Best maps API
for vibe-coded apps
Updated 2026-09-18. Mapbox is the pick for most projects. Here is how the options compare, and how to run whichever you choose through a single Squiid key.
Short answer
- Our pick: Mapbox. Beautiful customisable vector maps, a straightforward web SDK and geocoding, search and directions from the same account at predictable prices.
- Runner-up: Google Maps. Unmatched place data and the results users expect when they search for a business by name. Pick it when place accuracy matters more than map styling.
- Pick something else when: Radar when the feature is geofencing, trip tracking or address autocomplete in a mobile app, and OpenCage when all you need is cheap forward and reverse geocoding with a permissive licence and no map rendering at all.
If your app shows a map, use Mapbox. The styling is better, the pricing is easier to predict and the SDK is simple enough that an agent wires it up correctly. Use Google Maps when the value is in the place data rather than the map, and skip both if you only need to turn addresses into coordinates.
How to choose a maps API for an AI-coded app
Map tiles, place data, or geocoding?
Three different products often bought together. Tiles are the visual map. Place data is the database of businesses and points of interest. Geocoding converts between addresses and coordinates. You may only need one, and buying all three from one vendor is not always cheapest.
Attribution and caching rules
Map providers have specific terms about displaying attribution and about storing geocoding results. Some forbid caching coordinates beyond a period. Read that clause before you design a schema that stores them permanently, because it changes your architecture.
Load counting
Billing is usually per map load or per thousand requests, and a component that remounts on every render can multiply your loads silently. Check how the provider counts a load, and memoise the map component so a re-render does not create a new one.
Do you need offline or self-hosted tiles?
If the app must work without a network, or you have strict data residency requirements, most hosted providers are out. That constraint should be established at the start, because retrofitting self-hosted tiles into a finished app is a large change.
Key restriction
Map keys are exposed in the browser by design, so they must be restricted by referring domain or they will be used by strangers. Set that restriction on day one, and keep server side geocoding on a separate credential that never reaches the client.
Compare the options
Every maps API option Squiid carries in the Maps category, with what each one is best at and how it bills.
| Service | Best for | Pricing | On Squiid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Maps | Places, geocoding, routes and Street View from Google's map data | usage | Roadmap |
| Mapbox | Custom maps, geocoding, directions and address search | Pay as you go $0/mo, usage | Next up |
| OpenCage | Simple geocoding built on open data with worldwide coverage | both | Roadmap |
| Radar | Geofencing, address autocomplete and location tracking SDKs | both | Roadmap |
Why run your maps API through Squiid
One login instead of one per vendor. Squiid carries 4 maps API options here and every other layer of the stack beside it. You create one account, click the service you want, and Squiid provisions it upstream. No separate signup, no separate password, no second dashboard.
One bill, at the provider's price. Usage is paid from prepaid Squiid credits at par: $1 of credit is $1 at the provider, with no markup on what the provider charges. The free plan is $0/month with a 15% fee on credit top-ups and a $50 minimum top-up. Solo is $19.97/month and its top-up fee starts at 8%, falling to 6.5%, 5% and 3.5% as trailing 30-day API spend passes $100, $500 and $2,000. Team is $29.97 per seat per month for seats 1-5, $24.97 for seats 6-20 and $19.97 above that, with the same ladder one point lower. Custom pricing is 3% or less against a commitment. Services that are sold as a monthly subscription, such as Mapbox's paid plan, pass through on your Squiid invoice at the provider's own price with no fee on top.
Squiid holds the upstream key. The provider credential lives in Squiid, not in your repo, not in a chat window and not in a screenshot. Your project gets one variable, SQUIID_API_KEY, and that is the only secret an agent ever needs to see. Rotating it is one click and does not touch the provider.
It works with every coding agent. Point the SDK base URL at https://api.squiid.io/v1/<service>/ and send Authorization: Bearer $SQUIID_API_KEY. Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, Gemini CLI, Copilot, Windsurf, Cline, Devin, Replit, v0 and Lovable all read environment variables the normal way. See the gateway convention.
Running out pauses, it never deletes. Squiid warns you at 75%, 90% and 100% of your balance. At zero, calls pause instead of overdrawing, and your data stays where it is. Auto top-up is optional and takes a hard monthly cap. See spend controls.
Set it up in 3 steps
Add Mapbox in the dashboard
Create a Squiid account, open the catalogue, and click add on Mapbox. Squiid creates the upstream account or project for you and holds the credential.
Put one variable in .env
Copy your Squiid key and add SQUIID_API_KEY=sq_live_… to your project's .env. Delete any provider keys you were carrying. Nothing else changes.
Point your agent at the gateway
Tell your agent that calls go to https://api.squiid.io/v1/mapbox/ with Authorization: Bearer $SQUIID_API_KEY. Most SDKs take a base URL option, so it is a one-line change.
In practice that is one line in your project:
SQUIID_API_KEY=sq_live_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxThen every call your app or your agent makes goes to the gateway with that one key:
curl https://api.squiid.io/v1/mapbox/... \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $SQUIID_API_KEY"Questions people ask
What is the best map API for an app I built with AI?
Mapbox. The web SDK is small, the maps look good by default and pricing per map load is easy to reason about. Add it through Squiid so server side calls use SQUIID_API_KEY and the provider token stays out of your code.
Mapbox or Google Maps?
Mapbox for custom styling, predictable pricing and developer experience. Google Maps when users search for real businesses by name and expect Google quality place results, or when you need Street View. Both are on Squiid under one key.
How do I turn addresses into coordinates cheaply?
Use a geocoding-only provider such as OpenCage if you do not need to render a map. It is much cheaper per request than a full map platform and the licensing around storing results is usually more permissive. Check the terms for your use.
Can I cache geocoding results?
It depends on the provider terms and some are strict about it. Read the caching clause before designing around a permanent coordinates column. Providers with open data licensing generally allow storage, while place data from large platforms often does not.
Why is my map bill higher than expected?
Usually re-renders creating new map instances, or an unrestricted public key being used by other sites. Memoise the map component, restrict the browser key by domain, and put server side calls behind the Squiid gateway where spend pauses at zero.
One key for your maps API.
And everything else.
Add Mapbox and 107 other services to one account, one key, one bill and one dashboard.