If you build location features for a European audience, the maps API is more than a UI component. It decides where your visitors' IP addresses and search queries are processed, how your bill scales with traffic, and how easily you can move later. Google Maps Platform is the familiar default, and the alternatives have matured to the point where the choice deserves a proper comparison.
This guide sets out what EU teams typically weigh, walks through the main alternatives, and ends with a practical migration checklist.
What EU Developers Weigh
Pricing model
Google Maps Platform bills per request, per product SKU: map loads, geocoding, Places, and routes each have their own rate and their own free usage threshold. In March 2025 Google replaced the universal $200 monthly credit with those per-SKU free thresholds, so older cost estimates no longer hold. Model a realistic month for each API you use rather than relying on a single headline number. Our Google Maps API pricing guide walks through the SKUs.
Data residency and GDPR
Every time a web map loads, the browser requests tiles and scripts from the provider, which means the visitor's IP address reaches that provider. Under the GDPR an IP address is personal data. With a US provider you need a transfer mechanism and, in many setups, a consent step before the map is shown. With a provider that is an EU legal entity hosting in the EU, the third-country transfer question does not arise. The GDPR-compliant map API guide covers the checklist in detail.
Portability
Styles built in a proprietary styling tool, geocoding responses in a vendor-specific schema, and route formats tied to one SDK all add switching cost later. Open formats such as the MapLibre style specification, GeoJSON, and vector tiles in the MVT format keep that cost low.
Coverage and features
Google has unique consumer data: Street View, a very large volume of user reviews, and indoor maps for major venues. If your product depends on those, factor it in. For the typical developer use case (a map in a SaaS product, address search at checkout, a store locator, delivery routing) the core capabilities are available from several providers.
The Main Alternatives
1. OpenStreetMap + Leaflet.js
Best for: Simple maps, low traffic, teams comfortable assembling their own stack.
Leaflet.js is one of the most widely used open-source mapping libraries. Combined with OpenStreetMap tiles you get an interactive map in a few lines:
import L from 'leaflet';
const map = L.map('map').setView([52.3676, 4.9041], 13);
L.tileLayer('https://tile.openstreetmap.org/{z}/{x}/{y}.png', {
attribution: '© OpenStreetMap contributors'
}).addTo(map);
Leaflet only displays the map. Geocoding and routing need separate services, such as Nominatim for geocoding and OSRM or Valhalla for routing. The public OpenStreetMap tile servers run on donated capacity under a tile usage policy that rules out heavy production traffic, so a real product needs its own tile hosting or a commercial tile provider.
Cost: The library is free. You pay for hosting or a tile provider.
Limitation: You are assembling and operating a stack rather than consuming an API.
2. MapLibre GL JS + a commercial tile host
Best for: Vector tile rendering, custom styling, and 3D maps on an open-source renderer.
MapLibre GL JS is the community-maintained open-source fork of Mapbox GL JS, created in December 2020 when Mapbox moved its library to a proprietary licence. It renders vector tiles with WebGL and uses an open style specification. Pair it with a tile provider such as MapTiler (a Swiss company) or Stadia Maps for production traffic.
Cost: The library is free. Tile plans are priced separately by the provider.
Limitation: Map rendering only. Geocoding and routing still come from separate services.
3. MapTiler
Best for: Teams that want a hosted maps platform with a European company behind it.
MapTiler offers tiles, geocoding, and an SDK built on MapLibre as a managed service. Paid plans start at $30 per month, with extra traffic billed by usage.
Limitation: The core offering is maps and geocoding; check routing, matrix, and isochrone needs against its current product list.
4. MapAtlas
Best for: EU teams that want maps, geocoding, search, routing, matrices, and isochrones from one EU-hosted platform with one key.
MapAtlas is built on OpenStreetMap-based data and runs on EU infrastructure in ISO 27001 certified data centres. The map renderer is MapLibre-compatible, so existing MapLibre styles and layer code carry over. Every API is a plain REST endpoint. A forward geocode, for example:
curl "https://gateway.mapmetrics-atlas.net/forward-geocode/?text=Prinsengracht%20263%20Amsterdam&size=1&token=YOUR_TOKEN"
returns a GeoJSON FeatureCollection with the coordinates and a structured address, ready to drop onto a map. The same key covers the Geocoding API, Search API, Directions API, Matrix API, and Isochrone API.
Cost: Pay-as-you-go, with a free tier of 10,000 requests per month and no credit card required. Per-API rates are on the pricing page.
Support: Questions and incidents go to a person on the team, not a forum.
How They Compare
| Google Maps | Leaflet + OSM | MapLibre + tile host | MapTiler | MapAtlas | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Per request, per SKU | Free library + hosting | Provider plans | Plans + usage | Pay-as-you-go + free tier |
| EU data residency | No | Depends on tile host | Depends on tile host | European company | Yes |
| Geocoding included | Yes | Separate | Separate | Yes | Yes |
| Routing and isochrones | Routing yes | Separate | Separate | Check current offer | Yes |
| Vector tiles | Yes | Via MapLibre | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Open style format | No | n/a | Yes | Yes | Yes (MapLibre) |
| Setup effort | Low | High | Medium | Low | Low |
Which Should You Choose?
Low traffic, simple map, small budget: Leaflet with OpenStreetMap, moving to a tile provider once you outgrow the public tile policy.
Full control over vector styling: MapLibre GL JS with a tile host whose hosting location you have checked.
A managed maps and geocoding service from a European company: MapTiler.
One EU-hosted platform for maps, geocoding, routing, matrices, and isochrones: MapAtlas, which keeps the whole location stack under one contract and one data processing agreement.
Migrating: What It Takes
Moving from Google Maps is a project of days, not months, for most applications:
- Replace the map library. Swap the Google Maps script for a MapLibre-compatible renderer and point it at your new style URL.
- Swap keys and endpoints. Geocoding, place search, and routing calls follow the same request and response idea, with different parameter names and GeoJSON responses.
- Port markers, popups, and layers. Most concepts map one to one; data layers become sources and layers in the style.
- Test every interaction. This is where most of the time goes: autocomplete, geocoding edge cases, and route display in your own user flows.
Budget extra time for Google-specific features such as Street View or indoor maps, and for any hardcoded constants that assume Google's response formats. The interactive maps tutorial shows a full MapLibre-style integration, including markers, popups, and address search.
Related reading:
- Google Maps API pricing in 2026: the true cost breakdown
- The EU developer's guide to GDPR-compliant map APIs
- How to add interactive maps to your website
- Why developers choose MapAtlas
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best Google Maps API alternative for EU developers?
It depends on how much of the stack you want to run yourself. OpenStreetMap with Leaflet.js suits simple, low-traffic maps. MapLibre GL JS with a commercial tile host gives full control over vector styling. A managed platform such as MapAtlas bundles maps, geocoding, routing, and isochrones behind one key, hosted in the EU. Decide on data residency, the APIs you need, and how much infrastructure you are willing to maintain.
Is Google Maps API GDPR compliant?
It can be used in a GDPR-compliant way, but it takes work. Each map load sends the visitor's IP address to Google, a US company, so you need a legal basis for that transfer, a data processing agreement, an updated privacy policy, and in many setups a consent step before the map loads. An EU-hosted provider with an EU legal entity removes the third-country transfer from the analysis.
How is MapAtlas priced compared to Google Maps?
MapAtlas uses pay-as-you-go pricing with a free tier of 10,000 requests per month and no credit card required, and publishes its rates per 1,000 requests for each API on its pricing page. Google Maps Platform bills each product SKU separately with its own free usage threshold. Model your own monthly volumes for maps, geocoding, and routing against both price lists before deciding.
Can I switch from Google Maps API without rewriting my code?
Not as a drop-in replacement. Map initialisation, markers, and layers follow similar concepts, but method names and response formats differ, so plan to touch every call site. For a moderately complex React or Next.js integration, expect one to three days, most of it testing. Features such as Street View or indoor maps need their own plan, because most alternatives do not offer them.
