Comparisons
/
Routing APIs
/
HERE vs Google Maps
/
updated August 2026 — revised for Google Large Vehicle Routing

HERE Routing API vs Google Large Vehicle Routing — Fleet & Logistics Comparison 2026

Google added a commercial vehicle profile in August 2026. A field-tested breakdown for engineering teams evaluating routing APIs for trucks, fleets and last-mile delivery — what changed, what did not, and which constraints still decide the platform.

Get API Key - no demo call required
HERE Gold Partner since 2016
10 years of integration experience
API key in 1 business day

PARTNER PRICING TIER

LOWER COST AT SCALE

200

+

COUNTRIES

1

DAY

API KEY TURNAROUND

10

YR

HERE GOLD PARTNER

TL;DR · The verdict

Google now does truck routing. It does not do truck tolls, and it stops at the state line

In August 2026 Google Maps Platform launched Large Vehicle Routing — a real commercial vehicle profile with dimensions, gross weight, axle count and hazardous goods classes, plus truck-observed speed data for ETAs. For a US domestic carrier running an online dispatch stack, that is a working truck routing engine. We had said Google could not do this. It can now, and this page has been corrected.

What Google's own documentation lists as unsupported: truck toll prices, speed limits, and routing for radioactive hazardous materials. Coverage is limited to the 48 contiguous states. There is no offline navigation. And Google disclaims reliance explicitly — the response can flag that restrictions were partially ignored, and drivers are told not to rely solely on the route being safe or legal.

HERE is still the right choice when your trucks cross into Canada or Mexico, when your dispatcher needs toll cost before the load is quoted, when your driver app has to work without signal, or when your jurisdiction regulates weight by axle group. Google Large Vehicle Routing is now a credible option for US-only, always-online routing where tolls are somebody else's problem.

Best for cross-border fleets
Best for toll-sensitive dispatch
Best for offline driver apps
Comparison table

HERE vs Google Large Vehicle Routing, line by line

Placematic has been integrating HERE into production logistics systems since 2016. Google capability rows are sourced from Google's own large vehicle routing documentation, verified August 2026. Where we are not certain, we say so rather than assert an absence.

Feature
HERE
via placematic
Google Maps Platform
Truck / commercial vehicle profile
Full profile, 200+ countries
Yes — 48 contiguous US states, since Aug 2026
Vehicle dimensions and gross weight
Height, width, length, trailer length, gross / current / empty weight
Total height, width, length, gross weight
Axle configuration
Axle count, weight per axle, weight per axle group (single, tandem, triple, quad, quint)
Axle count — verify per-axle-group support
Hazardous cargo
11 classes including radioactive, plus ADR tunnel category B/C/D/E
Hazardous goods classes — radioactive not supported
Truck toll cost with vehicle profile
Yes
Not supported (Google documentation)
Posted speed limits returned
Yes
Not supported (Google documentation)
Geographic coverage for truck routing
200+ countries
48 contiguous US states
Offline turn-by-turn for trucks
Yes — SDK Navigate Edition
Not available
Renderable truck restriction map layers
Yes
Applied when routing, not exposed as map layers
Hours of service (HOS)
External layer required
External layer required
Truck-aware route matrix
Yes
Yes
GPS trace to road segments (map matching)
Yes — Route Matching
No equivalent product
Fleet VRP: capacity, time windows, multi-depot
Tour Planning
Route Optimization API — compare on your problem shape
EV routing for large vehicles
Yes
Not covered by LVR
Access model
API key in 1 business day, no call
GA, provisioned on request
Compliance posture
Commercial road attributes maintained since 2016
Restrictions may be partially ignored; Google disclaims reliance
On-premise deployment
Enterprise Plan
Not available
Data sovereignty / GDPR
Full control
Limited
Integration support
Dedicated Placematic team
Self-serve

Google capability rows verified August 2026 against Google's large vehicle routing documentation. HERE matrix ceilings depend on mode — Flexible, Region or Profile — and on synchronous versus asynchronous submission. A truck-constrained matrix with live traffic runs in Flexible mode. Verify against the HERE Matrix Routing v8 specification before architecting.

Get API Key
Pricing

Comparable entry rates — the difference is the SKU, the mix, and the meter

Google Maps Platform bills per API call across Essentials, Pro and Enterprise tiers. HERE bills per request, with an asset-based model available for fleets — priced per tracked vehicle rather than per call.

HERE Routing API via Placematic
Recommended

$2.92

/ 1,000 requests

Volume tiers · 5,000 free per month

Truck routing counts as a standard routing request — same rate as a car route
Asset-based pricing available: per tracked vehicle, not per call
No credit card to start testing
Volume discounts from day one
Dedicated integration support included
Get API Key
Google Maps Platform
Competitor

$5.00

/ 1,000 requests

Compute Routes Essentials · billing account required

Large vehicle routing requires the traffic-aware optimal preference, which bills above the Essentials rate
Per-request billing only
Credit card required to start
Pricing changed three times since 2018
Truck tolls not returned — budget a separate toll engine
No integration support
See full comparison

Google rates from Google Maps Platform core services pricing, August 2026. HERE rates are Placematic Gold Partner reference list prices. Large vehicle routing SKU attribution derived from Google's documented requirement for the traffic-aware optimal routing preference — confirm your exact SKU in the Google console before modelling. Actual costs depend on usage volume and API mix. Contact us for a custom quote.

Cost calculator

Estimate your cost difference — drag to your monthly API call volume

Inputs

Monthly API call volume Select pricing tier
Primary API type Pick one product
Estimated monthly cost
Range for < 30k calls · Autocomplete
$0–$0USD/mo
Volume tier< 30k
ProductAutocomplete
Effective rate$0/1k
Based on Placematic Gold Partner pricing
Get exact quote

No commitment required. Scoped pilot available.

Ready for your exact monthly cost? Calculate precise pricing →

WHERE TEAMS PICK HERE

Where HERE is still the only one that answers

Google Large Vehicle Routing closed the gap on US domestic truck routing. These four cases it did not close.

01

Cross-border fleets

Google Large Vehicle Routing covers the 48 contiguous states. HERE carries commercial road attributes in 200+ countries. If your lanes touch Canada or Mexico, the evaluation ends here.
02

Toll cost before dispatch

HERE returns expected toll for the vehicle you described — class, axles, dimensions, weight. Google documents truck toll prices as unsupported. If you quote freight before the truck moves, that number is the quote. What that number is worth on one Illinois lane →
03

Offline driver apps

HERE SDK Navigate Edition does on-device turn-by-turn with offline maps and on-device recalculation, including truck profiles. Google's Navigation SDK supports large vehicle routes online, by route token.
04

Regulated cargo and axle-group weight

The full ADR set including radioactive, tunnel categories B through E, and weight per axle group — single, tandem, triple, quad, quint. US federal bridge formula is written per axle group, not per axle.
Technical specs

The numbers under the hood

Key technical differences that matter when you move from prototype to production.

Truck-aware routing on both platforms — the difference is the constraint tail

Google's Routes API added a truck profile in August 2026: travelMode=TRUCK with total height, width, length, gross weight, axle count and hazardous goods classification, requiring the traffic-aware optimal routing preference. In the 48 contiguous states it will route a 4.1 m trailer around a 3.4 m bridge.

HERE ships a wider commercial vehicle profile: dimensions, gross and per-axle weight, weight per axle group across five group types, axle count, ADR tunnel category, eleven hazardous-cargo classes, and KPRA length for California and Idaho restrictions.

Three differences are structural rather than incremental. Google returns no toll cost for trucks and no speed limits — both listed as unsupported in its own documentation. Coverage stops at the contiguous 48. And Google's disclaimer is explicit: the response can flag that restrictions were partially ignored, and drivers must not rely solely on the returned route being safe or legal.

Metric HERE Google
Truck profile Native, 200+ countries 48 contiguous US states
Axle group weight Five group types Verify
Hazmat classes 11, incl. radioactive Radioactive not supported
ADR tunnel category B / C / D / E No documented equivalent
Truck toll cost Yes Not supported
Speed limits Yes Not supported

Batch processing and structured data at enterprise scale

HERE Geocoding API returns structured address data with postal-level accuracy across 200+ countries. Batch geocoding is available for bulk address processing — critical for fleet onboarding, territory setup, and data enrichment pipelines.

Google Geocoding API performs well for single address lookups. HERE Batch API v7 provides a dedicated asynchronous job API for bulk address processing — create, poll, retrieve — priced separately from real-time geocoding.

Metric HERE Google
Batch geocoding Native Not available
Countries covered 200+ 200+
Structured address output Full Partial
Reverse geocoding Yes Yes
Postal-level accuracy Yes Partial

Async matrix at fleet scale — not the same product

HERE Matrix Routing v8 computes up to 10,000 × 10,000 origins/destinations asynchronously within a bounded region — the scale required for real depot-to-stop optimization across large fleets. Sync limits and traffic-aware modes have lower ceilings; see the Matrix Routing v8 specification.

Google Distance Matrix API standard tier caps at 25 × 25. Scaling beyond that requires the Advanced tier at double cost per element — and still doesn't reach HERE's limits.

Metric HERE Google
Max matrix size 10,000 × 10,000 (async, bounded region) See Google's per-endpoint limits
Async processing Yes No
Truck-aware distances Yes Yes
Cost per element at scale Lower 2× at Adv. tier

Full navigation SDK — including indoor and positioning

HERE SDK supports iOS, Android, and web with full map rendering, turn-by-turn navigation, and live traffic. HERE Positioning API adds Wi-Fi and cell-based indoor positioning — relevant for warehouse operations, indoor fleet tracking, and last-mile handoff scenarios.

Google Maps SDK covers iOS, Android, and web for consumer navigation. Indoor positioning for logistics environments is not available — relevant if your use case extends beyond outdoor routing.

Metric HERE Google
iOS / Android / Web SDK Yes Yes
Turn-by-turn navigation Yes Yes
Indoor positioning Yes No
Offline maps Yes Not available for truck navigation
Custom map styles Yes Yes
Social proof

Trusted by teams building on HERE

Arobs ATT Bianco Logistic Budmat Colmec Control System DHL eLeader Elicab EM Trans Eurocash Formula Frachtero Fulogics Gannet Greenlight Hogs JIT Logistik Legaltrans Logisat Lontext Makotsl MOBA Moobitum Movme Onyx oTanki Petrotrans Resco Rohlig Suus Satis SKK UAB Brunas Vemoco Via Way4Net WidziszWszystko Windsoft Yusen Arobs ATT Bianco Logistic Budmat Colmec Control System DHL eLeader Elicab EM Trans Eurocash Formula Frachtero Fulogics Gannet Greenlight Hogs JIT Logistik Legaltrans Logisat Lontext Makotsl MOBA Moobitum Movme Onyx oTanki Petrotrans Resco Rohlig Suus Satis SKK UAB Brunas Vemoco Via Way4Net WidziszWszystko Windsoft Yusen

“We cut our routing bill by more than half moving from Google Maps to HERE through Placematic — and finally got truck-legal ETAs our dispatchers trust.“

VP Engineering · GreenLight ELD

Getting started

Live in three steps — starting today

1

Request your API key

No demo call. No credit card. Tell us your use case and we send credentials within 1 business day.
Get API Key
DIFFERENTIATOR
2

Test in sandbox

Run your real routes against HERE APIs. Compare accuracy, latency, and cost against what you're running today.
3

Go live with support

Placematic's integration team is available throughout your build — from first API call to production deployment.
FAQ

Questions developers ask before switching

HERE APIs are REST-based and work with any language or framework. If you’re currently on Google Maps, the endpoint structure is similar — most teams complete a working integration within a few days. Placematic provides migration support at no extra cost.

At low volumes the difference is modest on both platforms. Two structural differences show up at scale. First, a truck route on HERE is a standard routing request — same rate and same free allowance as a car route. Google’s large vehicle routing requires the traffic-aware optimal preference, which bills above its Essentials rate. Second, geocoding: HERE runs from roughly $0.88 per 1,000 against Google’s $5.00. Geocoding-heavy fleet workloads see the largest gap. We model your actual per-endpoint call counts rather than quoting a percentage.

Yes. Request your API key at placematic.com/api-key/ — no demo call required. You’ll receive credentials within 1 business day scoped to your use case.

No contract required for pilot access. We scope credentials to your use case, you test in sandbox, and we discuss commercial terms only when you’re ready to go to production.

Google launched Large Vehicle Routing in August 2026. It supports vehicle dimensions, gross weight, axle count and hazardous goods classes, and it works well for US domestic routing. Its documented limits: no truck toll prices, no speed limits, no radioactive hazmat, and coverage restricted to the 48 contiguous states. There is no offline navigation, and access is provisioned on request rather than enabled by default. If your routes stay inside the contiguous US, run online, and don’t need toll cost at dispatch, Google is now a genuine option. If any one of those conditions fails, HERE is still the only one that answers.

No. Google’s large vehicle routing documentation lists truck toll prices as unsupported. HERE returns expected toll cost computed against the vehicle profile you supply — class, axle count, dimensions and weight. If you price freight before dispatch, this is not a reporting difference; it is the difference between having the number and not having it.

Answer three questions first. Do your lanes leave the 48 contiguous states? Do you need toll cost before the load is quoted? Does your driver app need to work without signal? A yes to any of them settles it. If all three are no, and your volume is modest, Google may well be the pragmatic choice and we would rather tell you that than sell you something you don’t need.

Placematic is a HERE Gold Partner with 10 years of production integrations. You get faster API access, lower pricing through our partner tier, and a dedicated integration team — none of which are available when purchasing HERE directly at standard rates.

Start with HERE Routing today

No demo call. No credit card. API key within 1 business day.

Get API Key
Book a demo

HERE Gold Partner since 2016 · Full integration support · Placematic USA LLC