Ola Maps: Made for India, Priced for India

Our recent #ExitGoogleMaps campaign wasn’t just about a product - it's a battle cry for India's technological freedom. We're offering Ola Maps on the cloud, free for a year, because we believe in empowering Indian innovation, not stifling it with prohibitive costs.

Google has responded by reducing their prices by 70% and offering payment in ₹. While this is a step, it's long overdue. We believe Indian developers deserve better than last-minute concessions. Why did it take an Indian challenger to prompt this change?

For years, global big tech giants have viewed India primarily as a market to tap. They've imposed high costs on our developers, collected our data, and often overlooked our digital sovereignty. But times are changing. India is now ready to take its place as a leader on the global tech stage.

It's surprising that even now, some tech giants hesitate to fully localize their pricing in India. Offering payment in ₹ should be standard, not exceptional. This disconnect from local realities underscores why India needs homegrown tech leaders. India's tech talent, our innovative spirit, and our deep understanding of emerging markets give us an edge that no Silicon Valley import can match.  At Ola, we're energized by this shift. 

Great Response from Developer Community and Startups

We've seen an incredible response from developers and startups, all eager to leverage the Ola Maps APIs to build innovative solutions. We have seen more than 10,000 developers sign up on our platform. It is really heartening to see developers go from their initial testing phase to full scale migration of their production workloads to the Ola Maps platform. This grassroots support is proof that India is ready to chart its own course in the tech world.

Astro India AI, an AI Generated Astrology platform, is utilizing the Maps Autocomplete service to enhance the UX when entering location information for generating horoscopes.

"Switching to Ola Maps from Google Maps has been a game-changer for us. Ola Maps not only matches Google in terms of coverage, especially for small villages in India, but also outperforms it in some cases. The autocomplete speed and precision are impressive, and the cost savings have been significant, making it an ideal choice for our growing user base.”

KPN Fresh Product, offering a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, and daily groceries through its online app with free home delivery, utilizes Ola Maps' Location services like Autocomplete, Forward & Reverse Geocode, and Distance for their e-commerce platform.

"Integrating Ola Maps' APIs into our platform has been a seamless experience. The speed and efficiency of their services rival Google Maps, enhancing our user experience significantly. From Autocomplete to precise Geocoding and routing, Ola Maps delivers exceptional performance, making it a valuable asset for our e-commerce platform."

Pricing Update for Ola Maps

In response to overwhelming demand for extended commitments and higher-tier services, Ola Maps is excited to announce a comprehensive update of our pricing structure today. For each API, we are adding a completely FREE tier for 5M calls every month! This would cover more than 90% of the Indian developers and startups. 

For larger volumes, despite recent price adjustments by Google, we are offering prices which are 50% of Google Maps reduced rates, ensuring exceptional value for our users. For users committing to Ola Maps for 3+ years, we are offering 2 years FREE!

Ola has been a champion of the ONDC platform since its inception and today, we are really proud to announce a special offer - 3 years FREE access to Ola Maps - for all startups and SMBs building on the ONDC platform. Reach out to our Sales team (sales@olakrutrim.com) today to learn more about the program. 

Exciting Roadmap for Ola Maps

In our ongoing mission to reshape India's digital cartographic landscape, we are committing to a very aggressive roadmap to ensure every use case is covered for the diverse Indian developer ecosystem. We will be launching a host of new APIs, SDKs and features on the Ola developer platform.

New APIs: Ola Maps will be adding a comprehensive suite of new & powerful APIs. 

• Our Routes APIs offer advanced features like traffic-aware directions, distance matrix with multi-modal transportation options, and routes that cater to specific needs such as two-wheeler routing and toll information. 
• The Places APIs bring powerful search capabilities, allowing users to find nearby locations, conduct natural language based searches and access detailed place information. 
• For developers seeking static or dynamic map integration, our Maps APIs provide flexible solutions. Whether you need a simple static image or a fully interactive map object, Ola Maps has you covered, enabling seamless embedding of rich geographical data into your applications.

New SDKs: To complement our robust API offerings, Ola Maps is launching feature-rich SDKs for web, Android, and iOS platforms. 

• The Web SDK empowers developers with a wide array of functionalities, from custom markers and interactive info windows to advanced visualization tools like heatmaps and marker clustering. It also offers unique features such as automatic localization into Indic languages and extensive map customization options. 
• For mobile developers, our Android and iOS SDKs provide native support for dynamic maps, custom markers, and intuitive user controls. They will also support automatic localization into Indic languages and extensive map customization options. 
• These SDKs also integrate seamlessly with our Places SDK, offering intelligent features like place autocomplete and detailed place information, making it easier than ever to build location-aware applications that rival industry leaders.

New Platform Features: Ola Maps delivers a robust platform tailored for developers and businesses alike. 

• The Map Style Editor allows users to create, edit, and publish custom map styles, while a dedicated test environment enables experimentation before full integration. 
• Developer resources include comprehensive documentation, tutorials, and a community forum for knowledge sharing. 
• The platform keeps users informed with changelog notifications and offers strong customer support through an automated ticket system with defined SLAs and chat support. 

This effort goes beyond maps or apps. It's about shaping India's digital future and ensuring that our tech revolution benefits our people, economy, and future. To every Indian developer, every startup founder, every tech enthusiast: this is our moment. We will  seize it and build world-class products that are proudly Indian and globally competitive. We will show the world that India isn't just a market - we're the next big tech powerhouse.

The era of Big Tech dictating terms in India is ending. Join us in this revolution and start building on https://maps.olakrutrim.com/ 

The world is watching, and India is rising. 

Jai Hind!