Head to head
Foursquare Places vs Mapbox
As a maps & geocoding API, Mapbox rates higher on the APIbenchmarks Index, 88.8 to 77.4, a 11.4-point gap. Here is how they compare on each criterion.
Criterion by criterion
| Criterion | Foursquare Places | Mapbox |
|---|---|---|
| Documentation & DX | ||
| Reliability | ||
| Ecosystem & SDKs | ||
| Accessibility | ||
| APIbenchmarks Index | 77.4 | 88.8 |
Specifications
| Foursquare Places | Mapbox | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Places/POI search & geotagging | Customizable maps & nav SDKs |
| Free tier | $200/mo credit + 500 free Pro calls | 50k web map loads/mo + free geocoding tier |
| Pricing | Per call (volume-based) | Per 1k req / MAU-based |
| Official SDKs | 9 languages | 9 languages |
Is Foursquare Places better than Mapbox?
On the APIbenchmarks Index, Mapbox rates higher (88.8 vs 77.4). It leads on the four weighted criteria, but price is reported separately, so the best choice still depends on your budget.
Verdict in one line
Mapbox leads by 11.4 points (88.8 vs 77.4) and wins 4 of 4 criteria.
Winner by criterion
| Criterion | Winner | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Documentation & DX | 78 | 90 | |
| Reliability | 80 | 85 | |
| Ecosystem & SDKs | 68 | 90 | |
| Accessibility | 85 | 90 |
Choose Foursquare Places if… / choose Mapbox if…
- →your use case matches its focus: places/poi search & geotagging
- →documentation & dx matters most to you (90 vs 78)
- →reliability matters most to you (85 vs 80)
- →ecosystem & sdks matters most to you (90 vs 68)
- →accessibility matters most to you (90 vs 85)
- →your use case matches its focus: customizable maps & nav sdks
Pricing side by side
- Model
- Per call (volume-based)
- Free tier
- $200/mo credit + 500 free Pro calls
- Free (Sandbox)$0
- Pro Endpoints (pay-as-you-go)$15.00 CPM (per 1,000)
- Premium Endpoints (pay-as-you-go)$18.75 CPM (per 1,000)
- Ask API$30.00 CPM (Pro) / $36.00 CPM (Premium)
- EnterpriseCustom
- FSQ OS Places (open dataset)Free (Apache 2.0)
- Model
- Per 1k req / MAU-based
- Free tier
- 50k web map loads/mo + free geocoding tier
- Map Loads (GL JS web)Free up to 50,000/mo, then $5.00 per 1,000
- Temporary GeocodingFree up to 100,000/mo, then $0.75 per 1,000
- Permanent Geocoding$5.00 per 1,000 (no free tier)
- Directions APIFree up to 100,000/mo, then $2.00 per 1,000
- Static ImagesFree up to 50,000/mo, then $1.00 per 1,000
- Mobile Maps SDK (MAU)Free up to 25,000 MAU/mo, then $4.00 per 1,000
Vendor-published pricing, verified 2026-06-27 (Foursquare Places) and 2026-06-27 (Mapbox).
SDK and language coverage
Both · 1
React Native
Only Foursquare Places · 8
iOS / Swift (Places & Movement SDK)Android (Places & Movement SDK)JavaScript / web (Address Autofill, Web Place Search samples)Python (API samples, bulk harmonization)REST / HTTP (v3 API)Postman collectionModel Context Protocol (official foursquare-places-mcp server)Apache Spark (FSQ OS Places dataset access)
Only Mapbox · 8
Mapbox GL JS (JavaScript/Web)Maps SDK for iOS (Swift/Objective-C)Maps SDK for Android (Kotlin/Java)Navigation SDK for iOSNavigation SDK for AndroidMapbox Unity SDKGL Native (C++ core; Node.js, Qt, macOS)Mapbox Turf (geospatial analysis JS library)
Strengths and weaknesses
- +Deep, structured venue data: 100M+ POIs with a 1,500+ category taxonomy, stable category IDs, attributes, hours, and user-generated tips/photos
- +Explicitly Google-independent POI source, appeals to companies that compete with Google or want to avoid Maps Platform lock-in
- +Transparent pay-as-you-go CPM pricing with a 10,000-call/month free Pro tier and no card required to start
- –Restrictive, revocable API data license, data generally can't be stored, merged, or redistributed outside your application
- –Coverage and freshness can trail Google outside dense urban / US / Western markets, and tip/photo depth varies
- –Premium endpoints (tips, photos, ratings) have no free tier and start at $18.75 per 1,000 calls
- +Deep map customization via Mapbox Studio and GL JS/GL Native - control over styles, fonts, colors, and layers down to the vector-tile level
- +Fast, smooth WebGL/vector-tile rendering that reviewers describe as snappy even with heavy custom maps
- +Generous free tier (50K web map loads, 100K geocoding and directions requests, 25K mobile MAU monthly)
- –Geocoding accuracy trails Google, especially for small villages and rooftop-level precision outside North America and Western Europe
- –No hard spending caps - each API bills independently with unlimited financial exposure, producing documented bill-shock cases
- –Cost modeling at scale is complex because web map loads, mobile MAU, geocoding, directions, and search all meter and bill separately
Foursquare Places vs Mapbox: questions
- Which has better documentation, Foursquare Places or Mapbox?
- Mapbox scores higher on documentation and developer experience: 90 vs 78 out of 100.
- Which is more reliable, Foursquare Places or Mapbox?
- Mapbox scores higher on reliability: 85 vs 80 out of 100.
- Do Foursquare Places and Mapbox have a free tier?
- Foursquare Places: yes ($200/mo credit + 500 free Pro calls). Mapbox: yes (50k web map loads/mo + free geocoding tier).
- How are Foursquare Places and Mapbox priced?
- Foursquare Places: Per call (volume-based). Mapbox: Per 1k req / MAU-based.
- Which has more official SDKs?
- Both list 9 official SDKs.