Foursquare Places API vs Google Places API

Foursquare Places API and Google Places API are both Places & POI APIs, compared here on pricing, compliance, capabilities, and developer experience from structured, cited data - not reviews or paid placement. Google Places API starts lower at $5 per request vs $15 for Foursquare Places API. On compliance, Google Places API additionally documents SOC 2. For coding-agent use, Foursquare Places API scores higher on agent-friendliness (65 vs 50).

Comparedby a transparent data-readiness score computed from each API's published, sourced fields. No reviews, no paid placement. How we rank.

Data last verified 2026-06-14, with every field cited on each profile.

Head-to-head, from published, cited fields (auto-generated; no paid placement)
Field	Foursquare Places API	Google Places API
Starting price	$15 1,000 requests	$5 1,000 requests
Pricing model	Usage	Usage
Free tier	✓	✓
Self-serve signup	✓	✓
SOC 2	·	Type II
HIPAA	·	✗
GDPR	✓	✓
Webhooks	✗	✗
Sandbox	✗	✗
Documented actions	8	10

Full data and citations: Foursquare Places API · Google Places API. See more Places & POI APIs.