Google Places API Pricing: Costs and Field Masks (2026)

Q: How does Google Places API pricing work?

Google bills each billable event under a Places API SKU. The endpoint and the highest-priced field requested determine that SKU. Monthly usage then determines the free cap and volume tier applied to the account.

Q: Is the Google Places API free?

Some SKUs have a monthly free usage cap. Place Details Essentials (IDs Only) and Text Search Essentials (IDs Only) have an unlimited free cap in the global table checked on August 13, 2026. Other SKUs include 1,000, 5,000, or 10,000 free monthly events before paid usage begins.

Q: Do field masks change the price of a Places API request?

Yes. A request is billed at the highest SKU tier triggered by any requested field. Adding phone, website, rating, or userRatingCount can move a request to Enterprise. Adding reviews can move it to Enterprise plus Atmosphere.

Q: Why should I avoid the wildcard field mask?

A wildcard requests every available field. That can trigger a more expensive SKU, enlarge the response, and increase latency. It is useful for short development checks, but production requests should list only the fields the product uses.

Q: How much do 10,000 Text Search Pro requests cost?

Using the global rate checked on August 13, 2026, the first 5,000 monthly Text Search Pro events are free. The remaining 5,000 cost 32 dollars per 1,000, so the estimated charge is 160 dollars, assuming no other usage in that SKU and the first paid volume band.

Q: Is Place Details cheaper than Text Search?

It can be. Place Details prices are lower than Search prices in several tiers, but it needs a place ID and returns one place. Text Search discovers matching places, so the endpoints solve different jobs and are often used together.

Q: When should I use an export tool instead of the Places API?

Use the Places API for live application features that need first-party lookups and Google place data. A business-data export tool may be simpler for a one-time category-and-location list, spreadsheet analysis, or a no-code workflow. Compare the full workflow, required fields, terms, and total cost.

Google Places API cost depends on three things: the endpoint, the highest SKU triggered by the fields you request, and your monthly volume. A single expensive field can price the whole call at a higher tier, so counting requests alone is not enough.

This guide uses Google's global pricing table and Places API (New) field documentation as checked on August 13, 2026. Prices can change. Regional terms and pricing can also differ. Confirm the current figures on the official Google Maps Platform pricing page before approving a budget.

The short version

Google measures usage in billable events and publishes prices in US dollars per 1,000 events. Each SKU has a monthly free usage cap. Paid volume bands begin after that cap.

The endpoint sets the available SKU family:

Place Details returns data about one known place.
Text Search finds places that match a text query.
Nearby Search finds places around a location.

The response field mask then decides how much data the call asks for. The most expensive requested field sets the billable tier for that call. Finally, monthly usage determines the free allowance and volume rate.

This is why two Text Search calls can have different economic value. A result containing only identifiers is not the same product as a result containing phone numbers, websites, ratings, and reviews.

Google Places API prices checked on August 13, 2026

The following figures are the global rates for the first paid band, shown by Google as the band up to 100,000 monthly events. They are prices per 1,000 billable events after the free cap.

Place Details (New)

SKU	Free monthly cap	Price per 1,000 after cap
Essentials (IDs Only)	Unlimited	$0
Essentials	10,000	$5
Pro	5,000	$17
Enterprise	1,000	$20
Enterprise + Atmosphere	1,000	$25

Text Search (New)

SKU	Free monthly cap	Price per 1,000 after cap
Essentials (IDs Only)	Unlimited	$0
Pro	5,000	$32
Enterprise	1,000	$35
Enterprise + Atmosphere	1,000	$40

Nearby Search (New)

SKU	Free monthly cap	Price per 1,000 after cap
Pro	5,000	$32
Enterprise	1,000	$35
Enterprise + Atmosphere	1,000	$40

Google aggregates applicable service usage across projects linked to the same billing account for the month. Do not assume that creating another project creates another free allowance. Above 100,000 monthly events, lower volume rates can apply. Use every band in the official table for a larger forecast.

Fields choose the SKU

The official place data field table maps every property to a SKU for Place Details, Text Search, and Nearby Search. The mapping is endpoint-specific. A field can have one tier in Place Details and another in Search.

Useful examples make the rule clearer:

id and name qualify for IDs-only billing in Place Details and Text Search. Here, name is the resource name such as places/PLACE_ID, not the human-readable business name.
displayName gives the readable place name. For Text Search and Nearby Search, it triggers Pro.
formattedAddress is also Pro for Text Search and Nearby Search. In Place Details it is Essentials.
nationalPhoneNumber, internationalPhoneNumber, websiteUri, rating, and userRatingCount trigger Enterprise.
reviews triggers Enterprise + Atmosphere.

Suppose a Text Search request asks for places.id, places.displayName, and places.rating. The ID is low tier, the display name is Pro, and the rating is Enterprise. The call is billed as Text Search Enterprise because Enterprise is the highest tier present.

Removing rating would leave the same request at Text Search Pro. Removing displayName as well and asking only for IDs could qualify it for Text Search Essentials (IDs Only). The response would contain less information, but its billing treatment would be very different.

A field mask is a budget control

Places API (New) requires a response field mask. It can be sent with the X-Goog-FieldMask header or a supported fields parameter. The field-mask guide recommends naming only the data your application needs.

For Text Search and Nearby Search, fields sit below the top-level places array. An IDs-only mask can look like this:

X-Goog-FieldMask: places.id,places.name

A search screen that needs a readable name and address might use:

X-Goog-FieldMask: places.id,places.displayName,places.formattedAddress

That mask reaches Pro for Text Search and Nearby Search. If the same response also needs phone and website, the mask becomes Enterprise:

X-Goog-FieldMask: places.id,places.displayName,places.formattedAddress,places.nationalPhoneNumber,places.websiteUri

Place Details returns one Place object, so its paths do not start with places.:

X-Goog-FieldMask: id,displayName,formattedAddress

Do not put spaces between field paths. Also avoid * in production. A wildcard asks for every field, including fields at expensive tiers that the screen may never show. It can also increase payload size and response time. Use it briefly while inspecting a development response, then replace it with an explicit list.

Four transparent cost examples

For monthly usage that remains in the first paid band, a simple estimate is:

estimated cost = (monthly events - free cap) / 1,000 × SKU rate

Do not let the result go below zero. The examples below assume no other usage in the same SKU during the month and use the global rates checked on August 13, 2026.

10,000 Text Search Pro events

The free cap is 5,000. The paid part is 5,000 events.

(10,000 - 5,000) × $32 / 1,000 = $160

10,000 Text Search Enterprise events

The free cap is 1,000. The paid part is 9,000 events.

(10,000 - 1,000) × $35 / 1,000 = $315

The request count is identical, but the Enterprise fields add $155 to this monthly example.

50,000 Text Search Pro events

(50,000 - 5,000) × $32 / 1,000 = $1,440

50,000 Text Search Enterprise events

(50,000 - 1,000) × $35 / 1,000 = $1,715

These calculations are estimates, not invoices. A real system may call Text Search to discover places and Place Details to enrich selected results. Those are separate SKUs. Retries, scheduled refreshes, test traffic, other projects on the billing account, and usage above 100,000 events can all change the total.

Build a realistic monthly forecast

Start with the product flow rather than a price table. Draw each user action and count every endpoint it can trigger.

For a store locator, one text search may return candidates, followed by details only after a user selects a place. For an internal research tool, a batch may run many searches and request contact fields on every result. The second design creates a different number and class of events.

Use this checklist:

List every Places endpoint in the flow.
Write the exact field mask beside each endpoint.
Find the highest SKU in each mask.
Estimate monthly events per SKU, including background jobs and retries.
Subtract that SKU's monthly free cap once.
Apply each volume band, not only the first rate, when usage exceeds 100,000.
Set Cloud Billing budgets and alerts, then compare the first invoice with the model.

Review masks when a feature changes. Adding a rating to a search card may look like a small interface edit, but it can move all calls for that card from Pro to Enterprise.

Places API or a business-data export tool?

The correct choice follows the job.

Use Places API when your application needs first-party place lookups, live search, a store locator, or place details inside a user experience. It gives developers precise control, but they must manage API keys, quotas, masks, billing, and the applicable Google terms.

Use a business-data export tool when the outcome is a one-time or recurring list for spreadsheet analysis, market research, or a sales workflow. No-code export and per-record pricing can be easier to plan. The source, allowed use, freshness, fields, and terms still need review. Our broader Places API versus scraping guide compares the purposes rather than declaring one universal winner.

If you are still defining the extraction workflow, read how to get Google Maps data. For spreadsheet output, see the Google Maps to Excel guide. To compare dedicated tool models, use the Google Maps scraper pricing comparison.

Frequently asked questions

How does Google Places API pricing work?

Google bills each event under a SKU. The endpoint and highest-tier requested field determine that SKU. Monthly usage then determines the free cap and volume rate.

Is the Google Places API free?

Some SKUs include free monthly usage. IDs-only Place Details and Text Search had an unlimited free cap in the global table checked on August 13, 2026. Other relevant SKUs offered 1,000, 5,000, or 10,000 free events before charges.

Do field masks change the price of a Places API request?

Yes. Phone, website, rating, and review-count fields can raise a call to Enterprise. Requesting reviews can raise it to Enterprise + Atmosphere. The highest requested tier prices the call.

Why should I avoid the wildcard field mask?

* requests all available fields. It can trigger a higher SKU, make the response larger, and add latency. Use explicit production masks.

How much do 10,000 Text Search Pro requests cost?

With a 5,000-event free cap and a $32 rate per 1,000, the estimate is $160. This assumes no other monthly usage in that SKU and the first paid band.

Is Place Details cheaper than Text Search?

Several Details tiers have lower rates, but Details needs a place ID and returns one place. Text Search discovers candidates. Many applications need both.

When should I use an export tool instead of the Places API?

Consider an export tool for a no-code category-and-location list or spreadsheet workflow. Use Places API for live application features and first-party lookups. Compare required fields, total calls, terms, and complete workflow cost.

Test the workflow before scaling it

Build a small sample first and measure the records you actually need. BasedOnBusiness includes 50 one-time export credits for a new account, with no card required. Use them to compare a small export workflow with your API estimate before choosing a larger setup.