Places API (New) — Overview & Pricing
Places API (New)
The current-generation API replacing the legacy Places API. Uses a mandatory field mask in every request — omitting it returns an error. Billing is determined by the highest-tier field requested.
Three-Tier SKU Billing
| Tier | What's Included | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Essentials | Place ID, name, address, location, types, business status | Lowest |
| Pro | Phone, website, opening hours, price level, photos | Medium |
| Enterprise | Reviews, ratings, userRatingCount, editorial summary, atmosphere data | Highest (~$17-35/1K requests) |
Subscription Plans
| Plan | Cost | Calls | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pay-as-you-go | Variable | Unlimited | Baseline |
| Starter | $100/mo | 50K | Moderate |
| Pro | $1,200/mo | 250K | Up to $5,000 vs PAYG |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | Negotiated |
Key API Operations
- Place Details — full data for a known place_id
- Text Search — search by query string (e.g., "restaurants in Berlin")
- Nearby Search — search within a radius of coordinates
- Autocomplete — predictive place suggestions
- Place Photos — retrieve photos by reference
Rate Limits
Enforced per API method per project (unlike legacy API which aggregated all methods). Default ~600 requests/minute; increases require contacting Google support.
Free Tier Status (2026)
Warning: The previously documented "$200 monthly credit" and "10,000 free calls" claims were both refuted during adversarial verification. Verify directly at mapsplatform.google.com/pricing.
Data Fields (50+)
Name, formatted address, address components, phone, international phone, website, opening hours (regular + secondary), business status, price level, rating, user rating count, reviews (text/author/rating/time/language — max 5 per place), photos, types, coordinates, viewport, place ID, URL, UTC offset, plus 20+ boolean amenities (delivery, dineIn, takeout, outdoorSeating, liveMusic, allowsDogs, etc.).
New-Only Fields (Not in Legacy API)
regularSecondaryOpeningHours, paymentOptions, parkingOptions, subDestinations, fuelOptions, evChargeOptions, shortFormattedAddress, primaryType, primaryTypeDisplayName