What is the best free way to geocode a list of addresses?

For files up to a few thousand rows, hosted tools with daily free tiers (Geloky geocodes 100 records/day free) are the fastest path. For permanent unlimited volume, self-hosting the open-source Nominatim geocoder is free as software but requires a server.

Can I geocode with QGIS for free?

Yes — QGIS with geocoding plugins can batch geocode, typically backed by Nominatim or a commercial API key. It is a good fit for GIS users; the learning curve is the cost.

Best Free Batch Geocoding Tools Compared

Updated July 7, 2026 · Geloky team

"Free batch geocoding" means different things: free tiers, free software, and free-with-your-own-server. All are legitimate — here's the practical comparison, so you pick by the file you actually have.

The realistic options

1. Geloky — free daily tier, spreadsheet-first

Upload CSV/Excel at geloky.com/geocoding, preview the first rows free on a map, download the file with coordinates. 100 records per day free, no credit card; beyond that, $1 per 1,000 records — so even a 10,000-row file is a $10 job, not a project. Global coverage, both forward and reverse geocoding.

2. Geocodio — free tier, US & Canada

Developer-favorite for North American addresses, with spreadsheet upload and a daily free allowance (check their current limit). Adds nice extras like census data. Not the tool for global address lists.

3. BatchGeo — free map making with geocoding inside

BatchGeo geocodes your pasted spreadsheet in order to build an interactive map. If a shareable map is the goal, it's quick. If you need the coordinates back as data, its free plan is limiting — export of geocoded data is where the paid plan lives.

4. QGIS + plugins — free GIS route

The open-source GIS suite batch geocodes via plugins (MMQGIS and friends), usually backed by Nominatim or an API key you supply. Free and powerful, with a GIS-sized learning curve. Right for people who'll also do spatial analysis on the result.

5. Self-hosted Nominatim — free at infrastructure prices

The engine behind OpenStreetMap search is open source. Hosted on your own server it geocodes unlimited volume with zero per-record cost — after you've provisioned a machine with hundreds of GB for the planet database and committed to maintaining it. The right answer for permanent high-volume pipelines; the wrong answer for a Tuesday-afternoon file.

Comparison at a glance

Fastest zero-to-coordinates: Geloky (upload → preview → download).
US-only lists: Geocodio.
Goal is a shareable map, not data: BatchGeo.
You already use GIS tools: QGIS.
Millions of records forever: self-hosted Nominatim.

When free stops being worth it

Free tiers cap volume; self-hosting caps your weekends. The crossover: when an hour of your time costs more than geocoding the whole file. At $1 per 1,000 records, a 100,000-row file costs $100 and finishes while you get coffee — compare that with the DevOps time of standing up a geocoding server, and choose accordingly.