HERE Geocoding API Review, Pricing & Comparison with Distancematrix.ai | Complete Guide

Geocoding APIs are essential for modern applications we use every day. This technology powers everything from delivery tracking to the navigation systems in our cars. This detailed guide will show you how the technology works.

HERE Technologies is an established player in this field, handling geographic data across over 200 countries. What's really impressive about HERE is that they update their maps every day — millions of changes daily!

Remember those awkward moments when your navigator takes you down a road that no longer exists? HERE is especially critical for logistics companies and car manufacturers — their business depends on accurate maps.

This evaluation will explore HERE Geocoding API's capabilities, pricing structure, and possible drawbacks. We'll also show you how solutions at Distancematrix.ai can deliver alternatives for your specific project needs, whether you're developing a location-based service or an enterprise logistics system.

What HERE Geocoding API Can Do VS What Distancematrix.ai Geocoding API Can Do

Address processing

HERE employs machine learning algorithms trained on extensive datasets to recognize regional formats, abbreviations, and typographical errors. Results are prioritized by proximity and relevance.

Distancematrix.ai features advanced address parsing that recognizes regional formats, abbreviations, and typographical errors across global address systems. The service provides partial address recognition featuring automatic correction, delivering accurate coordinate calculations that work reliably across diverse international address formats and common input variations.

Reverse geocoding

HERE transforms coordinates into detailed addresses, including nearby points of interest information, and supports batch processing for multiple locations.

Distancematrix.ai offers dual processing modes — “accurate” for precision-critical applications and “fast” for high-volume scenarios.

Database & coverage

HERE has accumulated a database of 120+ million companies and 400+ million addresses worldwide. However, the quality of the data varies greatly from region to region. Since they take information from third-party sources like Tripadvisor and Foursquare, sometimes there are inconsistencies. This is especially noticeable in large cities where businesses are constantly opening, closing, and changing.

Distancematrix.ai works differently — they care more about data accuracy than quantity. While their coverage is also global, they try to keep the information up-to-date and reliable. The result is more consistent results, whether you're in developed regions or emerging markets.

Advanced features

HERE offers categorized searches for different types of places, plus they have a real-time Autosuggest API with support for multiple languages. You can choose between exact mode, when you want maximum accuracy, and fast mode, when speed is important. The system handles different languages and regional address formats quite well.

Distancematrix.ai also supports many languages for international projects and offers useful tricks — for example, recognizing incomplete addresses and automatically correcting typical errors. Like HERE, they offer accurate and fast processing — you choose what best suits your task. Results remain stable for different languages and regional formats.

Try our geocoding service now for free! Sign up and get access to all API features without restrictions.

HERE Geocoding API Pricing: Comparison with Distancematrix.ai

To understand HERE Geocoding API pricing, you need to understand the limitations of the free tier, premium pricing, and scalability. Distancematrix.ai's alternative approach to pricing offers developers more flexibility and better value while ensuring top-notch-quality geocoding services for projects of any size.

Core components of HERE's pricing model

Free features

HERE gives 250,000 queries per month for free — pretty generous. In comparison, Google Maps only offers 10,000 free queries, meaning HERE gives 25 times as many. The free account covers all the basics: turning addresses into coordinates, reverse geocoding, and finding nearby places.

What's next

After the free queries are exhausted, HERE geocoding API pricing is $1 per thousand queries. That's much cheaper than $5 from Google and about on par with other mapping services.

If you have serious volumes, there is a professional plan for $449 per month. You get a million queries plus priority support and service guarantees for that.

Speed limits

The free plan is limited to about 5 requests per second — that's enough for most web applications. HERE avoids hard daily limits, focusing instead on monthly quotas. This provides more flexibility for projects with uneven workloads

HERE offers enterprise customers customizable limits and automatic scaling for peak loads.

Enterprise licenses

Special Enterprise licenses are needed to cache results. The great thing about HERE is that you can show results without their maps — the data integrates across any mapping platform.

Distancematrix.ai pricing structure

Free starter tier

Unlike many competitors offering limited free tiers, Distancematrix.ai provides 1,000 monthly free requests that include all premium functionalities. This includes dual operation modes at no cost. New accounts also receive a $50 credit bonus, allowing substantial testing without initial investment.

Scaling beyond free

After exceeding the free tariff, pricing starts at just: 

• $2.00 per 1,000 requests for 1K-100K monthly requests;
• $1.60 per 1,000 for 100K-300K requests;
• $1.25 per 1,000 for 300K-500K requests;
• $1.00 per 1,000 for 500K+ requests.

For significantly larger volumes beyond standard plans, custom pricing is available through direct contact.

Enterprise advantages

For high-volume requirements exceeding 500,000 monthly requests, Distancematrix.ai offers custom pricing solutions tailored to specific business needs. The scalable pricing model ensures cost reduction as usage volume increases, making it suitable for enterprise-level applications.

Check out Distancematrix.ai's detailed pricing page to calculate potential savings for your specific project needs and start your free trial today with 1,000 premium requests and a $50 bonus credit.

Distancematrix.ai and HERE Maps Geocoding API Example

Geocoding APIs are best understood through practical examples. Let's examine specific capabilities of both services.

Business discovery applications

Consider a practical food delivery scenario using the HERE Maps API. The challenge: find Asian restaurants near customers. The solution is straightforward. The API locates all options within a 3km radius. It doesn't stop at basic information. 

Each result includes names and addresses, naturally. But it also provides opening hours, customer ratings, and online ordering status. Complete information for informed choices.

The Distancematrix.ai geocoding API can be used in similar business discovery scenarios to provide accurate coordinates for businesses and locations. Using Distancematrix.ai's Distance Matrix API enables applications to filter results based on actual travel time rather than physical distance alone, helping users find locations truly accessible during their time constraints.

Error handling & query interpretation

HERE uses machine learning algorithms, trained using billions of user queries, to handle typos. For example, the term “Mcdonald Brodway NY” gets correctly identified as a search for McDonald's on Broadway in New York City, despite containing two errors.

Distancematrix.ai has designed its error handling system specifically for international address formats. It works reliably under all circumstances. No matter what address format the user enters. 

The API is adaptable to flexible input formats and handles common address variations. As a result, developers create applications that do not fail with minor input errors — users appreciate this.

Location recommendations

Both HERE and Distancematrix.ai offer valuable capabilities for location recommendation systems. HERE's Browse feature provides dynamic lists of popular locations based on user behavior and social signals, making it valuable for travel apps and recommendation systems.

Distancematrix.ai can similarly be integrated into recommendation systems where accurate coordinate data is essential. When paired using their Distance Matrix API for travel time calculations, the dual operation modes (Accurate and Fast) allow developers to choose between speed and precision depending on the specific requirements of their recommendation engine.

Search filtering

HERE offers detailed filtering through its category system. Each category has a numeric code and hierarchical structure, allowing developers to create custom category combinations.

Distancematrix.ai provides efficient filtering capabilities. The advanced batch processing system is particularly valuable for applications that need to perform complex filtering operations across thousands of locations simultaneously.

Distancematrix.ai and HERE Geocoding API Documentation

Both HERE and Distancematrix.ai provide extensive documentation covering essential aspects of their geocoding APIs, featuring distinct approaches tailored to different developer needs.

HERE geocoding API documentation offers enterprise-focused resources featuring structured sections for different query types and multilingual support capabilities. The platform provides comprehensive technical guides and maintains various integration options for different development environments.

Distancematrix.ai delivers developer-friendly documentation emphasizing practical implementation and quick deployment. Their approach includes detailed step-by-step guides, visual screenshots, pre-configured Postman collections, and ready-to-use code examples. The documentation covers everything from basic address-to-coordinates conversion to advanced error handling, including comprehensive FAQ sections addressing common developer questions.

Both platforms maintain detailed technical references, but Distancematrix.ai particularly excels in providing immediate hands-on implementation guides that help developers get started quickly, avoiding extensive setup procedures.

Critical Analysis of Constraints

License limitations

HERE doesn't let you store geocoding results long-term on standard plans, which can disrupt your caching strategy if you're building a high-performance app. You'll need licenses starting at $10,000 per year to use full-fledged caching and data export.

Performance limitations

The basic plan limits you to around five concurrent requests per second. This is fine for simple applications, but it quickly becomes a bottleneck if you are dealing with real-time applications and lots of users accessing your system simultaneously. Anything critical to your business will force you to upgrade to a premium plan.

Geographic Coverage

HERE's coverage is excellent in Western Europe and North America because they have been operating there the longest and have strong data partnerships. However, other countries, particularly rural or newly developed areas, may experience issues.

The Distancematrix.ai platform provides reliable geocoding results with practical accuracy. It also offers 24/7 support and sensible, flexible pricing. Sign up and see the difference for yourself.

Conclusion

The HERE Geocoding API excels in terms of its richness of POI data and enterprise features. However, it imposes storage restrictions and expensive licensing fees for advanced use cases. Distancematrix.ai stands out through its reliable geocoding approach, transparent pricing, and developer-friendly policies, making it accessible for projects of any size.

Your choice should reflect your specific needs, budget, and technical requirements. Careful consideration should be given to geographic coverage, accuracy in your target regions, implementation complexity, and long-term costs.