What GeoNames does

GeoNames, operated by the German unxos gmbh entity and headquartered in Männedorf, Switzerland, operates a global geographical database platform launched in 2005/2006. Its core product is the GeoNames Gazetteer — a free, Creative Commons Attribution-licensed worldwide database aggregating data from more than 100 sources, covering all countries with over 11 million placenames, 12 million unique features, 4.8 million populated places, 16 million alternate names, and 9.6 million geolocated Wikipedia articles across 279 languages. The database is exposed via a credit-throttled RESTful web-services API (api.geonames.org) returning JSON, XML, and RSS responses, and via daily downloadable database dumps (download.geonames.org) for batch users. Adjacent products include postal code data, an RSS-to-GeoRSS converter, an RDF/OWL semantic-web ontology, and reverse geocoding solutions (US Census-based and NAVTEQ-based).

Underlying technology is a PostgreSQL/PostGIS back end running on a Java Tomcat application server, with a wiki-style editing interface enabling community-driven data corrections and a global volunteer ambassador program providing country-level stewardship. The platform monetizes primarily through three commercial streams alongside donations and sponsorship: (1) tiered Premium Web Services offering SLA, failover, and faster response for mission-critical applications, (2) a Premium Data Subscription with enhanced attributes and preferential updates for professional users, and (3) one-time software licenses for reverse-geocoding packages (US Census at $2,500 plus $1,500 for updates; NAVTEQ-based international packages), supplemented by bespoke consulting. Client libraries in Java (official, Apache 2.0), Python, PHP, Ruby, Perl, .NET, Node.js, and others lower developer integration friction and have made GeoNames a de facto default free gazetteer. Customer segments span hobbyist and enterprise application developers, academic researchers, and commercial/enterprise mission-critical users, served largely through a self-serve freemium funnel with direct sales (via [email protected]) for premium and consulting engagements.

Name

GeoNames

Legal name

unxos gmbh

Website

https://geonames.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

GeoNames (operated by unxos gmbh) operates a free, Creative Commons-licensed worldwide geographical database — 11M+ placenames across all countries — exposed via RESTful web services API and daily downloadable dumps, with premium subscriptions, reverse-geocoding software, and consulting serving application developers, researchers, and mission-critical enterprise users globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Geospatial Data Platform

NAICS

Surveying and Mapping (except Geophysical) Services (54137), Web Search Portals and All Other Information Services (51929)

akta.pro primary industry

Geocoding, Search & Place Data Platforms (BPAMANAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

GIS & Spatial Data Management Platforms (BPAMANAK), Alternative Data Providers (Web, Satellite, Geolocation, ESG Signals) (FSAFAIAH)

Keywords

• Geographical database services
• Geocoding web services
• Reverse geocoding software
• Location data API
• Gazetteer data platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Männedorf

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Premium Web Services: Paid commercial web services offering faster response times, higher uptime, failover capabilities, https secure connections, email support, and SLA guarantees. Targeted at mission-critical applications requiring reliability.
2. Premium Data Subscription: Paid subscription variant of the database extract for professional users requiring enhanced data quality, additional attributes, or preferential access.
3. Reverse Geocoding Software: One-time license fee for reverse geocoding software packages. US Census-based solution: $2,500 initial + $1,500 for updates. NAVTEQ-based solutions for international coverage available.
4. Consulting Services: Custom consulting engagements for clients wishing to integrate reverse geocoding functionality into applications or utilize additional attributes.
5. Donations and Sponsoring: Voluntary donations via PayPal and corporate sponsorship arrangements to support ongoing operations and data maintenance costs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

GeoNames operates a free geographical database covering all countries with over 11 million placenames, accessible through RESTful web services, downloadable database dumps, and a community wiki editing interface. The platform also offers premium commercial web services with SLA guarantees, a premium data subscription tier, reverse geocoding software packages (NAVTEQ-based and US Census-based), and consulting services for custom integrations.

Product overview

GeoNames is a geographical database platform offering both free and premium data products. The core offering consists of the GeoNames Gazetteer Data—a comprehensive worldwide database with over 25 million geographical names available as free daily database exports—and the GeoNames Web Services, a RESTful API providing access to place name search, reverse geocoding, postal code lookup, elevation data, timezone information, and Wikipedia integration. Supporting products include the Java Client Library (official SDK under Apache 2.0), Community Client Libraries (Python, PHP, Ruby, .NET, Node.js, etc.), the Wikipedia Web Service (279 languages), the RSS to GeoRSS Converter (supports 5 languages), and the Semantic Web Ontology (RDF). Premium add-ons include Premium Web Services (enhanced performance with SLA) and Premium Data Subscription (professional-grade data). For specialized reverse geocoding, GeoNames offers the NAVTEQ Reverse Geocoding Solution (commercial data, global coverage) and the US Census Reverse Geocoding Solution (inexpensive US-only option). All free data is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• GeoNames Gazetteer Data

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 11 million geographical place names available for free download
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• VPSServer.comminorOthersListed as a hosting partner providing virtual private server hosting services for GeoNames infrastructure.
• ipinfo.iominorOthersIP address intelligence company listed as a sponsor of GeoNames project.
• TRQL RadiominorOthersRadio station listed as a sponsor of GeoNames project.
• Heer LawminorOthersLaw firm listed as a sponsor of GeoNames project.
• GeoNames AmbassadorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVolunteer ambassadors in many countries who help improve data quality and coverage for their regions through contributions and local knowledge.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• OpenStreetMap: Community-driven open geographic database with global coverage; the closest direct peer to GeoNames in terms of open-data ethos, contributor model, and breadth of place-name coverage.
• MaxMind: Provider of IP geolocation and derived location intelligence datasets; comparable to GeoNames as a developer-focused, data-first location company serving similar fraud, compliance, and personalization use cases.
• Natural Earth: Public domain vector and raster map dataset widely used in cartography and GIS; comparable to GeoNames as a freely available, community-supported geographic data resource.

Broad incumbents

• HERE Technologies: Enterprise-grade location data and mapping platform providing geocoding, reverse geocoding, and POI datasets; serves many of the same enterprise buyers GeoNames targets with its NAVTEQ-based reverse geocoding product.
• TomTom: Commercial map and location technology provider with geocoding APIs and rich POI data; overlaps with GeoNames' commercial reverse geocoding and address-lookup offerings.
• Esri / ArcGIS Online: Dominant GIS platform providing authoritative basemaps, geocoding services, and spatial analytics; serves enterprise and government buyers that overlap with GeoNames' premium tier customers.
• Google Maps Platform: Default developer choice for geocoding and place lookup; comparable to GeoNames in API delivery and developer adoption, though bundled into a far broader geospatial product portfolio.
• Mapbox: Commercial location platform offering maps, geocoding, and spatial APIs used by developers; overlaps with GeoNames on place data and developer-first API delivery, but with a much broader product suite.

Emerging players

• What3words: Alternative addressing platform that converts coordinates into 3-word identifiers; competes for the same developer mindshare around novel geocoding approaches that GeoNames serves.
• Foursquare Places: Commercial POI and places dataset with global coverage; overlaps with GeoNames' populated-places catalog but is oriented toward commercial licensing for enterprise location intelligence.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/geonames
• Facebookfacebook.com/GeoNames
• GitHubgithub.com/geonames/webservice-client

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about GeoNames