247 Insights

• Google Maps is free to end users. How does Google make money from the service? It charges local advertisers and businesses that use it.

Google Maps is often described as the best mapping software in the world. It includes maps, GPS directions, views of destinations in photos from street level (Google Street View), and satellite images, which can be chosen by location.

One billion people use the service monthly, and the maps cover over 200 countries and territories. Many huge websites, including Samsung, Walmart, and Zillow, use Maps as their default mapping system.

The service is free to users, like many other services Google offers.

Take a look at the left-hand side of a location on Google Maps. In addition to photos of landmarks in places like New York City, there are several advertisements that are almost always for local businesses. Google charges money for these.

Google also charges companies that use Google Maps for their mapping. This is through a charge for the Maps API (application programming interface)

According to investment bank Morgan Stanley, Google Maps brought in $11.1 billion in revenue for parent company Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOGL) in 2023. While that number seems improbably high, the annual income is almost certainly in the billions. There are several reasons people should avoid Alphabet’s stock. 

Google Maps is free … for you.

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