Frequently Asked Questions

Basemaps are the layer of "normal" things you’d expect to see on a map like water, country borders, cities, points of interest, etc. They are called basemaps because they are the "base" that provides context for the markers and overlays you add on top.

A static map image (often shortened to just "static map") is a full map image that you can customize and embed easily without any JavaScript or map rendering library. You can even add features like markers and lines, and our servers handle the drawing for you! Just add a few parameters to the URL. These are great for quickly embedding a non-interactive map in a website or app (ex: via an HTML img tag).

We offer both vector (protobuf-encoded Mapbox Vector Tiles) and raster (PNG) tiles. Static map images are available in PNG (the default) or JPEG format. Our raster tiles and static map images are available in both 1x and 2x (aka retina) scale. On the web, you can use our tiles with well-known JavaScript libraries such as Leaflet for interactive raster maps or MapLibre GL JS for vector. If you’re building for mobile, desktop, or multi-platform, our docs provide an overview of the available options.

Yes, we do! Vector tiles are rendered client-side, and you can restyle them freely with any Stadia Maps plan. We have a complete guide on custom styles in our docs. If you’d like a custom style for raster tiles or static maps, contact us for a quote.

Our maps are supported on most major platforms. This includes all major web browsers, iOS and Android mobile devices, major desktop operating systems, and some embedded platforms. Our docs have tutorials covering the most common ones. Feel free to contact us if you have a question about a specific platform.

Trial accounts have access to the same APIs as our Professional plan, so you can easily evaluate all our services with no obligation. For the duration of the trial, your account will have the same credit limit as a free account.

When you’re ready to go live, go to the plan upgrade screen. If you haven’t added a payment method yet, follow the prompts to add your contact details and payment method. After entering your information and confirming the plan you want to upgrade to, click the green upgrade button on the dashboard.

When you add a payment method during a free trial, you will be able to select a plan to subscribe to after the trial. We will automatically bill you for the selected plan as soon as your trial ends. You can change your plan selection at any time before your trial ends.

If you have not given us a payment method such as a credit card, no action is needed to cancel. Your account will automatically revert to the free tier after your trial ends.

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If you already added a payment method but changed your mind, go to your dashboard and change your plan to the free tier. This will cancel the subscription and your account will revert to the free tier after your trial ends.

We use a credits system for enforcing limits and metering usage. Every request you make has a cost stated in the credit schedule on our pricing page. These are counted against your plan’s monthly credit allowance and, if you have opted in to additional usage, billed at the rate specified in your plan once you exhaust your credit pool.

In general, yes, as long as the subscription is not shared across multiple entities (with exceptions for certain forms of reuse in white-labeled products). An entity is typically a natural person or a corporation (for-profit or non-profit). See our terms for more details or Contact us if you have questions about your use case.

Generally, no. But be sure to read our FAQ about sharing a subscription between multiple websites/apps first! Creating a new property for each domain makes the most sense if you have logically separate products/sites, because it lets you track usage and manage API keys separately. We also support adding multiple domains to a single property on request. Contact us for details.

Yes, any mid-cycle billing changes will be prorated according to the time spent on each plan during the billing cycle. For example, if you start on a $10 plan and upgrade to a $20 plan exactly halfway through the billing period, your next invoice will be $5 higher: a $5 credit for the unused time on the initial plan, plus a $10 charge for the second half of the month on the new plan. Similarly, a downgrade will result in a credit balance on your account which will be automatically applied against future charges. Note that changes will not result in an immediate charge or refund to your payment method. Any adjustments will be aggregated on your next invoice. In the case of a net credit balance after a downgrade, we will not issue an automatic refund to your original payment method. Please see our refund policy below for details.

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Note: If you have accrued any additional usage, this is transferred over to your new plan, and the new plan’s rate will apply to all usage for the billing cycle.

Because your subscription is prepaid, your account will remain on your currently selected plan until the end of your billing cycle. After which, your account will be downgraded to the free tier. If additional usage is enabled, you will receive a final invoice for any additional usage accrued through the end of your billing cycle.

When you opt in, additional usage is billed on the next invoice after the usage occurs. While our base monthly fees are pre-pay, these charges are then added to your invoice at the end of each billing cycle. For example, suppose you are subscribed to the Standard plan with a billing cycle starting the 1st of each month, and in January, you accrue $20 in additional usage. Your February invoice would be $100: $80 for the Standard plan for February, and $20 for the additional usage in January.

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Note: If you cancel your subscription, any accrued additional usage fees will be invoiced at the end of the billing cycle.

No. We offer simple billing where usage is aggregated across all properties in your account. Your account subscription is for all usage, whether you have one property or ten.

If you cancel a subscription early or downgrade to lower plan, your Stripe account may receive a prorated refund in the form of an account credit (see the FAQ above). However, we will not normally issue refunds back to your original payment method. Any credit balance will remain on your account for future use.

Use of Stadia Maps’ services commercially requires a paid subscription or (in some cases) a custom license. We consider usage to be commercial in any of the following situations:

• Use in a product or service that is sold or generates revenue (including via advertising or content monetization)
• Use by an organization that is for-profit (regardless of whether the usage generates revenue or not)

Even if your usage falls under the above definition, the following usage is acceptable on the Free plan:

• Development and testing purposes
• Demonstration purposes (products and pages which are exclusively for demonstration purposes)

Yes, however, in both cases, you meet our criteria of Commercial Use and are required to have an active paid subscription.

By default, no, since this meets our Commercial Use criteria of generating revenue. We can, however, make exceptions depending on your individual project’s details. Please reach out to us at support@stadiamaps.com and start a conversation.

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Our paid subscriptions are quite affordable, and we will do our best to work with you.

Yes! You can find our extensive documentation and tutorials at docs.stadiamaps.com.

If you can’t find what you need on our website or documentation, email us at support@stadiamaps.com. We’d be delighted to answer any of your questions.

MapLibre is a collective that organizes the development of fully-open and free map rendering tools. Stadia Maps is a founding member, and co-founder Luke Seelenbinder currently serves on the governing board. Together, we form a large and growing network of developers and corporations that all work together to advance the state of the art.