Tool profile
GraphHopper: cost, fit and limits
GraphHopper is a routing and route optimization API made by GraphHopper GmbH, based in Munich, that developers call to compute distances, directions and multi-vehicle delivery plans. It is sold as monthly credit plans from 69 to 479 euros, with a free tier for non-commercial use and open-source projects behind it.
What to know first
GraphHopper is a component, not a dispatch product. A developer sends locations and vehicles in an API request and gets routes back, paying in daily credits. Prices are printed in euros: 69, 199 and 479 a month for Basic, Standard and Premium, plus a free tier of 500 credits a day for non-commercial use. There is no driver app or customer tracking.
GraphHopper at a glance
| Maker | GraphHopper GmbH, Germany |
|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes |
| Entry price | 69 euros per month (Basic) |
| API access | Yes |
| Category | Best AI Route Planning Software in 2026, rank 8 of 10 |
| Website | graphhopper.com |
Who GraphHopper is best for
Software companies adding routing to a product
Per-request limits and daily credits suit embedding route optimization behind your own interface, with your own driver app and customer screens.
Mixed-vehicle delivery planning
The documentation lets one problem combine profiles from cargo bikes and scooters to large trucks, each with custom capacity dimensions such as weight, volume or wheelchair space.
Skill-constrained scheduling
The API accepts any number of skills per driver, multiple time windows per customer and a service time per stop for certified work.
Prototype and academic projects
A free tier of 500 credits a day and forum support covers experiments, though it is limited to non-commercial use.
GraphHopper plans and pricing
| Plan | Price | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | 0 euros | 500 credits a day, 5 locations and 1 vehicle per request, limited rate, non-commercial use only, forum support. |
| Basic | 69 euros per month | 5,000 credits a day, up to 30 locations and 2 vehicles per request, 1 request per second and 100 credits per minute. |
| Standard | 199 euros per month | 15,000 credits a day, up to 80 locations and 10 vehicles per request, 2 requests per second and 400 credits per minute. |
| Premium | 479 euros per month | 50,000 credits a day, up to 200 locations and 20 vehicles per request, 10 requests per second and 1,000 credits per minute. |
| Custom | Quote with bulk discount | Custom credits and rate limits, bulk discount, and up to 10,000 locations and 200 vehicles per request. |
Checked November 2026.
What GraphHopper does
- Optimization goals
- The API lets you minimize the number of drivers, balance load across drivers or reduce the makespan, so the same stops can be planned toward different business goals.
- Historic traffic
- Routes are optimized using historic travel time data from anonymously collected data points, not live traffic, according to the documentation. The pricing page itself says nothing about traffic data, so verify it against the documentation.
- Vehicle profiles
- Profiles from cargo bikes to large trucks can be mixed in one problem, and custom vehicle types model capacity dimensions beyond weight. The free plan limits the set of vehicle profiles available.
- Open-source roots
- The page links separate open-source projects, jsprit and the GraphHopper Routing Engine on GitHub, though it does not say the optimization API itself is open source.
- Credit costs
- Route optimization credit cost per request is not on the pricing page; it links to a separate article, so a developer must estimate usage before buying.
How GraphHopper handles your data
The pages read for GraphHopper give the company address in Munich, Germany, and link to a privacy policy, but do not describe data hosting, GDPR handling or certifications. They do not say whether request data such as customer addresses is stored or used for model training, so the vendor's policy was not checked for this. The route optimization page states traffic data is aggregated from anonymously collected data points. Developers sending personal addresses should obtain a data processing agreement and ask where requests are logged and for how long before production use.
Where GraphHopper falls short in practice
- No dispatch interface. GraphHopper returns JSON, not a dispatcher screen. A logistics team without developers needs another product for driver apps, proof of delivery and notifications. Support comes as a forum on Free, email on Basic and Standard, and telephone on Premium.
- Per-request caps. Even Premium limits a request to 200 locations and 20 vehicles, so a large fleet needs the Custom plan, which allows up to 10,000 locations and 200 vehicles.
- Credit math is opaque. The cost in credits of each optimization request is not on the pricing page, so predicting a monthly bill needs a test against the credit-cost article.
Works with
Alternatives to GraphHopper
GraphHopper: common questions
Can I use GraphHopper for free?
Yes, for non-commercial use only. The free plan gives 500 credits a day, 5 locations and 1 vehicle per request, limited rates and forum support. A business routing real deliveries needs Basic at 69 euros a month or higher. The free plan needs no credit card, and sign-up runs through the dashboard.
How many vehicles can GraphHopper optimize in one request?
One on Free, 2 on Basic, 10 on Standard and 20 on Premium. Custom allows up to 200 vehicles and 10,000 locations per request. The limit applies per optimization request, not to your total fleet size. Prices exclude VAT and are billed automatically by credit card or debit.
Does GraphHopper use live traffic?
The route optimization page says routes use historic travel time data aggregated from anonymously collected data points. Live traffic is not mentioned, so a dispatcher who needs real-time disruption handling should add a layer on top or choose a platform.
Does GraphHopper include AI?
The pricing and optimization pages do not describe AI features. They document constraint handling, optimization goals and historic travel times. Buyers wanting machine-learning assignment should compare other products, since GraphHopper returns optimizer output without any learned scoring layer described on these pages.
Where is GraphHopper located?
The pricing page gives Lipowskystr. 30, 81373 Munich, Germany. The pages read do not state server hosting, so confirm hosting region and data processing terms in writing if you route customer addresses. The pricing page states a 99.5 percent monthly availability target, with a 10 percent discount below it and 50 percent below 99 percent.