GoGoDuk vs Mapbox
Mapbox is great if you need beautiful styleable map tiles and a global geocoder. GoGoDuk targets a different problem: a free geocoding + admin-boundaries API tuned for Vietnam. If you only use the map-rendering side of Mapbox and not the geocoder, you can run both side-by-side.
Quick take
They're not direct competitors for everything. Mapbox is a tile + style + SDK suite (Mapbox GL JS) that happens to include geocoding. GoGoDuk is a pure data API — geocoding, reverse geocoding, and administrative boundary data dedicated to Vietnam. By combining Mapbox GL JS for map rendering and calling GoGoDuk for Vietnam-focused address search, you get the best of both worlds: stunning visual maps and extremely accurate, localized geographic search with zero billing headaches.
Feature comparison
| Feature | GoGoDuk | Mapbox |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing (geocoding) | Free forever. 100 req/day per account; higher on request. | $0.75 per 1,000 temporary geocodes after free 100K/month tier; permanent geocodes more expensive. |
| Credit card required | Required when traffic exceeds free tier | |
| Vietnam address coverage | Primary focus. Tuned for ngõ/hẻm, diacritics, recent ward reorgs. | OpenStreetMap-derived. Coverage uneven for VN; alley numbering often missed. |
| Admin boundary polygons (province/district) | GeoJSON or WKT. 34 provinces + 3,323 districts. Free. | Mapbox Boundaries v3 is an enterprise add-on, separate pricing. |
| Map tiles / styling | Pair with Leaflet + OSM or Mapbox GL JS for the visual layer. | Best-in-class. Mapbox GL JS + Studio. |
| Global coverage | Vietnam only. | |
| Reverse geocode to ward | /v1/reverse-geocode via PostGIS ST_Contains | Returns context array; ward-level accuracy varies by region. |
| Official TypeScript SDK | @gogoduk/sdk on npm | @mapbox/mapbox-sdk |
| Self-host option | On request for enterprise | Enterprise on-prem available, custom contract. |
| Open data license | Proprietary today; data exports under consideration. | OSM-derived (ODbL where applicable) |
Use them together
The most common pattern from teams switching is: keep Mapbox GL JS for tiles + interactive map UI, swap the geocoder calls to GoGoDuk. You drop one Mapbox feature off the bill (Search) and keep their strongest one (tiles). Total cost falls without visual quality loss.
When to stay with Mapbox
- You need their map styling tools (Studio).
- You geocode globally, not just Vietnam.
- You depend on Mapbox-specific features: isochrone, optimization, navigation SDK turn-by-turn.
Try it
Free tier is enough to spike a real comparison. Sign up, mint a key, swap one geocoder call, compare results on your hardest VN addresses.