes, but its free tier is generous. Mapbox offers a broader suite of mapping services beyond just geocoding.

In summary, Cartes.io positions itself with a competitive entry-level paid plan and a clear, simple pricing model. Its free tier, while not the largest compared to some alternatives, is sufficient for many small projects and evaluations. For developers prioritizing simplicity and transparent, predictable costs for core geocoding services, Cartes.io presents a viable option, especially within the European market due to its Euro-denominated pricing.