MapTiler Cloud
Vector and raster map tiles, geocoding, and 3D terrain rendering with a generous session-based free plan for personal and non-commercial projects — no credit card required.
Use Cases
Free Tier
5,000 map sessions, 1,000 search/geocoding sessions, 2,000 3D sessions, and 100,000 API requests per month; 5 GB storage — personal/non-commercial use only
How to Maximize the Free Tier
MapTiler's free plan is session-based: one map session is a single page load that initializes a map, and unlimited pan/zoom inside that session costs nothing — so 5,000 sessions/month goes further than tile-counted quotas. The 100,000 API requests matter when you render tiles with third-party SDKs: vector tiles cost 1 request each, raster 512px tiles cost 4, and a static map image costs 15. Geocoding runs off a separate 1,000 search sessions/month budget. Use MapLibre GL JS or Leaflet.js for frontend rendering, cache tiles client-side, and debounce geocoding inputs to stretch the quota. The catch: the free plan is strictly personal/non-commercial and requires the MapTiler logo — budget for the $30/month Flex plan before any revenue-generating launch.
Getting Started
1) Sign up at cloud.maptiler.com with email — no credit card required. 2) Verify your email and open the dashboard. 3) Copy your API key from the 'Account' section. 4) Grab a style URL from the 'Styles' page (e.g. basic-v2). 5) Render your first map with MapLibre GL JS using https://api.maptiler.com/maps/basic-v2/style.json?key=YOUR_KEY. 6) Test geocoding: https://api.maptiler.com/geocoding/Berlin.json?key=YOUR_KEY. 7) Watch usage in the Analytics tab.
Pros
- Session-based quota: 5,000 map sessions/month with unlimited interaction per session — panning and zooming don't burn requests like tile-counted rivals
- No credit card: Free plan works immediately without billing info, ideal for prototyping
- All-in-one: Vector/raster tiles, geocoding, and 3D terrain (Gaussian splats) on one platform
Cons
- Non-commercial only: Free plan is restricted to personal/non-commercial use; any revenue-generating app needs the $30/month Flex plan
- Logo required: Free maps must display the MapTiler logo with no removal option
- Tight storage: 5 GB with a 1-file limit — can't host large custom datasets on the free plan