Quick Comparison: Camino AI costs $0.001 per API call compared to Foursquare's $0.015 per call (Pro endpoints), making it up to 15x more affordable while adding native AI-powered query understanding and ranking capabilities.
Need Foursquare pricing details? See our complete Foursquare Places API Pricing Guide for Pro vs Premium field breakdowns, free tier limits, and cost calculations.
Pricing Comparison
| Metric | Camino AI | Foursquare Places API |
|---|---|---|
| Cost per call (standard) | $0.001 | $0.015 (Pro) / $0.01875 (Premium) |
| Free tier | 1,000 calls/month (always free) | 10,000 calls/month (Pro endpoints only) |
| 10,000 calls | $10.00 | $0 (free tier) |
| 50,000 calls | $50.00 | $600.00 (40K billable @ $15 CPM) |
| 100,000 calls | $100.00 | $1,350.00 (90K billable @ $15 CPM) |
| 500,000 calls | $500.00 | $6,150.00 (tiered pricing) |
| Volume discounts | Yes (20-60% off) | Yes (tiered CPM reduction) |
Note: Foursquare prices shown are for Pro endpoints. Premium endpoints (photos, tips) cost an additional 25%.
Cost Savings: For 100,000 API calls per month, Camino AI costs $100 vs Foursquare's ~$1,350 - a savings of $1,250 per month or $15,000 annually.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Camino AI | Foursquare Places API |
|---|---|---|
| Natural language queries | Native AI understanding | Requires structured parameters |
| AI-powered ranking | Yes (context-aware) | Popularity-based ranking only |
| Context awareness | Understands intent ("quiet", "romantic") | Category/keyword filtering |
| Route planning | Built-in (Multi-modal routing) | Not available |
| Spatial relationships | Distance, direction, travel time | Distance only (via geo search) |
| MCP integration | Native MCP server | Manual integration required |
| Human-readable summaries | AI-generated descriptions | Raw data only |
| Global POI coverage | OpenStreetMap (worldwide) | 100M+ POIs (worldwide) |
| User tips & reviews | Limited (OSM notes) | Extensive (Foursquare community) |
| Place photos | Limited | Extensive (Premium endpoint) |
Query Comparison Examples
Finding Coffee Shops Near a Location
Foursquare Places API approach:
// Requires structured parameters and category IDs
GET /v3/places/search?
ll=40.7589,-73.9851&
radius=1000&
categories=13034& // Coffee shop category ID
sort=RELEVANCE&
limit=10
Headers:
Authorization: YOUR_API_KEY
// Returns raw JSON with venue data
// Need separate call for photos (Premium endpoint)
// No context understanding for "quiet" or "good for working"Camino AI approach:
// Natural language query with context
GET /query?
query=quiet coffee shops good for working&
lat=40.7589&
lon=-73.9851&
rank=true
// Returns AI-ranked results understanding:
// - "quiet" = low noise environment
// - "good for working" = WiFi, seating, outlets
// Single call includes all needed informationDeveloper Experience: Camino AI understands context like "quiet" or "romantic" and ranks results accordingly, while Foursquare requires you to know specific category IDs and apply manual filtering logic.
AI Agent Integration
| Aspect | Camino AI | Foursquare Places API |
|---|---|---|
| MCP Server | Built-in remote MCP server | No native MCP support |
| Claude Desktop | One-line configuration | Manual integration |
| LangChain/LlamaIndex | Native integrations | Custom implementation needed |
| Query format | Natural language | Structured JSON with category IDs |
| Response format | AI-friendly with summaries | Raw structured data |
Data Coverage Comparison
| Aspect | Camino AI (OpenStreetMap) | Foursquare |
|---|---|---|
| POI count | Millions (community-driven) | 100M+ verified POIs |
| Data model | Open, community-driven | Proprietary, curated |
| Categories | OSM tags (flexible) | 900+ predefined categories |
| Update frequency | Real-time community updates | Continuous verification |
| Coverage strength | Strong globally, varies by region | Strong in urban areas, US/Europe |
| User content | Limited | Extensive tips & photos |
Use Case Recommendations
When to Choose Camino AI
- AI Agent Applications: Building chatbots, virtual assistants, or autonomous agents that need location awareness
- Natural Language Interfaces: Users describe what they want in plain English rather than browsing categories
- Budget-Conscious Projects: Need affordable location data at scale (15x cheaper than Foursquare)
- Spatial Intelligence: Require route planning, travel time calculations, and spatial reasoning
- MCP Integration: Using Claude Desktop, Cursor, or other MCP-compatible AI tools
- Quick Prototyping: Get started fast with natural language queries, no category ID lookups
When to Choose Foursquare Places API
- Rich POI Data: Need extensive business details, hours, and verified information
- User-Generated Content: Want access to tips, photos, and community reviews
- Category-Based Browsing: Building apps where users browse by predefined categories
- High-Volume Free Tier: Need up to 10,000 free calls/month vs Camino's 1,000
- Venue Attribution: Need Foursquare's brand recognition and venue verification
Best For: Camino AI is best for developers building AI-first applications that need affordable, context-aware location intelligence with natural language support. Foursquare is best for applications requiring extensive POI details, user-generated content like tips and photos, or category-based discovery interfaces.
API Endpoint Comparison
| Capability | Camino AI Endpoint | Foursquare Endpoint |
|---|---|---|
| Place search | GET /query | GET /v3/places/search |
| Place details | Included in /query response | GET /v3/places/{fsq_id} |
| Autocomplete | Not available | GET /v3/autocomplete |
| Photos | Limited | GET /v3/places/{fsq_id}/photos (Premium) |
| Tips/Reviews | Not available | GET /v3/places/{fsq_id}/tips (Premium) |
| Routing | GET /route | Not available |
| Spatial relationships | POST /relationship | Not available |
| Context/summary | POST /context | Not available |
Migration Path from Foursquare
- Sign Up: Create a Camino AI account and get your API key (takes 2 minutes)
- Test Natural Language: Try converting your Foursquare category searches to natural language queries
- Map Response Fields: Camino AI returns simplified, AI-friendly responses - map to your existing data models
- Enable AI Features: Add
rank=trueandanswer=trueto get AI-ranked results with summaries - Add MCP (Optional): Configure Camino AI's MCP server for AI agent integration
- Monitor & Optimize: Track cost savings and result quality over the first week
Performance Comparison
Average response time (Camino AI)
~500-800ms
Average response time (Foursquare)
~100-300ms
Rate limit (Camino AI)
30 requests/minute
Rate limit (Foursquare)
Varies by plan
Note: Camino AI's slightly higher latency is due to AI processing for query understanding and result ranking. For AI agent use cases, this trade-off provides significantly better results.
Summary: Key Differences
| Camino AI | Foursquare | |
|---|---|---|
| Philosophy | AI-first, natural language | Data-first, structured queries |
| Cost (100K calls) | $100 | ~$1,350 |
| Best for | AI agents, chatbots, NLP apps | POI directories, venue apps |
| Unique strength | Context-aware AI ranking | Rich venue data & photos |