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Billing unit is the biggest trap
One HERE "transaction" is a single map tile, not a map load — one user opening a map view consumes dozens of tiles, so 30,000 free transactions equals only a couple thousand map loads. A Mapbox map load includes unlimited tiles. Do not compare allowance numbers directly.
Free tier commercial terms surprise people: MapTiler and Stadia free packages do not allow commercial use at all; LocationIQ requires a visible promo link — Mapbox's 50k loads/mo and Google's 10k calls/SKU/mo work for commercial use.
Geocoding hides another trap: Mapbox and Google's low prices apply only to results you do not store — storing addresses requires the more expensive "permanent" product.
How to choose?
Small app, no budget: Mapbox free tier (50k loads/mo, commercial OK) or OpenFreeMap's free OSM tiles. Google's 10k calls/SKU is enough for light traffic but requires a credit card.
Geocoding-heavy use: Stadia (~$0.60/1k) or Mapbox ($0.75/1k) — Google is 7–8× more expensive ($5/1k). Large batch volumes: HERE $0.70/1k above 5M tier.
High traffic: calculate your own profile — Google's tier drops to $0.53/1k above 5M loads, and self-hosted OSM (Protomaps on S3) can drive tile costs near zero if you do not need traffic data or Street View.
EU data location matters: MapTiler (Swiss) and self-host on your own EU server.