Compare software

Nominatim vs Pelias: catalog facts
Nominatim	Pelias
Best for: Adding address search and reverse geocoding backed by OpenStreetMap	Best for: Running your own geocoder that combines several open data sources
Free Free and open source; the public API is free for occasional use under a usage policy.	Free Free and open source to self-host; a separate cloud webservice is also offered.
Web, Self-hosted	Self-hosted
Forward and reverse geocoding on OpenStreetMap data Scales from one city to the whole planet All 4 strengths for Nominatim Forward and reverse geocoding on OpenStreetMap data Scales from one city to the whole planet Minutely updates keep data current Structured queries for bulk address geocoding	Imports OpenStreetMap, OpenAddresses, Who's On First, GeoNames and CSV data Forward and reverse geocoding All 3 strengths for Pelias Imports OpenStreetMap, OpenAddresses, Who's On First, GeoNames and CSV data Forward and reverse geocoding Docker setup for local installation
Public API is limited to occasional use A full planet import needs a large server	Several services and Elasticsearch to run and maintain Aimed at developers rather than end users
Self-hosted, Hosted service	Self-hosted
Open source	Open source
License not stated	License not stated
No account needed	No account needed
Not stated if it works offline	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Sources for Nominatim nominatim.org Catalog checked September 23, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Sources for Pelias pelias.io Catalog checked September 23, 2026

“Not stated” means we have not confirmed it. Features can vary by device and plan.