# Looking for an alternative to hosting Nominatim yourself? ## Need the benefits of open data without the complexity? ## Using open data via OpenCage can significantly reduce your costs ### The major differences between OpenCage and Nominatim - We use Nominatim, but we also use other open geocoders - We provide enterprise level reliability - We enhance the geocoding results with additional information ### Nominatim, and more First up, let's be clear: **we love Nominatim**. Nominatim is one of the main geocoders we run behind our API. - We help fund the work on Nominatim. - We contribute code fixes back. Our CTO is one of the top two Nominatim code contributors of all time. - We are pround corporate members of the OpenStreetMap Foundation. - We [do our part to give back to the open data and open source communities](https://opencagedata.com/about#geo-innovation). But ... [we ALSO run many other geocoders based on open data](https://opencagedata.com/credits). Why? The same reason you don't eat all your meals with a spoon. Different tools are better for different tasks. **Different geocoders and different datasets are better for different types of queries.** ![Robert Theml, Director, SIXT Share](https://assets.opencagedata.com/assets/testimonials/roberttheml-b0b865a8b7ada183ac280d3b631b36ba673d1887a686240a5e5f8d7d9de1b804.jpg "Robert Theml, Director, SIXT Share") Using open data has many benefits, doing it via OpenCage means one less thing for us to maintain. **Robert Theml** · Director · [SIXT Share](https://www.sixt.de/en/share/) ### Enterprise level reliability **Using OpenStreetMap's free public Nominatim service** for anything other than a small hobby project, is against [the official OSM usage policy](https://operations.osmfoundation.org/policies/nominatim/). No SLA, limited support, not built for production. **Running your own instance of Nominatim** avoids that problem. But it trades one problem for another: you now own the burden of keeping the software and the underlying OSM data current, forever. **We run multiple, fully-redundant data centers,** independently monitored (see [our status dashboard](https://status.opencagedata.com)), serving thousands of customers worldwide. You don't have to build that reliability yourself. ### Is self-hosting actually cheaper? **It depends,** but it's worth doing the full accounting: - **Server/infrastructure costs:** a Nominatim install needs a beefy, well-provisioned server (the official recommendation is a substantial amount of RAM and fast SSD storage). This alone is a real, ongoing cost, not a one-time setup fee. - **Initial import time:** importing a large dataset into Nominatim typically takes many hours to a few days of machine time, plus the engineering time to get it right the first time. - **Ongoing maintenance:** keeping the OSM data updated (diffs/replication), applying software updates, and handling anything that breaks along the way is an ongoing time cost, not a one-off. - **Engineering opportunity cost:** for most organisations, engineering time is the most expensive resource you have. Every hour spent on infrastructure is an hour not spent on your actual product. Compare that with **flat, affordable, predictable OpenCage subscription** with no infrastructure to manage. For many teams, once you honestly account for engineering time (not just server cost), self-hosting only makes sense at very specific volumes or with very specific requirements (see below). ![pricing](https://assets.opencagedata.com/assets/icon_pricing-358d8f692b2bcafa3f612c099291c581ff4020217b2d6fdbb0607a2b3877157b.png "pricing") [See OpenCage pricing](https://opencagedata.com/pricing) ### When self-hosting makes sense To be fair, self-hosting isn't always the wrong call. It's usually the right one if: - **You need it fully air-gapped.** No external network calls at all, for security, compliance, or data-sovereignty reasons. - **You're at extreme scale** where the marginal cost per request genuinely outweighs the ongoing infrastructure and engineering overhead, and you already have a team that can operate this kind of system as a core competency. - **You need to modify the geocoder itself** in ways that go beyond what any hosted API can offer. If none of those apply to you, the operational overhead usually isn't worth it versus our affordable, stable service. ### More is more We enhance our results with [annotations](https://opencagedata.com/api#annotations) (information like timezones, calling codes, FIPS codes, NUTS codes, currency, what3words, time of sunrise/sunset, and more), [well formatted address strings](https://opencagedata.com/api#formatted), and [confidence scores](https://opencagedata.com/api#confidence). The end result is we **save you expensive developer time and effort**. See our [Technical Migration Guide](https://opencagedata.com/guides/how-to-switch-from-nominatim) ### Frequently Asked Questions Is there an easy way to test OpenCage? Yes, try [our demo page](https://opencagedata.com/demo), or register for a free-trial (requires just an email, takes 1 min). Does OpenCage require a long-term commitment? No, cancel whenever you like for any reason. What does OpenCage do to support the OpenStreetMap community? A lot! We're proud to be corporate members of the OSM Foundation, sponsor events, and fund the development of Nominatim. [Learn more about our efforts](https://opencagedata.com/about#geo-innovation). ### Satisfied OpenCage Customers - [CallPass](https://callpass.com) - [cowboy](https://cowboy.com) - [Datawrapper](https://www.datawrapper.de) - [FORMATION](https://tryformation.com) - [GPS Chile](https://www.gpschile.com) - [Joblift](https://joblift.de) - [LightBug](https://lightbug.io) - [Nexxiot](https://nexxiot.com) - [Schibsted](https://www.schibsted.com) - [Phillips Connect](https://www.phillips-connect.com) - [Sixt](https://www.sixt.com) - [smugmug](https://www.smugmug.com) - [stuart](https://stuart.com) - [Telit](https://www.telit.com) - [Vismo](https://www.vismo.com) - [Vimcar](https://vimcar.de)