Through various APIs (application mobile interface), Google provides many possibilities that allow developers to offer different services without implementing intensive or complex coding.
These tools can help developers focus on providing excellent interactions for their target audience, saving significant time and effort.
In this guide, we will explore Google’s API library and showcase its convenience. Aside from that, we will provide some of the best alternatives today.
Why Use the Alternatives
Google provides a comprehensive API solution for different application needs. However, many alternative APIs offer the same, if not better, functionalities as Google. Many developers opt to use them, and there are many reasons why. These are the following.
Cost
Google APIs can become expensive, especially at scale. That’s why many developers from startup companies opt for alternative APIs because they offer affordable pricing structures, free trials, or generally lower costs for the same services.
Features
Google’s API library offers a comprehensive solution for different app forms. However, there are cases where alternative APIs might offer features that better align with a project than what Google has. It could be a specialized function or integration that fits an application’s unique requirements.
Avoiding vendor lock-in
Relying solely on Google’s API services could lead to vendor lock-in. Vendor lock-in is where a project heavily depends on a specific infrastructure and pricing model, limiting the app from accessing features outside its one provider. Using alternative APIs can provide better flexibility and control over the application stack.
Performance and reliability
Google services are generally highly reliable. However, an alternative service sometimes performs better, especially in specific geographical areas or network conditions.
Support and community
Some developers might find better community support or engagement around alternative APIs. This is crucial for gaining insightful details on developing and troubleshooting complex application processes.
Commonly Used Google APIs and Their Alternatives
The following are some of the most widely used Google API and their alternatives. We will explain how these Google APIs work and present you with other options. While doing that, we will enumerate some of the best features that these alternatives offer to give a preview of their services.
Google Maps API
This API allows developers to embed Google Maps services into web pages or mobile apps. It offers functionalities like displaying map information, generating driving directions, placing markers, and executing geographical searches.
Often, we see this API being used in the following online services:
– Transportation and food delivery apps: Platforms like Uber and DoorDash rely on Google Maps API integration to achieve effective routing, allow vehicle monitoring, and provide estimated arrival times to customers.
-Travel apps: Apps in this category help users explore local attractions and activities by providing points of interest, hotels, and landmarks.
-Retail store websites: Businesses use Google Maps API to show branch locations, allowing customers to locate the nearest stores easily.
-Dating apps: Channels like Tinder and Bumble use Google Maps API to enable location-based features, helping users find nearby matches.
Google Maps API alternatives:
Radar
– Features: Radar offers incredible geocoding capabilities, allowing developers to tag specific locations. Aside from that, they provide location search, tracking, and analytics. They also have an address autocomplete API, an excellent tool for streamlining form completion.
– Pricing: Radar features an easy-to-understand pricing based on monthly API calls or monthly tracked users (MTU). These rates decrease as you scale your requirements up, making the pricing fair for different usage levels. Radar also offers a free trial for their plans.
Mapbox
– Features: Mapbox provides extensive tools for map customization, location searches, route finding and optimization, and detailed documentation. Mapbox also offers a wide range of APIs for different services.
– Pricing: Mapbox offers 100,000 free monthly requests for different services, including Directions API, Map Matching API, Optimization API, and Matrix API, with pay-as-you-go pricing beyond these limits.
TomTom
– Features: TomTom offers various navigational features, including route guidance, map updates, traffic and speed data, and standalone licensing. This API also provides a flexible and responsive approach to working with partners and customers.
– Pricing: TomTom’s pricing varies depending on different factors and services they offer. You may contact them directly for custom pricing. Meanwhile, their developer portal provides a pay-as-you-grow model with a freemium plan that starts with 50,000 free tile daily requests and 2,500 free non-tile daily requests, with additional pricing details available for various APIs and services.
Google Drive API
This API enables developers to interact with files stored on Google Drive. Implementing it allows them to upload, download, share files, and manage platform permissions. Typically, we see this API implemented in the following services:
– Collaborative tools: Apps like Slack integrate the Google Drive API to allow users to share and update files directly within conversations easily.
– Automation tools: Zapier and similar platforms use this API to connect Google Drive with different apps to automate workflows. For instance, Zapier can automatically save attachments from Google Drive or sync files between storage services like Dropbox or OneDrive.
– Document management software: Online services like DocuSign integrate the Google Drive API to let users access and sign documents seamlessly.
Google Drive API alternatives:
Dropbox
– Features: This API allows developers to work with files in Dropbox while enabling functionalities like full-text search, thumbnails, and file sharing or manipulation. It also offers easy integrations for applications and secure access to user data. Aside from that, it allows data integration for platforms like Slack, Zoom, HubSpot, and Google Sheets.
– Pricing: The Dropbox API offers five different plans for their solution, starting with the Plus plan at US$11.99 a month and going to the Business Plus plan at $32 per user a month.
OneDrive
– Features: The OneDrive API allows developers to access and manage files across Microsoft 365 services, including the Microsoft Graph. Developers can share items stored in OneDrive and platforms like OneDrive for Business and SharePoint sites, facilitating better collaboration and data-sharing functionalities. It also allows custom metadata to help developers add more information on files for better organization and categorization.
– Pricing: OneDrive offers numerous package options for their storage services, starting for free with 5GB of storage.
Google Analytics API
The Google Analytics API provides numerous services to help businesses gather and interpret data effectively. With this API, developers can automate complex reporting tasks, monitor performance, integrate analytics data with other systems, and create custom dashboards.
This API plays a crucial role in modern businesses, particularly in digital marketing and e-commerce. It’s prominent in the following areas:
– Marketing automation: Tools like HubSpot integrate the Google Analytics API to measure a marketing campaign’s success across different channels and better understand customer behaviors or journeys.
– Content management systems (CMS): WordPress and other similar platforms leverage Google Analytics through a plugin or built-in integration to provide detailed insights about their content performance, visitor demographics, and page views.
– E-commerce websites: Online retail sites, like Shopify or Amazon, implement the Google Analytics API to track user behavior, conversion rates, and marketing campaign performances.
– SEO Tools: SEO platforms like SEMrush use Google Analytics to provide users with a clear view of how well their keywords, backlinks, and content perform online.
Google Analytics API alternatives:
Matomo
– Features: This API allows developers to integrate tracking and recording features for any data, including page views, events, and user interactions. It also supports data segmentation for targeted analysis and reporting. Aside from that, this API allows data exports in various formats, including Excel, XML, and JSON.
– Pricing: Matomo offers two main pricing plans for their solutions. The On-Premise is where users can download and install the platform for free using their own servers. The Cloud plan starts at $23 per month for up to 50,000 views and runs on the provider’s servers.
Adobe Analytics
– Features: This API provides real-time insights into customer behavior, allowing businesses to react quickly to any changes in customer preferences or market trends. It enables data segmentation for factors like demographics, location, and behavior. Plus, it provides various data visualization tools like charts and graphics.
– Pricing: Adobe Analytics offers various plans for their solutions. They may provide customized pricing based on specific requirements, like data volume and desired functionalities.
Woopra
– Features: Integrating the Woopra API allows developers to enable user tracking across different digital touchpoints, like websites, mobile apps, and marketing tools. It provides detailed customer profiles and built-in automation features, allowing businesses to trigger real-time personalized interactions.
– Pricing: Woopra offers three different pricing plans: Core, Pro, and Enterprise. The Core plan starts for free with 500 thousand actions per month and other features. There are also free trials for their Pro plan, which is priced at $999 a month.
Google Calendar API
This API allows developers to integrate Google Calendar into their apps, allowing them to systematically view, create, and edit events. We often see this API working in the following programs:
– Website booking systems: Many online services that provide booking functionalities integrate the Google Calendar API to manage appointments, allowing businesses to keep their availability updated and reducing the chances of double booking.
– Project management tools: Platforms like Asana and Trello integrate the Google Calendar API to help teams keep track of deadlines, project milestones, and meetings.
Google Calendar API alternatives:
Zoho Calendar
– Features: Zoho Calendar API allows automated scheduling of events and meetings. It also provides features for managing availability, booking, and calendars. Plus, it enables users to sync events across different platforms and set reminders. This API also supports multiple languages.
– Pricing: To know the specific pricing of this solution, developers must contact Zoho for the API’s plan.
Calendly
– Features: The Calendly API is designed to integrate multiple calendars and scheduling systems like Google Calendar, Outlook, iCloud, and Office 365. It automatically checks availability to avoid double booking. Plus, it allows website embedding, customization, and complete data privacy.
– Pricing: Calendly offers four different packages. It starts with the Free plan and goes up to $15,000 annually with the Enterprise plan.
Google Sheets API
The Google API allows developers to input, automate, process, and analyze data from a Google spreadsheet, which can be integrated into other channels for seamless data flow between platforms. This API is often handy in the following online services:
– Automated reporting systems: Businesses can use this API to automate reports by acquiring data that are fed to a Google Spreadsheet.
– Inventory management: Retail stores use Google Sheets as a live inventory tracking system, allowing them to update stock levels automatically.
– Data collection: Developers can program the Google Sheets API to gather survey data or user submissions from a website or app directly into a spreadsheet for easy analysis and storage.
Google Sheets API alternative:
Sheety
– Features: Sheety instantly lets users turn any Google Sheet into a RESTful API, minus the complex setup or coding. It provides real-time data updates and synchronization between the API and Google Sheets. Aside from that, the Sheety API can be easily integrated with websites, applications, or other online services, providing a versatile solution for data access and management.
– Pricing: Sheety offers five pricing plans, starting with the Free plan and going up to $79.99 a month with the Extremely Sheety Pro plan, which offers unlimited projects and other incredible features.
Google Forms API
This Google API allows developers to create and modify Google Forms for their website or application. It provides various capabilities to manage form questions, responses, and settings. It also enables automation and integration with other data-driven services.
This API is prominent in the following app functions:
– Automated form creation: Developers integrate this API to generate forms based on data sources, which is helpful for surveys that need to be customized for different respondents or events.
– Data collection integration: This API can be used to integrate form responses directly into other systems like customer relationship management (CRM) to process collected data better.
– Account registration: The Google Forms API can also be used to automatically create registration forms and manage submissions, which is excellent for events and online stores.
Google Forms alternatives:
SoGoSurvey
– Features: This API offers powerful data management and automation features, allowing users to import and export data in different formats. Plus, it provides scheduled automated report deliveries for different team members. It also enables real-time reporting and analytics capabilities and incredible data collaboration.
– Pricing: SoGoSurvey offers three paid plans, starting with the Plus plan for $25 monthly. It also has the Basic plan available for free but with limited features.
Typeform
– Features: The Typeform API allows seamless data collection through interactive, customizable visual forms. Developers can customize their forms or surveys according to their requirements. It also supports integrations with applications and tools, allowing developers to connect Typeform data with other systems or solutions.
– Pricing: Typeform offers four plans for their many solutions. It starts with the Basic plan at $25 for one user, unlimited typeforms, and 100 monthly responses. This platform is also available for free but with limited features.
WPForms
– Features: This API allows developers to create various form types tailored to their needs, allowing them to customize forms, fields, and behaviors. It also provides incredible document management capabilities and file storage.
– Pricing: WPForms offers four different plans, including the API. Its packages start with the Basic plan at $49.50 annually, featuring one site use and all essential tools for form creation.
Empower Your App’s Processes With the Right API
Google’s API library offers various solutions that boost a website or mobile app’s development processes and overall services.
However, as incredible as they are, Google’s API Library is not the only option to achieve such benefits. Many alternatives provide the same, if not better, functionalities as Google.
As developers, looking for the best solution that fits your needs is vital before investing in any plan. Take this guide as a helpful first step to finding the right one.
