The Google Maps API, perhaps the API 'that started it all' is not going to be free anymore for developers that pass a certain usage threshold. Small time developers and websites should not be affected, but those running a more serious business will have to pay up.
"When the Maps API Terms of Service were updated in April of this year we announced that usage limits would be introduced to the Maps API starting on October 1st," Thor Mitchell, Product Manager, Google Maps API
wrote.
"With October upon us, I’d like to provide an update on how these limits are being introduced, and the impact it will have on your Maps API sites," he said.
Google will not start enforcing the new rules right away, it's giving developers time to asses the amount of usage they see, how they can optimize it and whether they need to start paying or not.
It they are indeed using up more than the
limits, which are 25,000 map loads per day for each API or 2,500 map loads per day for Styled Maps, they can either cut down usage to go below the limits or start paying.
"No site exceeding these limits will stop working immediately. We understand that developers need time to evaluate their usage, determine if they are affected, and respond if necessary," Google said.
They can either just pay for the excess usage or
sign up for Maps API Premier, which is an enterprise level product, with service level agreements, tech24-hours support and so on.
To make it easier for developers to know how much they're eating up, Google is adding the Maps API to the Google APIs Console. It is also giving developers time to work out their usage, but will start billing them in early 2012.
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