Places API is a postcode lookup and address autocomplete service from KARB bv, focused on addresses in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg. A typical use case is a website form where users enter a postcode and house number, and the system automatically fills in the street and city, or provides address suggestions while the user is typing. Its positioning is closer to a region-specific address data API than to a global map search service.
It provides a RESTful JSON API, with an example endpoint at /api/v1/autocomplete. Authentication is handled via X-API-Key, and responses include fields such as street, house_number, postcode, city, and country. On the frontend, it offers a JavaScript Widget that can be embedded via a script tag. It supports both zero-JavaScript usage with data attributes and a JavaScript API via PlacesAutocomplete.init, allowing configuration of country and limit, as well as listening for the places:select event. The official materials state that it works with any framework or plain HTML, but do not mention backend SDKs, a CLI, or language bindings.
The service emphasizes that its address data comes from official sources: the Dutch Kadaster BAG, Belgiumβs BeSt Address Register, and relevant official address data sources in Luxembourg, with regular updates. In terms of hosting, the product is developed by teams in Belgium and the Netherlands and hosted in Germany. Its terms list Hetzner as an infrastructure sub-processor, and data processing follows GDPR. For companies with EU compliance requirements, this is a clear advantage. However, the terms also state that the service is provided βas is,β with no guarantee that address data is complete, accurate, or always up to date, and no guarantee of 100% availability.
Pricing is straightforward: the Free plan includes 500 requests per month and 2 rps; Starter costs β¬9/month with 5,000 requests and 5 rps; Pro costs β¬29/month with 50,000 requests and 10 rps. Annual billing comes with a 20% discount, and prices exclude VAT. For small and medium-sized websites or ecommerce forms targeting the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg, the entry cost is low and the free allowance is enough for testing. Payment is prepaid, with direct debit or online payment supported, and payment processors include Mollie.
The main strengths are fast integration, a simple API, a plug-and-play frontend component, authoritative data sources, and EU-based hosting. The downsides are that country coverage is very limited, making it unsuitable for global address autocomplete; there is also no visible SLA, enterprise support, detailed status page information, SDK ecosystem, or self-hosting option. It is best suited for websites, ecommerce checkouts, CRM data entry, and SaaS signup flows that serve users in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg.
The crawled text does not provide information about accessibility from mainland China, so this remains unknown. If a China-based team serves European users, it can be used as a regional address autocomplete component. If China address support or global address coverage is required, alternatives such as Google Places API, Mapbox, HERE, or local postcode/address database services should be evaluated.
β This review is compiled from public sources and does not constitute a purchase recommendation. Verify all facts on the vendor's official site. Verify on places-api.com official site.
places-api.com is an Netherlands Dev Tools provider. TG4G tracks its product information, an overall rating of 7.0/10, and a China-accessibility score of Workable. Click "Visit Official Site" to reach places-api.com directly.