Ola Krutrim on Thursday unveiled a compelling pricing and future roadmap for Ola Maps. This announcement comes a day after tech giant Google introduced reduced pricing for its Google Maps Platform at the Google I/O event in Bengaluru.
Krutrim has introduced a generous offer of free access for a year to Ola Maps APIs, which includes essential features such as Autocomplete, Reverse Geocoding, Vector Tiles and Directions. This free tier covers up to five million calls per month, aiming to support over 90 per cent of developers across the country.
Additionally, Krutrim is offering reduced pricing, equivalent to 50 per cent of Google Maps’ reduced rates, for larger volumes. For businesses committing to Ola Maps for 3+ years, they will receive two years of free access, possibly enhancing the cost-effectiveness of adopting Ola’s mapping infrastructure.
“It’s time we build world class alternatives to big tech giants and empower Indian innovation. I’m very excited to announce a further reduced pricing structure and our future product roadmap for Ola Maps. While all main APIs are supported by Ola Maps today, we will be feature-complete for all kinds of APIs, SDKs and niche use cases by December,” Bhavish Aggarwal, Founder, Krutrim said in a statement.
A key element of this announcement is Krutrim's strategy to partner with the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), a government initiative aimed at promoting digital commerce in India. Under this partnership, Krutrim will provide startups and small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) registered with ONDC with free access to Ola Maps APIs for a three-year period.
“ONDC welcomes Ola’s initiative to offer Ola Maps free for three years to startups and SMBs registered with ONDC Network. This move will significantly boost innovation among our network participants. It’s inspiring to see homegrown tech leaders supporting India's digital transformation. This partnership exemplifies the collaborative spirit driving our tech revolution forward,” said T Koshy, MD & CEO, ONDC.
On Wednesday, tech giant Google introduced India-specific pricing for the Google Maps Platform, with up to 70 per cent lower costs on most APIs. Collaborating with the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), Google is offering developers building for ONDC up to 90 per cent off on select Google Maps Platform APIs, in an effort to make it more affordable and accessible.