{"id":1276,"slug":"google-maps-2018-1400pct-pricing-change","title":"Google Maps July 16, 2018 pricing overhaul — per-1,000 map-call rate from $0.50 to $7; free map calls from 25,000/day to 28,000/month","kind":"reference","scope":"business","status":"current","audiences":["kevin","smb-owner","candid-team"],"topics":["data-infrastructure","mapping-apis"],"reference_body":"**Claim:** Google's **July 16, 2018** Maps overhaul was widely reported (Geoawesome, May 2018) as raising prices by **more than 1,400%**: per-1,000 map-call rate from **$0.50 to $7**, and free map calls from **25,000/day to 28,000/month** (Maps Marker Pro).\n\n**Source:** https://maps-marker.com (Maps Marker Pro report); Geoawesome.\n\n**Confidence:** Verified for the structural change. **Caveat:** the \"1,400%\" multiplier is use-case-dependent — Geoawesome / developer comparison reporting; treat the headline as directional, not universal.\n\n**Why this matters for Candid:** Worked example of vendor-pricing risk. StreetEasy's subsequent OSM switch ([[streeteasy-300k-google-maps-osm-switch]]) — calculating Google would cost ~$300k/year — is the SMB-relevant lesson: the tool that was cheap at adoption can become a budget line item.","rationale_body":null,"metadata":null,"links":{"outgoing":[],"incoming":[{"slug":"research-brief-data-driven-tools-smb-june-2026","title":"Research brief: live data and data-driven tools for SMBs — when it's an edge, when it's overkill (June 2026)","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"},{"slug":"google-maps-march-2025-pricing","title":"Google Maps Platform restructured pricing March 1, 2025 — replaced the universal $200/month credit with per-SKU free caps and Essentials/Pro/Enterprise tiers","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"},{"slug":"streeteasy-300k-google-maps-osm-switch","title":"StreetEasy switched from Google Maps to OpenStreetMap after calculating Google would cost ~$300k/year; Foursquare also switched","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"},{"slug":"rule-never-rent-mission-critical-when-vendor-can-reprice","title":"R4 — Never rent mission-critical data infrastructure when the vendor can reprice unilaterally; keep the path to a free alternative warm","kind":"rule","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"}]},"created_at":"2026-06-20T16:57:38.882Z","updated_at":"2026-06-20T16:57:38.882Z"}