WordPress plugin · Free & GPL-2.0
Google Maps for WordPress. No API key.
Paste one shortcode with any address and the map appears. No Google Cloud account, no billing card, no JavaScript overhead — just the map.
✓ Zero JS, zero CSS
✓ Lazy-loaded
✓ On WP.org since 2019
[quick-maps]Orlando, Florida[/quick-maps]This map is rendered live by the plugin on this page — exactly what ships on yours.
How it works
From zero to map in under a minute
No setup wizard, no account creation, no keys to restrict. Three steps, and two of them are clicks.
Install from WordPress.org
Plugins → Add New → search “Quick Maps”. Install and activate. There is nothing to configure unless you want defaults.
Paste the shortcode
Drop [quick-maps]Your address[/quick-maps] into any post, page, or widget. Street address, city, business name — anything Google Maps can find.
The map appears
A responsive Google Map renders where the shortcode sits, lazy-loaded so it costs nothing until a visitor scrolls to it.
Why no API key matters
The API-key tax, and how this plugin avoids it
Most Google Maps plugins build on Google’s JavaScript or Embed APIs — both require a Google Cloud project, an API key, and a billing card on file. Quick Maps uses Google’s standard embed endpoint, which requires none of that.
| Quick Maps | Typical API-key map plugin | |
|---|---|---|
| Google Cloud account | Not needed | Required |
| API key + billing card | Not needed | Required (with quota anxiety) |
| Setup time | Under a minute | 20–40 minutes of console work |
| JavaScript shipped to visitors | None | Maps JS bundle on every page |
| Map data | Real Google Maps | Sometimes swapped to OpenStreetMap to dodge the key |
Honest trade-off: the embed endpoint doesn’t support custom markers, overlays, or data layers. If you need those, you need the JS API and its key. For “show our location” — which is what most sites actually need — you don’t.
Features
Small on purpose
Every feature below is in the free plugin on WordPress.org — verified in the source, not the brochure.
No API key, no billing
Maps render through Google’s standard embed endpoint. Nothing to register, restrict, or pay for.
Zero page-weight
The plugin enqueues no JavaScript and no CSS of its own. Your Core Web Vitals never know it’s there.
Native lazy loading
Every map iframe ships with loading="lazy" — the map doesn’t load until it scrolls into view.
Any address or place
Street addresses, cities, landmarks, business names — if Google Maps can find it, the shortcode can show it.
Size control + defaults
width and height attributes per map, plus global defaults (address, size, zoom) under Settings → Quick Maps.
Widget + developer filters
A classic sidebar widget, and filters — quickmaps_shortcode_tag, quickmaps_default_* — for code-level control.
FAQ
Questions, answered straight
Do I need a Google Maps API key?
No. Quick Maps renders maps through Google’s standard embed endpoint, so there is no Google Cloud account, no API key, and no billing setup. Install the plugin, paste the shortcode, done.
Is Quick Maps free?
Yes. Quick Maps is free and GPL-2.0 licensed, distributed through the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
How do I add a Google Map to a WordPress page?
Paste [quick-maps]Your address[/quick-maps] into any post, page, or text widget. The address can be a street address, a city, or a place name — anything Google Maps can find.
Will Quick Maps slow down my site?
No. The plugin enqueues zero JavaScript and zero CSS of its own, and every map iframe ships with native loading=”lazy”, so the map doesn’t load until it scrolls into view.
Can I change the map size?
Yes. Use the width and height shortcode attributes — for example [quick-maps height="500px"]Magic Kingdom, Florida[/quick-maps] — or set global defaults (address, width, height, zoom) in Settings → Quick Maps.
Does Quick Maps work with my theme or page builder?
Quick Maps is a standard WordPress shortcode, so it works anywhere shortcodes render: the block editor, the classic editor, widgets, and every major page builder.
Your map is one shortcode away
Free, GPL-2.0, on the official WordPress.org directory.
[quick-maps]One Infinite Loop, Cupertino, CA[/quick-maps]
Install Quick Maps — Free