StoreRocket supports two map providers: Google Maps and Mapbox. Both work great, and you can switch between them anytime. Here's how they compare so you can pick the right one.
Quick comparison
Google Maps | Mapbox | |
Setup time | 10-15 minutes | 2 minutes |
Credit card required | Yes (even for free tier) | No |
Free tier | 10,000 loads/month per API | 50,000 loads/month |
Cost after free tier | $5-7 per 1,000 requests | $5 per 1,000 loads |
Search autocomplete | Google Places (very accurate) | Mapbox Geocoding (good) |
Marker clusters | Fully supported | Limited support |
Street View | Yes | No |
Look and feel | The map everyone recognizes | Modern, clean, customizable |
When to choose Google Maps
You want the most familiar map experience for your visitors
You need marker clusters for dense location areas
You want the most accurate address search (Google Places is hard to beat)
You don't mind spending 10 minutes setting up an API key
When to choose Mapbox
You want to get up and running in 2 minutes
You don't want to enter a credit card
Your store locator gets under 50,000 views per month (higher free tier)
You prefer a cleaner, more modern map design
How to set your map provider
Go to Map Provider settings
Select Google Maps or Mapbox
Paste your API key (for Google Maps, follow our API key setup guide. For Mapbox, you can get a free token at mapbox.com)
Click Save
Switching between providers
You can switch anytime. Go to Map Provider settings, select the other provider, add its API key or token, and click Save. Your embed code stays the same, so there is nothing to re-install on your website. The switch applies automatically.
Check your widget preview right after saving. The preview always shows the live version, so if the new map shows there, the switch worked.
My live site still shows the old map
This is almost always your browser or your website holding on to a saved copy of the page, not a problem with StoreRocket. The preview will already show the new map while your live page is still serving an older version. To clear it:
Hard refresh the page. On Mac press Cmd, Shift and R together. On Windows press Ctrl, Shift and R.
Open the page on your phone or in a private window, which skips your computer's saved copy.
If your website uses a caching or performance plugin, or a CDN like Cloudflare, clear or purge the cache for your store locator page.
After that the new map will show. If it still does not, send us the page URL on live chat and we will look at exactly what it is loading.
Pricing details
Google Maps
Each of the four required APIs has its own free tier of 10,000 requests per month. For most StoreRocket users, this means zero cost. If you exceed the free tier, rates are $5-7 per 1,000 additional requests. You'll need a Google Cloud account with billing enabled (credit card required even for the free tier).
Mapbox
50,000 free map loads per month and 100,000 free geocoding requests per month. After the free tier, it's $5 per 1,000 loads. No credit card required to start.
Still not sure?
If you're just getting started or testing things out, go with Mapbox. It's faster to set up and you can always switch to Google Maps later. If you need the most polished experience with marker clusters and Street View, go with Google Maps.
Questions? Hit us up on live chat.