Honest Architecture Comparison · Geocodio (geocod.io) vs PlacesData API · Updated 2026-11-10 ·
$0.20 vs $0.50
per 1,000 lookups (Global 195-Country Business POI & Reviews vs US/CA Street Geocoding).
Honest upfront verdict: if your workflow only needs US or Canadian bulk street-address-to-coordinate (lat/lng) geocoding, residential rooftop interpolation, or Census FIPS / Congressional district appends, use Geocodio (geocod.io) directly—it is purpose-built and cheaper for pure US/CA street lists (2,500 free lookups/day, then $0.50/1,000). Choose PlacesData API ($0.20–$0.50/1,000 records) when you need global 195-country coverage, commercial business POI search, verified phone numbers, opening hours, customer reviews, website B2B email enrichment, or canonical Google Maps Place IDs (ChIJ...).
Primary-Source Pricing & Scope Citation
“Pay-As-You-Go: First 2,500 lookups per day are free. $0.50 per 1,000 lookups after that... Geocodio supports street addresses, intersections, and postal codes in the United States and Canada.”
— Geocodio Official Pricing & Coverage Documentation (retrieved 2026-11-10 · Archive.org snapshot)
When to use which API: For pure US/Canada street address normalization or Census/FIPS enrichment, stay on Geocodio ($0.50/1K after 2,500 free/day). When your application requires international addresses outside the US/Canada, commercial POI discovery, business phone numbers, websites, opening hours, customer reviews, or Google Place IDs (ChIJ...), PlacesData API delivers full business & geospatial payloads at 5 Credits ($0.20–$0.50/1K) with 39ms p50 cached latency. Read the 2026 Geocodio Pricing Breakdown (10K, 100K & 1M lookups) →
Instant API key in 5s · No credit card required (+20,000 Sandbox Streak Credits) · Top up anytime via 0%-fee Multi-Chain Crypto (+5% bonus credits, never-expiring PAYG)
Cost per 1,000 Google Maps Business Records (with Phone, Website & Hours)
$1.00 = 10,000 Credits (5 Credits / place). Empty search results (0 matches) cost 0 Credits. Crypto top-ups automatically include +5% Bonus Credits.
Side-by-side comparison.
| Capability | PlacesData API | geocod.io | Google Geocoding ($5/1K) | Mapbox Geocoding |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best-fit engineering workload | Global Business POIs, Reviews, Phones & 195-Country Geocoding | US & Canada Bulk Street Rooftop Geocoding + Census/FIPS | Global Street & Place ID Geocoding (No DB Caching) | Map Rendering & Navigation Autocomplete |
| Geographic country coverage | 195 countries worldwide | US & Canada only | 195 countries worldwide | Global coverage |
| Effective cost per 1,000 lookups | $0.20 – $0.50 / 1,000 records | $0.50 / 1,000 (after 2,500 free/day) | $5.00 / 1,000 requests | $0.75 – $5.00 / 1,000 (permanent) |
| Canonical Google place_id (ChIJ...) & CID | Included on every result | Not available | Included ($5.00/1K) | Not available (Mapbox IDs only) |
| Commercial POI phone, website, hours & reviews | Included in /v1/places/search & /v1/places/reviews | Street rooftop / parcel only (no business POI data) | Requires separate $32/1K Places API call | Limited commercial POI fields |
| US Census FIPS, Congressional & State Legislative appends | Not included (focuses on commercial POI & Google Maps schema) | Native add-on appends (Geocodio's core strength) | Not available | Not available |
| Permanent database & CRM caching | Yes (100% cacheable JSON) | Yes (US/CA addresses only) | Prohibited beyond 30 days | Requires $5.00/1K Permanent API |
Competitor pricing verified from public pricing pages as of November 2026. Actual costs may vary based on plan tier, concurrency add-ons, and overage rates. All third-party trademarks are the property of their respective owners. PlacesData API rates: $0.20 / 1K places (Business), $0.25 / 1K places (Pro), $0.50 / 1K places (Base PAYG).
Tier-by-tier volume & minimum commitment breakdown.
| Geocoding / POI Workload | PlacesData API | Geocodio (geocod.io) | Google Geocoding / Places API |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pure US/CA Street List (<2,500/day) | 12,000 Free Credits ($1.20 · 2,400 lookups, global) | Free (2,500 lookups/day, US & Canada street addresses) | $200/mo credit (card required; no DB caching) |
| 100,000 Lookups (PAYG) | $50 PAYG (550k Credits · 110,000 global POI/geocode records) | ~$48.75 PAYG (US & Canada street coordinates only) | $500.00 Geocoding ($5/1K) or $3,200 Places ($32/1K) |
| 2,500,000 Lookups / mo | $499/mo Business ($0.20/1K · 195 countries + phones, hours, reviews) | $1,000/mo Unlimited (single-instance, US/CA street addresses only) | $11,200/mo Geocoding or $50,000+/mo Places Pro |
| Global (UK, EU, LATAM, APAC) + Business Leads | Supported natively ($0.20–$0.50/1K + /v1/leads/enrich emails) | Unsupported (returns error outside US/CA; 0 business POI fields) | $5.00–$32.00 / 1,000 requests |
PlacesData API transparent per-endpoint rate card ($1 = 10,000 Credits).
| Capability | Endpoint | Credit Rate | Effective USD / 1K |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Maps Text Search (Places, Ratings, Phone, Website, Hours, Coordinates) | GET /v1/places/search | 5 Credits / place returned (min 10 Credits; 0 if empty) | $0.20 – $0.50 / 1,000 places |
| Bounding-Box & Radius Viewport Search (Polygon / Grid Scanning) | GET /v1/places/nearby | 5 Credits / place returned (min 10 Credits; 0 if empty) | $0.20 – $0.50 / 1,000 places |
| Full Business Profile & Enriched Contacts (Place ID / CID / Google ID) | GET /v1/places/details, GET /v1/places/{place_id} | 20 Credits / business profile | $0.80 – $2.00 / 1,000 profiles |
| Verified Customer Reviews, Owner Replies & Reviewer Metadata | GET /v1/places/reviews, GET /v1/places/{place_id}/reviews | 2 Credits / review returned (min 10 Credits; 0 if empty) | $0.08 – $0.20 / 1,000 reviews |
| High-Res Business & StreetPhotos Metadata | GET /v1/places/photos, GET /v1/places/{place_id}/photos | 2 Credits / photo returned (min 6 Credits; 0 if empty) | $0.08 – $0.20 / 1,000 photos |
| Website Email, Phone & Social Media Lead Enrichment (8 Social Platforms) | GET /v1/leads/enrich, GET /v1/domains/{domain}/contacts | 20 Credits / enriched domain (0 Credits if no emails/socials found) | $0.80 – $2.00 / 1,000 enriched domains |
| Typeahead Place Autocomplete & Reverse Geocoding (Lat/Lng to Address) | GET /v1/places/autocomplete, GET /v1/geocode/reverse | 5 Credits / request | $0.20 – $0.50 / 1,000 calls |
Why engineering teams switch from Geocodio.
When to Stay on Geocodio vs When to Use PlacesData API
If you are geocoding a CSV of US or Canadian residential street addresses and need Census tract, FIPS code, or Congressional district appends, Geocodio is the right tool—keep using it. Switch to or pair it with PlacesData API when you need commercial business POIs, verified phone numbers, websites, opening hours, customer reviews, or international addresses across 195 countries.
Global 195-Country Coverage + Canonical Google Place IDs (ChIJ...)
Geocodio relies on US TIGER/Line and Canadian parcel datasets, so lookups in the UK, EU, LATAM, APAC, or MENA fail immediately, and responses never include Google Maps Place IDs (ChIJ...) or numeric CIDs. PlacesData API resolves both street addresses and commercial businesses worldwide with canonical Place IDs included.
Full Business Lead Enrichment (Phones, Reviews, Hours & B2B Emails)
Instead of chaining a street geocoder with an expensive $32/1K Google Places call and a separate email scraper, a single 5-Credit call to GET /v1/places/search returns verified coordinates, phone number, website domain, rating, review count, opening hours, and Place ID—plus optional /v1/leads/enrich website email & social profile extraction.
Call Geocodio for US/CA Street Lists or PlacesData API for Global Business POIs
Replace or complement api.geocod.io/v1.7/geocode with synchronous GET /v1/places/search (forward address & business POI lookup) and GET /v1/geocode/reverse (reverse coordinate lookup):
import requests
# Ideal for US/CA street addresses, but returns 0 Place IDs, phones, hours, or reviews
fwd = requests.get(
"https://api.geocod.io/v1.7/geocode",
params={"q": "1109 N Highland St, Arlington VA", "api_key": "YOUR_GEOCODIO_KEY"},
).json()
loc = fwd["results"][0]["location"] # {"lat": 38.886672, "lng": -77.094735}import requests
HEADERS = {"x-api-key": "pd_live_your_api_key"}
# 1) Search or forward-geocode any global business or street address (5 Credits)
place = requests.get(
"https://api.placesdataapi.com/v1/places/search",
headers=HEADERS,
params={"q": "Specialty coffee shops in SoHo, New York", "limit": 1},
).json()["data"][0]
print(place["name"], place["phone"], place["website"], place["place_id"], place["latitude"], place["longitude"])
# 2) Reverse geocode GPS coordinates -> formatted address + ChIJ Place ID (5 Credits)
rev = requests.get(
"https://api.placesdataapi.com/v1/geocode/reverse",
headers=HEADERS,
params={"lat": place["latitude"], "lng": place["longitude"]},
).json()["data"]
print(rev["formatted_address"], rev["place_id"])Live Global POI & Geocoding Quickstart (5 Credits = $0.0002–$0.0005 / record)
Query commercial business POIs (/v1/places/search), customer reviews (/v1/places/reviews), and reverse lat/lng-to-address (/v1/geocode/reverse) with a single API key.
# 1) Business POI & forward coordinate search (returns phone, website, hours, lat/lng, place_id)
curl -sS "https://api.placesdataapi.com/v1/places/search?q=coffee+shops+in+SoHo+New+York&limit=1" \
-H "x-api-key: pd_live_your_api_key"
# 2) Reverse geocoding (lat/lng -> structured street address + place_id)
curl -sS "https://api.placesdataapi.com/v1/geocode/reverse?lat=40.723301&lng=-74.002988" \
-H "x-api-key: pd_live_your_api_key"import requests
HEADERS = {"x-api-key": "pd_live_your_api_key"}
# 1) Business POI & coordinate lookup (5 Credits / record)
place = requests.get(
"https://api.placesdataapi.com/v1/places/search",
headers=HEADERS,
params={"q": "coffee shops in SoHo New York", "limit": 1},
timeout=10,
).json()["data"][0]
print(place["name"], place["phone"], place["latitude"], place["longitude"], place["place_id"])
# 2) Reverse geocode (5 Credits)
addr = requests.get(
"https://api.placesdataapi.com/v1/geocode/reverse",
headers=HEADERS,
params={"lat": place["latitude"], "lng": place["longitude"]},
timeout=10,
).json()["data"]
print(addr["formatted_address"], addr["address_components"])const headers = { "x-api-key": "pd_live_your_api_key" };
// 1) Business POI & coordinate search
const { data: [place] } = await fetch(
"https://api.placesdataapi.com/v1/places/search?q=coffee+shops+in+SoHo+New+York&limit=1",
{ headers }
).then((r) => r.json());
// 2) Reverse geocode coordinates -> street address
const { data: reverse } = await fetch(
`https://api.placesdataapi.com/v1/geocode/reverse?lat=${place.latitude}&lng=${place.longitude}`,
{ headers }
).then((r) => r.json());
console.log(place.name, place.phone, place.place_id, reverse.formatted_address);{
"code": 0,
"provider": "https://placesdataapi.com",
"status": "ok",
"data": [
{
"place_id": "ChIJcQM_C4FZwokR0xEGxV7HeVM",
"cid": "6015057987176370643",
"name": "Now or Never Coffee",
"category": "Coffee shop",
"phone": "+13475568312",
"website": "https://nowornever.coffee",
"address": "30 Grand St, New York, NY 10013",
"latitude": 40.7229132,
"longitude": -74.0046281,
"rating": 4.7,
"review_count": 318
}
],
"meta": {
"endpoint": "/v1/places/search",
"credits_charged": 5,
"took_ms": 39
}
}1-Click Remote MCP Connector · Claude Web & ChatGPT
Connect live Google Maps & B2B email tools via OAuth 2.1.
Paste https://mcp.placesdataapi.com/v1/mcp into Claude.ai Settings → Connectors or ChatGPT Developer Mode for 1-click PKCE S256 login (or use https://api.placesdataapi.com/mcp with x-api-key in Cursor, Windsurf, and n8n).
Core Endpoints & Enrichment Docs
- GET /v1/leads/enrich → Website Email & Social Enrichment Docs
- GET /v1/places/search → Real-Time Place Search API Docs
- Forward & Reverse Geocoding Guide → 195-Country Address & Lat/Lng API
- GET /v1/places/reviews → Verified Customer Reviews API Docs
- Outscraper Pricing Breakdown (2026) → Stacked Cost Analysis
- Cloud Maps Scraper Pricing at 100K Places → Compute Units & Proxy Audit
- SerpApi Maps Cost Math → Per-Search Credits vs Per-Place Billing
- Migrate from Google Places API ($17/$32/$35 SKUs) → Save 90%
- Free Tool → Local Business Email & Phone Finder
- Remote MCP Setup Guide → Claude, ChatGPT & Cursor
Interactive Engineering Workbench · Benchmark vs Geocodio
Verify real-time latency, credit math & JSON schema
Frequently asked questions
- When should I use Geocodio instead of PlacesData API?
- Use Geocodio (geocod.io) when you have a bulk list of US or Canadian street addresses and only need latitude/longitude coordinates, residential rooftop accuracy, or US Census FIPS / Congressional district / time-zone appends. Geocodio's 2,500 free lookups/day and $0.50/1,000 PAYG rate are purpose-built for US/CA street normalization.
- When should I use PlacesData API instead of Geocodio?
- Use PlacesData API ($0.20–$0.50 per 1,000 records) when you need: (1) international coverage across 195 countries outside the US and Canada, (2) commercial business POI search by category or keyword, (3) verified business phone numbers, websites, opening hours, and customer reviews, (4) canonical Google Maps Place IDs (ChIJ...) and numeric CIDs, or (5) website B2B email & social link enrichment via /v1/leads/enrich.
- Can I store PlacesData API coordinates, Place IDs, and business leads permanently in my database?
- Yes. Unlike the official $5.00/1K Google Geocoding API and $32.00/1K Google Places API—which restrict caching data beyond 30 days and forbid CRM storage—PlacesData API returns clean JSON that you can store permanently in PostgreSQL, PostGIS, Snowflake, or your CRM, with 0 Credits charged on empty or failed queries.
- How do I test PlacesData API for free?
- Sign up at /signup in 5 seconds with no credit card required to receive $1.20 (12,000 Free Credits = 2,400 place or geocoding records immediately), plus up to +$2.00 (+20,000 Credits = +4,000 records) via the Developer Sandbox Streak. See our full Geocodio pricing breakdown at /guides/geocodio-pricing.
Test it against Geocodio for free.
Every new account receives 12,000 free Credits immediately — no card required.