The map load pricing model does not take into account what the users do with the map or how many actions they perform with it as long as they do not refresh it. A completely new map session is triggered after 6 hours of continuous map interactions. However, once the map is refreshed (a single F5 or CTRL+R stroke) a new map load is initiated and billed.

The length of the MapTiler map session is set to 6 hours, meaning that a user can have their web browser open with continuous map interactions that all count towards the same map load during a consecutive 6-hour window. Therefore each map load includes an unlimited number of tile requests for the length of the map session. After the map object has loaded, any user interaction (e.g., zooming, panning, changing the theme.) does not have any impact on the usage limits. The map loads are counted when the map (object) is initialized on a web page. Map sessions (map loads) are used by MapTiler and several other major map providers, such as Google or Mapbox. Starting from June 2023, MapTiler Cloud users working with MapTiler SDK can leverage a session-based billing model in their applications.

Both approaches are described in more detail, and the pros and cons of each method are listed as well. They are 'map sessions' (or map loads) and 'tile requests'. This article provides a comparison between the two most frequently used methods that measure map traffic in the online environment.

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