Google PlacesProNew in 5.18+
Google Places adds street-address autocomplete to the Location field using Places API (New). Visitors can select a suggestion to fill included address inputs or existing mapped fields. Location also supports manual entry without a Google integration.
Setup in Google Cloud
Your existing Google Cloud account is enough. Google Maps Platform uses Google Cloud projects, billing, and API keys; you do not need a separate Maps Platform account. Use an existing project or create a dedicated project for your website. Google's getting-started guide covers the account and project setup.
- Sign in to the Google Cloud console and select or create your project using the project selector at the top.
- Link a billing account to that project. Billing must be enabled even if your usage stays within Google's free allowances. See Places API billing requirements.
- In APIs & Services → Library, enable both Maps JavaScript API and Places API (New) in the same project. Use the current Places API, rather than the legacy API. See Google's API setup guide.
- In Google Maps Platform → Credentials, choose Create credentials → API key. See API key setup. Edit the key and set its application restriction to Websites (HTTP referrers), adding your website domains, including any development or staging domains that need autocomplete. Restrict its API access to Maps JavaScript API and Places API (New). See Google's key restriction guidance. This is a browser key and is intentionally visible in frontend HTML; do not use an unrestricted or server-only key.
Connect Freeform
- Install Google Places under Freeform → Integrations → Other.
- Enter your browser API key in Browser API Key, or enter an environment variable containing it, and save the integration.
- In the form builder, enable the integration under the form's Integrations tab.
- Add a Location field and select the integration under Google Places Integration. Choose whether to include address inputs or map components to existing fields.
Freeform loads Google Maps only when a visitor types at least three characters in a configured Location field, reuses an existing Maps loader, and requests only address components after selection. Each completed selection starts a new autocomplete session. Manual entry does not require a Google account or API key and makes no Google API requests.
The address search input defaults to Start typing your address... and shows a magnifying glass. Selecting a suggestion switches it to a location pin; editing the search switches it back. A custom field or template placeholder takes precedence. The icon is decorative and does not change keyboard or screen-reader behavior.
Pricing and free usage
Google offers pay-as-you-go access with monthly free usage allowances. Enabling billing does not necessarily mean you will receive a charge: lower-traffic forms can stay within those allowances. Google usage charges, if any, are separate from your Freeform license.
As of October 2026, Google's global pricing lists these monthly free allowances for the requests this integration uses:
| Request type | Monthly free usage |
|---|---|
| Autocomplete Requests | 10,000 requests |
| Place Details Essentials | 10,000 requests |
These are separate request allowances, not a number of form submissions. Typing an address can trigger several autocomplete requests; selecting a suggestion triggers an address-details request. Google also applies autocomplete session pricing. Usage from other applications in projects linked to the same billing account can count toward the allowances.
Check Google's current pricing before enabling autocomplete. To control usage, review quotas, budgets, and alerts. Budget alerts notify you but do not automatically stop spending; quota limits control API usage. Visitors can still enter addresses manually if autocomplete becomes unavailable.
Troubleshooting
- Start by typing at least three characters. A manual-only field intentionally has no autocomplete.
- If Google Places is installed but absent from the field picker, enable it on the form's Integrations tab first, then select it on the Location field.
- If search is unavailable, verify billing, both enabled APIs, and the key's website and API restrictions. Include the actual development, staging, and production domains you use. Google's API error guide explains errors reported in the browser console.
- Check whether a content blocker, your site's Content Security Policy, or another Google Maps loader is preventing the Places library from loading. Search failure falls back to manual entry.
- If a mapped dropdown remains empty, check its option values and labels against the selected name/code format. Put every mapped target on the same page as Location in standard Twig forms, and map each component to a different field.
Address data and Google policies
Freeform requests address components after selecting a suggestion. It does not store suggestion lists, raw Google responses, or coordinates. Autocomplete assists entry; it does not verify deliverability.
Keep Google Maps attribution visible when customizing the suggestions. Provide the terms and privacy disclosures required by Google. See Google's autocomplete guide and attribution and end-user address policies.