OpenStreetMap Geocoder

Forward and reverse geocoding built on OpenStreetMap data via the free Komoot Photon service — turn place names into coordinates, or coordinates into addresses. No API key, no Google Maps billing account, no per-request contract.

What it does

Two modes in one Actor:

• Forward geocoding (mode: forward) — send free text like Eiffel Tower or 1600 Pennsylvania Ave and get ranked matches with latitude, longitude, a display name, an OSM category/type and the underlying OSM identifiers.
• Reverse geocoding (mode: reverse) — send a latitude and longitude and get the nearest addressable places back.

Results come from OpenStreetMap under the ODbL licence, which is stated in every record's licence field so attribution obligations are never a mystery.

Features

• Both directions — forward (text → coordinates) and reverse (coordinates → address).
• No API key, no billing account — a direct alternative to the Google Maps Geocoding API.
• Language preference — language returns names in en, de, fr, and more.
• OSM identifiers included — osmType and osmId let you join back to raw OpenStreetMap data.
• Category and type on every hit, so you can filter to the kind of place you actually want.
• Licence field on each record — ODbL attribution is documented in the data itself.
• No proxy required — the upstream service is a public API, so runs stay cheap.

What people use it for

• Batch-geocode a customer, supplier or store list before mapping it.
• Add coordinates to CRM or spreadsheet records that only carry an address.
• Reverse-geocode GPS traces, IoT pings or delivery logs into readable places.
• Give an AI agent or chatbot a location-lookup tool without Google billing.
• Validate and normalise user-entered addresses in a signup flow.

Forward vs reverse, side by side

Forward geocoding — text in, coordinates out:

{ "mode": "forward", "query": "Eiffel Tower", "limit": 5, "language": "en" }

Reverse geocoding — coordinates in, places out:

{ "mode": "reverse", "latitude": 48.8584, "longitude": 2.2945, "limit": 1 }

Attribution

The underlying data is © OpenStreetMap contributors, licensed under the Open Database License (ODbL). If you publish maps or derived databases built from these results, you must credit OpenStreetMap and respect the ODbL's share-alike terms. The licence field is carried on every record as a reminder.

Input

Set mode first: forward uses query, reverse uses latitude and longitude.

Field	Type	Default	What it does
mode (required)	string	forward	forward: text query to coordinates. reverse: coordinates to address. Options: forward, reverse.
query	string	Eiffel Tower	Free-text location, e.g. 'Eiffel Tower' or '1600 Pennsylvania Ave'.
latitude	number	—	Latitude for reverse geocoding.
longitude	number	—	Longitude for reverse geocoding.
limit	integer	10	Max records to return. Range 1–50.
language	string	en	Preferred result language (ISO 639-1), e.g. 'en', 'de', 'fr'.
proxyConfiguration	object	see below	Proxy settings for targets that block datacenter IPs. Use Apify Residential proxy for best results on sites with anti-bot.

Input example

{
  "mode": "reverse",
  "latitude": 48.8584,
  "longitude": 2.2945,
  "limit": 1,
  "query": "Eiffel Tower",
  "language": "en",
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": false
  }
}

Output

One record per match, ordered by relevance. displayName is the human-readable label; lat/lon are the coordinates; category and type describe what kind of place it is.

Every dataset record contains: query, placeId, displayName, lat, lon, type, category, importance, osmType, osmId, licence, address, boundingBox, fetchedAt.

Output example

A real record from a run of this Actor:

{
  "query": null,
  "placeId": "13665571861",
  "displayName": "Madame Brasserie, Avenue Anatole France, 5, Paris, Île-de-France, France",
  "lat": "48.8584481",
  "lon": "2.2945757",
  "type": "fast_food",
  "category": "amenity",
  "importance": "amenity/fast_food",
  "osmType": "N",
  "osmId": "13665571861",
  "licence": "ODbL (OpenStreetMap contributors)",
  "address": {
    "name": "Madame Brasserie",
    "street": "Avenue Anatole France",
    "city": "Paris",
    "country": "France"
  },
  "boundingBox": null,
  "fetchedAt": "2026-08-22T06:32:15.811Z"
}

Export the dataset as JSON, CSV, Excel, XML or JSONL from the Console, or pull it programmatically through the Apify API and any of the official clients.

How to use it

1. Click Try for free (or Start if you already have an Apify account).
2. Fill in the input fields described above — the defaults already produce a working run.
3. Press Start and watch the log; results stream into the dataset as they are found.
4. When the run finishes, open the Output/Storage tab and export as JSON, CSV or Excel.

Runs can be scheduled (hourly, daily, weekly) and wired into Slack, Google Sheets, Zapier, Make, webhooks or your own backend through Apify integrations. Everything the Console does is also available over the Apify API.

Proxy configuration

This Actor accepts a standard Apify proxy configuration object. Residential proxy is the default because the target site rate-limits datacenter IP ranges; you can select a specific exit country or supply your own proxy URLs.

{
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true,
    "apifyProxyGroups": [
      "RESIDENTIAL"
    ]
  }
}

Pricing

This Actor is billed on Apify's pay-per-event model: a small charge when a run starts, plus a charge for each result written to the dataset. You only pay for records you actually receive — a run that finds nothing costs only the start event. Current rates are always shown on the Pricing tab of this page, and the run log prints your usage as it goes.

Free-plan credits from Apify cover a large amount of light usage, so you can evaluate the Actor before committing to anything.

FAQ

How is this different from the Google Maps Geocoding API?

Same job, different data and commercial model: OpenStreetMap data via a free public service, with no API key, no billing account and no per-1000-request pricing. Google's coverage of house numbers and business POIs is stronger in some regions; OSM is often better on amenities and in mapped-community areas. For bulk work the cost difference is substantial.

Why did a reverse lookup return a restaurant instead of a street address?

Reverse geocoding returns the nearest mapped features, and in dense areas that is frequently a POI rather than a street address. Raise limit to see several candidates, then filter on category or type for the kind of feature you want.

Can I geocode a whole spreadsheet in one run?

Each run handles one query or one coordinate pair. To batch, create an Apify task per query, or call the Actor from the API in a loop — the runs are lightweight and inexpensive.

Do I need to enable the proxy?

No. The upstream service is a public API and doesn't block datacenter IPs, so the proxy is off by default.

Is the data good enough for production?

For most address and POI lookups, yes — OpenStreetMap is the same data behind many commercial products. Coverage is uneven by region, so spot-check your target geography before you depend on it.

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Legal and responsible use

This Actor collects only publicly available information. You are responsible for how you use the data, including compliance with the target site's Terms of Service, robots directives, copyright, and data protection law such as GDPR and CCPA. Do not use it to gather personal data without a lawful basis.

Support and feedback

Found a bug, hit a site change, or need an extra field? Open a ticket on the Issues tab of this Actor — issues are read and fixed. Feature requests and custom-scraper enquiries are welcome through the same channel.