Unique API
A single API to cover all your use-cases, with a simple and transparent pricing.
Algolia Places shut down: the alternative by ex-Algolia engineers
Algolia Places stopped serving results on May 31, 2022, and Algolia never shipped a replacement: the API is down, the dashboard is gone, and places.js is archived, still installable but with no endpoint left to call (sunset announcement). PlaceKit is the drop-in path out: the same Algolia search engine, the same typo-tolerant address autocomplete, a JavaScript library that swaps in where places.js used to be, and the first 10,000 requests free every month.
We are the two former Algolia employees who took on a mission to revive Algolia Places and bring it further, into a full geocoding service: forward and reverse geocoding, back-end access, live patching. Migrating a checkout field takes one init call, see the side-by-side snippet below.
Is Algolia Places still available?
No. Algolia gave 18 months of notice and Algolia Places stopped serving results on May 31, 2022: the API is down, the dashboard is gone, and places.js is archived, still installable from npm but useless without the endpoints it calls. Algolia has not shipped a replacement. PlaceKit is the successor, built by two former Algolia engineers, one of whom led Algolia Places: worldwide address autocomplete and two-way geocoding in a single API, still powered by the Algolia search engine, with JavaScript and React autocomplete libraries and the first 10,000 requests free every month.
Yes, it is really gone
If you landed here from an old tutorial, the endpoints are down and the libraries are frozen. Sources: Algolia's sunset announcement and the archived algolia/places repository, checked September 16, 2026.
- Notice given
- 18 months
- API shut down
- May 2022
- places.js repository
- Archived
- Last documented data refresh
- Oct 2019
Migrate from places.js in one init call
One public API key instead of an app ID plus a search key, target instead of container for your input (both take an element or a selector), and a pick event instead of change. Coordinates and address parts already come back with every suggestion, so there is no second lookup to add.
import places from 'places.js';
const placesAutocomplete = places({
appId: '<your-places-app-id>',
apiKey: '<your-places-api-key>',
container: document.querySelector('#address'),
countries: ['fr'],
type: 'address',
});
placesAutocomplete.on('change', (e) => {
console.log(e.suggestion.name, e.suggestion.latlng);
});import placekitAutocomplete from '@placekit/autocomplete-js';
import '@placekit/autocomplete-js/dist/placekit-autocomplete.css';
const pka = placekitAutocomplete('<your-public-api-key>', {
target: '#address',
countries: ['fr'],
types: ['street'],
});
pka.on('pick', (value, item) => {
console.log(item.name, item.coordinates);
});- Create a free account and copy your public API key: no credit card, the first 10,000 requests each month are free.
- Install
@placekit/autocomplete-js, or@placekit/autocomplete-reactfor React, or@placekit/client-jsto geocode from your back-end. - Replace the
places()call withplacekitAutocomplete()and move yourchangehandler topick. - Keep both running side by side while you compare results: the free quota covers a full test campaign.
Full reference and framework examples are in the developers section.
PlaceKit vs. Algolia Places
Algolia Places was mostly just an address autocomplete, so we took it further to provide a complete geocoding solution.
| Features | Algolia Places | PlaceKit |
|---|---|---|
AutocompleteProviding a customizable address autocomplete experience. | ||
Algolia Search engineBlazing-fast response times, typo-tolerant and high-relevance search powered by Algolia engine. | ||
Back-end integrationMake geocoding requests from the back-end. | ||
Reverse geocodingSearch with coordinates to get surrounding addresses. | ||
Map integrationUse response coordinates to display the address on a map. | ||
Live patchingPatch errors you spot on your end and make them instantly available to your users. | ||
Store locatorDefine custom POIs and help your users find the closest ones to their location. | beta |
Google Places and Mapbox alternative
Existing solutions have a poor developer experience, locking developers into their ecosystem with limited customization. Their pricing is purposely confusing, often split across multiple APIs, making it hard to forecast your expenses and easy to over-pay. PlaceKit makes it easy 👇.
Developer experience
Integrate anywhere with our fully customizable and extensible autocomplete library.
Live patching
Patch errors you spot on your end and make them instantly available to your users.
Use-cases
A unique API to cover all your use-cases. Integrate with any technical stack, from front-end experiences to back-end automations.
Address autocomplete
Help your users find their address with a few keystrokes thanks to our libraries.
Checkout autofill
Use our autocomplete to autofill checkouts with valid addresses and reduce misshipments.
Map integration
Use our geocoding data to drop pins on a map, integrating with any map provider.
Store locator
soonDefine custom POIs and help your users find the closest ones to their location.
Frequently asked questions
What replaced Algolia Places?
Nothing inside Algolia. We built PlaceKit to be the closest replacement: the same Algolia search engine under the hood, the same typo-tolerant address autocomplete, plus back-end geocoding, reverse geocoding, live patching and a store locator (beta) that Algolia Places never had. Google Places and Mapbox are the other common options; the comparison table on this page lists the differences feature by feature.
How do I migrate from places.js to @placekit/autocomplete-js?
Swap the init call. places.js took an app ID plus a search API key, @placekit/autocomplete-js takes a single public API key. You still hand it your input the same way, as an element or as a selector, only the option name changes: container becomes target. It emits a pick event where places.js emitted change. Options you already know carry over almost unchanged: countries and language keep their names, while the type string becomes a types array whose values are renamed (address becomes street, busStop and trainStation become bus and train). Every result already carries the coordinates and the address parts, so there is no second lookup to add. The side-by-side snippet in the migration section on this page is the whole diff for a typical checkout field.
Does PlaceKit cost the same as Algolia Places did?
Algolia Places was bundled into an Algolia plan, so there is no like-for-like price to compare. PlaceKit is billed on its own, per request, with no plans and no feature gating: the first 10,000 requests each month are free, then $0.0030 per request going down to $0.0010 at high volume, on a single counter across every feature. See the pricing section below for the full grid.
Is the data comparable to what Algolia Places returned?
It is the same kind of open data, refreshed since. Algolia Places indexed OpenStreetMap, GeoNames and national datasets such as France BAN, and the freshest dump documented in its archived repository dates from October 2019, with the BAN extract going back to 2018. PlaceKit indexes those same sources and keeps them current, across 246 of the 249 ISO 3166-1 countries, with results in their local language plus English and French translations. When you spot a wrong or missing address, live patching lets you fix it for your users immediately instead of waiting for an upstream correction.
Pricing
Pay per request, per month. Period.
No limitations, no hidden costs.
10k requests/month
$0 /month
Pay-as-you-go
- Access all features for free, first 10k requests per month are on us. No credit card required.
Volume discounts
- We offer a fair volume-based discount policy. Contact us to commit and save even more.
Transparent & predictable
- Accurately forecast your expenses with our simple per-request pricing and usage dashboard.