Pricing overview
GraphHopper provides a tiered pricing structure designed to accommodate various usage levels, from individual developers to large enterprises. The core of their pricing model revolves around the number of API requests made across their suite of services, including the GraphHopper Routing API, Matrix API, Geocoding API, Map Matching API, and Route Optimization API. All plans include access to these APIs, with differentiating factors primarily being the monthly request limits and included features.
The pricing model is primarily usage-based, meaning costs scale with the volume of API calls. This approach is common among API providers in the mapping and geospatial sector, as evidenced by similar models from platforms like Google Maps Platform. GraphHopper offers a free tier, several standard paid plans, and custom enterprise solutions for high-volume or specialized requirements. Discounts are typically available for annual commitments compared to monthly subscriptions.
The primary pricing metric is the API request, which is generally defined as a single call to any of GraphHopper's API endpoints. Specific definitions for complex operations, such as route optimization, may count differently based on the number of waypoints or jobs processed, as detailed in the official GraphHopper pricing documentation.
Plans and tiers
GraphHopper structures its offerings into several plans, each with defined request limits and features. These plans are designed to provide flexibility, allowing users to select a tier that aligns with their anticipated usage and operational requirements. The main plans available include the Starter (free) tier, Basic, Premium, and Enterprise.
Plan comparison table
| Plan | Monthly Price | Monthly Requests Limit | Daily Requests Limit | Key Features / Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | Free | 10,000 | 2,500 | Basic API access, suitable for testing and low-volume personal projects. |
| Basic | $19 | 100,000 | Unlimited (within monthly quota) | Standard API access, email support, ideal for small applications and startups. |
| Premium | $99 | 1,000,000 | Unlimited (within monthly quota) | Prioritized email support, higher limits, suitable for growing applications and businesses. |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | Custom | Dedicated support, custom SLAs, on-premise options, high-volume and mission-critical applications. |
Each paid plan includes all core API functionalities. Higher tiers often provide additional benefits such as priority support, more generous rate limits, and the option for custom features or deployment models. Overage charges may apply if monthly request limits are exceeded, with the specific per-request cost depending on the tier, as outlined on the GraphHopper pricing page.
Free tier and limits
GraphHopper offers a free Starter tier, which allows developers to begin using the APIs without an initial financial commitment. This tier is designed for evaluation, development, and low-volume personal or small-scale projects. The Starter plan includes access to the core GraphHopper APIs, enabling users to test routing, geocoding, and other functionalities.
- Monthly Request Limit: 10,000 requests per month.
- Daily Request Limit: 2,500 requests per day.
These limits apply across all API calls made within a given period. If a user exceeds the daily limit, API calls will be temporarily blocked until the next day. Exceeding the monthly limit will require an upgrade to a paid plan to continue using the services. The free tier does not typically include advanced support options or the specialized features available in higher-tier plans, such as dedicated infrastructure or custom algorithms. For detailed terms of service regarding the free tier, users should consult the official GraphHopper documentation.
Real-world cost examples
Understanding GraphHopper's pricing in practical scenarios helps in estimating potential costs for different application types. These examples illustrate how the tiered structure translates into real-world expenses based on typical usage patterns.
Scenario 1: Small personal project or proof-of-concept
- Usage: A developer building a personal travel planning app that generates 100 routes daily for personal use or a small group.
- Requests: 100 route requests/day * 30 days = 3,000 requests/month.
- Cost: This usage falls well within the Starter (free) tier's 10,000 monthly request limit and 2,500 daily limit.
- Result: Free.
Scenario 2: Small business delivery service
- Usage: A local food delivery service processes 2,000 delivery routes per day, requiring routing and occasional geocoding for addresses.
- Requests: Approximately 2,000 routing requests/day * 30 days = 60,000 requests/month. Adding 5,000 geocoding requests/month for new addresses brings the total to 65,000 requests/month.
- Cost: This volume exceeds the free tier but fits within the Basic plan's 100,000 monthly request limit.
- Result: $19 per month for the Basic plan.
Scenario 3: Medium-sized logistics application
- Usage: A logistics company optimizing routes for 200 vehicles, performing 10,000 route optimization requests daily, and 50,000 matrix calculations per month for distance and time estimations.
- Requests: (10,000 routing requests/day * 30 days) + 50,000 matrix requests = 300,000 + 50,000 = 350,000 requests/month.
- Cost: This usage aligns with the Premium plan, which offers up to 1,000,000 requests per month.
- Result: $99 per month for the Premium plan.
Scenario 4: Large-scale enterprise fleet management
- Usage: A multinational corporation managing thousands of vehicles, requiring millions of routing, matrix, and optimization requests monthly, alongside specialized features like custom data integration and on-premise deployment.
- Requests: Exceeds 1,000,000 requests per month significantly, potentially reaching tens of millions.
- Cost: This level of usage necessitates the Enterprise plan, which involves custom pricing based on specific infrastructure, support, and feature requirements.
- Result: Custom pricing, negotiated directly with GraphHopper. The cost would typically involve a base fee plus usage-based components, potentially including dedicated instances or managed services.
How the pricing compares
When evaluating GraphHopper's pricing, it is useful to compare it with other prominent providers in the mapping and geospatial sector. Competitors such as Mapbox, HERE Technologies, and Google Maps Platform offer similar routing, geocoding, and mapping services, often with comparable usage-based pricing models but distinct feature sets and cost structures.
GraphHopper vs. Mapbox
Mapbox provides a comprehensive suite of mapping and location services, including a free tier with 50,000 map loads and 100,000 routing requests per month. After the free tier, Mapbox typically charges per request or per map load, with rates varying significantly by service (e.g., Maps, Geocoding, Navigation). GraphHopper's free tier is more restrictive at 10,000 requests/month, but its starting paid plan at $19 for 100,000 requests is competitive. Mapbox's per-request pricing for routing generally starts around $5 per 1,000 requests after the free limits, which can accumulate for high-volume users. GraphHopper tends to be more transparent with its bundled request tiers, which can simplify cost prediction for many use cases.
GraphHopper vs. HERE Technologies
HERE Technologies offers a similar range of location-based services, including advanced routing, geocoding, and mapping APIs. HERE provides a freemium model that includes 250,000 transactions per month, which count as API calls across various services. Beyond this, HERE's pricing is typically based on transaction volume, often with custom enterprise agreements for large-scale deployments. GraphHopper's free tier is smaller, but its paid plans offer clear monthly request bundles. HERE's strength lies in its extensive global map data and advanced features, which may come at a higher per-transaction cost compared to GraphHopper for certain applications, particularly in the lower-to-mid volume ranges.
GraphHopper vs. OpenStreetMap (self-hosted solutions)
While OpenStreetMap itself is not a commercial API provider, it serves as the underlying data source for many mapping services, including GraphHopper. Developers can choose to self-host OpenStreetMap data and routing engines (like the open-source GraphHopper routing engine) to achieve zero per-request costs. However, this approach requires significant investment in infrastructure, maintenance, and technical expertise for setup, data updates, and scaling. GraphHopper's hosted API service eliminates these operational overheads, offering a managed solution. For projects with strict budget constraints and in-house geospatial expertise, a self-hosted OpenStreetMap solution might offer cost savings in the long run, but it involves substantial upfront and ongoing operational costs not present with a managed API service like GraphHopper.
In summary, GraphHopper generally offers a competitive and transparent pricing model, particularly for small to medium-sized applications, with clear tiers that bundle a significant number of requests. Its reliance on OpenStreetMap data often allows it to maintain more flexible pricing compared to providers with proprietary map data, while still offering the convenience and scalability of a managed API service. For high-volume enterprise needs, custom pricing is standard across all major providers.