UK startup launches GB-only Maps and Places API as Google pricing bites developers

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A new mapping service called Goggle Places has launched specifically for Great Britain, offering predictive address search, place lookup, nearby search, vector maps, and routing under a single API key priced per request. The product was created in response to Google Maps Platform's March 2025 pricing overhaul, which replaced a flat $200 monthly credit with smaller per-SKU allowances, making costs harder to predict for developers building UK-only applications. The API is designed with GB-specific needs at its core, treating postcodes as first-class inputs and indexing every GB postcode, street, town, and landmark alongside live National Rail and London transport timetables. It exposes two main endpoints — one for address typeahead and one for blended address-and-amenity search — with edge-based responses targeting sub-50ms latency. The developers argue that teams building UK-focused tools such as checkout forms or store locators have been overpaying for global-scale infrastructure they do not need.

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