Mapbox Search Box vs a nearby search API

Mapbox Search Box and Good Enough Maps overlap in one place: both can help you find places. The useful split is interaction model: typed search text goes to Mapbox; a known coordinate plus a nearby query can go to a nearby search API.

Mapbox Search Box is built for interactive search experiences across addresses, places, and POIs. Good Enough Maps is a backend proximity search API: send query text plus latitude and longitude, get nearby JSON results.

What Mapbox Search Box is optimized for

Mapbox describes Search Box as a way to add interactive location search for addresses, places, and POIs (Search Box API docs). Its endpoints include:

• /suggest and /retrieve for interactive search
• /forward for text search
• /category for category search
• /reverse for reverse lookup

That is a broader search product than Good Enough Maps. If you need a full search box with suggestion and retrieval behavior, Mapbox is much closer to the product shape.

Mapbox also documents session-based pricing for suggest/retrieve flows and per-request billing for category/reverse flows on its Search Box product page. Check the current pricing page before committing, because search pricing changes over time.

What you are allowed to store

Mapbox’s Search Box docs say data returned by Search Box endpoints is available only for temporary use, and that users should contact sales if they need to store position data. Mapbox’s Geocoding API separately distinguishes temporary and permanent geocoding, with permanent geocoding enabled by permanent=true (Search Box API docs, Geocoding API docs).

The useful reminder: search providers differ not just on price, but on what you can do with results afterward.

Before choosing a provider, ask:

• Do we need autocomplete?
• Do we need address geocoding?
• Do we need to store coordinates or place records?
• Do we need map UI components?
• Do we need nearby business search from a backend job?

Different answers point to different products.

What Good Enough Maps is optimized for

Good Enough Maps is intentionally smaller:

curl -G "https://api.goodenoughmaps.com/v1/places" \
  --data-urlencode "q=coffee" \
  --data-urlencode "lat=40.7128" \
  --data-urlencode "lon=-74.0060" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $GOOD_ENOUGH_MAPS_API_KEY"

That call returns nearby places from open Overture-backed data. There is no browser SDK, no autocomplete session, no geocoder, no map widget, and no rich venue content.

The tradeoff is predictability. Plans are flat, quota-capped, and server-side by default.

Which one should you choose?

Use Mapbox Search Box when:

• the search box itself is the user experience
• you need suggestions as the user types
• you need address and POI search in one flow
• you already use Mapbox maps or search products
• storage and pricing rules fit your use case

Use Good Enough Maps when:

• your backend already has a coordinate
• you need “what places are near here?”
• a list of names, addresses, categories, and distances is enough
• hard monthly caps matter
• open-data foundations and custom account layers matter

The honest answer may be both: Mapbox or another geocoder to turn text into a coordinate, then Good Enough Maps for capped nearby search.

FAQ

Is Mapbox Search Box a Places API?

Effectively yes, but it is built for interactive address, place, and POI search. Its billing and integration model differ from a simple backend nearby-search endpoint.

When should I use Mapbox Search Box?

Use it when you need interactive search, autocomplete-style UX, address search, or Mapbox’s broader search stack.

When should I use Good Enough Maps instead?

Use Good Enough Maps when your backend already has a coordinate and needs flat-priced nearby place search as JSON.

Last validated 2026-06-23.