# AutoSugges vs Google Places Autocomplete

## Should I use Google Places Autocomplete or AutoSugges?

Use Google Places Autocomplete when people type real-world addresses, businesses or landmarks and you need Google's place data. Use AutoSugges when the options are a list you own or a reference dataset such as countries, currencies or industry codes, and you want one component, list-level query policy and answers served from the edge.

As of 2026-10-25.

## What Google Places Autocomplete is for

Google Places Autocomplete is part of Google Maps Platform. It predicts real-world places and addresses from Google's own place data as a user types, and pairs with Google's place details and geocoding services.

## Where Google Places Autocomplete fits better

- The options are street addresses, businesses or points of interest. AutoSugges ships no street-address or point-of-interest data.
- You need the place details, coordinates or geocoding that sit behind a selected prediction.
- You want Google's place data to be maintained by Google rather than by you or by a dataset source.

## Where AutoSugges fits better

- The options are a fixed vocabulary: countries, currencies, languages, industry or occupation codes, airports, vehicle makes. These are free, ready-made datasets with a recorded source and licence.
- The options are your own list, with your own aliases, hierarchy and display metadata such as flags.
- You want the query policy (minimum characters, debounce, result limit) set per list and delivered to the client, instead of coded into each form.
- You want one component for React, React Native and plain HTML.

## Side by side

| Aspect | Google Places Autocomplete | AutoSugges |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Built for | Predicting real-world places and addresses from Google's place data | Suggesting items from a list: your own, or a free platform reference dataset |
| The data | Place data maintained by Google | Your lists, plus platform datasets that each record a source, a licence and an authority class on a public page |
| What you set up | A Google Cloud project with billing enabled and an API key | A list and a publishable key. The key is public by design and safe in browser code; secret keys never belong there |
| Where answers come from | Google's service | Published lists served from the edge, no database call |
| Client | Google's widgets and client libraries for web and mobile platforms | One component for React, React Native and plain HTML, plus a headless hook for custom layouts |
| Terms and pricing | Governed by Google Maps Platform's terms and pricing; check the current versions | Free datasets are never priced on their own. Plans are priced on queries; see the pricing page |

## Frequently asked questions

### Can AutoSugges autocomplete street addresses?

No. AutoSugges ships no street-address or point-of-interest data. It suggests items from lists: platform reference datasets such as cities, airports, subdivisions and countries, or lists you publish yourself. For addresses, use an address or places service.

### Can I use both in one form?

Yes. Use a places service for the street address field and AutoSugges for fields backed by a fixed list, such as country, currency or industry code. Selecting a child item in a hierarchical AutoSugges list also returns its ancestors, so choosing a city can fill its country.

### Do I need a secret key in the browser?

No. An AutoSugges publishable key is public by design and safe in client code. Secret keys never belong in a browser or a mobile bundle.

### How does AutoSugges answer a query?

Each query is answered from your published list at the edge. No database is called on this path.

### Where do I check Google's current terms and pricing?

On Google Maps Platform's own documentation and pricing pages. This page states no Google prices, because they change and are Google's to publish.

Product and company names belong to their owners and are used only to identify the products compared. AutoSugges is not affiliated with or endorsed by them. Statements about other products are general descriptions as of the date shown; check each vendor’s own documentation for current details.

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Canonical page: https://autosugges.com/compare/google-places-autocomplete