{ "data": { "a": { "slug": "amazon-location", "name": "Amazon Location Service", "vendor": "Amazon Web Services", "vendorUrl": "https://aws.amazon.com/location/", "kind": "http-api", "category": "maps", "summary": "Amazon Location Service is AWS's API for geocoding, place search, routing and map tiles, with geofences and device tracking. Agents call regional REST endpoints with an API key or IAM credentials, or through the AWS SDKs and CLI.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/amazon-location", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/amazon-location.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/amazon-location.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/amazon-location.json", "repo": "https://github.com/aws-geospatial/amazon-location-agent-context", "license": "Proprietary service under the AWS Customer Agreement and AWS Service Terms. The AWS SDK clients and the agent context package on GitHub are Apache-2.0", "transports": [ "http" ], "remoteUrl": "https://places.geo.us-east-1.amazonaws.com", "packages": [ { "registry": "npm", "name": "@aws-sdk/client-geo-places" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "@aws-sdk/client-geo-routes" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "@aws-sdk/client-geo-maps" }, { "registry": "pypi", "name": "boto3" } ], "auth": "api-key", "authNotes": "Access needs an AWS account. Maps, Places and Routes accept an Amazon Location API key in the `key` query parameter, created in the console, the CLI or the `CreateKey` call, limited to named actions and resources, with optional expiry and referrer or mobile app restrictions. Every API also accepts AWS Signature Version 4 with IAM credentials or a role, and Amazon Cognito identity pools for unauthenticated clients. Geofences, trackers and the Jobs API refuse API keys. API keys can't be used over AWS PrivateLink (https://docs.aws.amazon.com/location/latest/developerguide/using-apikeys.html).", "pricing": "usage", "pricingNotes": "Geocoding, reverse geocoding and place search cost $0.50 per 1,000 requests (core), $1.50 with advanced fields and $4.00 when results are stored, in US East (N. Virginia). Routes cost $0.50 per 1,000 for car, truck or pedestrian, map tiles $0.04 per 1,000. No sandbox or contract is needed, but an AWS account is. The pricing page lists monthly allowances for the first three months (20,000 core Places requests, 10,000 routes, 500,000 tiles) and up to $200 of credits for customers who joined after 15 July 2025. Volume discounts above $5,000 a month are by quote (https://aws.amazon.com/location/pricing/, checked 2026-10-08).", "priceSummary": "$0.50 / 1k req", "where": "hosted", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 in the developer guide's llms.txt, the service models or the pricing page (checked 2026-10-08).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": null, "popularity": { "githubStars": null, "npmWeekly": 426988, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-10-08" }, "docsUrl": "https://docs.aws.amazon.com/location/latest/developerguide/what-is.html", "llmsTxt": "https://docs.aws.amazon.com/location/latest/developerguide/llms.txt", "capabilities": [ "geo.geocode", "geo.reverse", "geo.places", "geo.routing", "geo.tiles" ], "tags": [ "hosted", "closed-source", "python", "typescript", "enterprise", "llms-txt", "card-required", "sla", "status-page", "batch" ], "lastRelease": "2026-08-17", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 74.1, "grade": "BB", "agentReady": true, "rank": 68, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 722, "categoryRank": 2, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 88, "maintenance": 60, "payments": 20, "reliability": 95, "schema": 87, "security": 73, "transparency": 70 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "high", "date": "2026-10-08" }, "negative": 0, "verdict": "Places, Routes and Maps calls work over plain HTTPS with an API key limited to named actions, and every one of the 17 operations is read-only with typed inputs. Access starts with an AWS account a person opens, the key travels in the URL query string, and stored results cost eight times the single-use rate.", "bestFor": "Operators already on AWS who want geocoding, places and routing inside IAM, CloudTrail and one bill, with HERE data and GrabMaps for Southeast Asia.", "strengths": [ "API keys are limited to named actions and resources, can expire, and can be restricted by referrer or mobile app identifier", "All 17 Places, Routes and Maps operations are marked read-only in the public Smithy models, with enums and numeric ranges on inputs", "Default rates are published per operation (100 a second for each Places call, 20 for `CalculateRoutes`) and can be doubled by self-service", "An SLA of 99.9 per cent monthly uptime per region, with credits of 10, 25 and 100 per cent", "llms.txt, a Markdown twin of every guide page and an Apache-2.0 agent context package (v1.2.0, 11 September 2026)" ], "weaknesses": [ "The API key is sent as the `key` query parameter, the only documented way to present it", "Storing or caching results is barred unless `IntendedUse` is `Storage`, billed at $4.00 per 1,000 against $0.50 for single use", "An AWS account opened by a person in a browser is needed before any call, and no keyless or machine-payment route exists", "The developer guide gives no backoff or `Retry-After` guidance for `ThrottlingException` (429)", "The guide's document history holds one entry, dated 31 October 2024, so API changes have to be read from the SDK models" ], "agentNotes": [ "Call the v2 endpoints (`places.geo.\u003cregion\u003e.amazonaws.com/v2/geocode`, `routes.geo`, `maps.geo`). They need no resource creation, unlike the v1 place index and route calculator calls", "Set `IntendedUse` to `Storage` before saving or caching any Places result. The default `SingleUse` results may not be stored under section 82.4 of the AWS Service Terms", "Read `PricingBucket` in each response. Requesting `Contact`, `Access`, `TimeZone` or `Phonemes` in `AdditionalFeatures` moves a Places call from $0.50 to $1.50 per 1,000", "Keep the API key out of logs and shared URLs, since it travels as `?key=`. Use SigV4 with an IAM role for server-side work, and for the Jobs API, which refuses API keys", "Back off on HTTP 429 `ThrottlingException`. The burst allowance is 80 per cent of the per-second rate within any part of a second" ], "metrics": { "kind": "remote", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 0, "avgRating": 0, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "high", "grade": "BB", "methodology": "0.4", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 74.1 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 88, "maintenance": 60, "payments": 20, "reliability": 95, "schema": 87, "security": 73, "transparency": 52 }, "provenanceScore": 88 }, "connect": { "install": "pip install boto3 # or: npm i @aws-sdk/client-geo-places", "http": "curl --request POST \\\n --url 'https://places.geo.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/v2/geocode?key=Your_Key' \\\n --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \\\n --data '{\"QueryText\": \"510 W Georgia St, Vancouver, BC\"}'", "claudeCode": "/plugin install amazon-location-service@claude-plugins-official" }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/geo.geocode", "tool": "https://letme.dev/amazon-location" }, "sameCompany": [ "amazon-bedrock-guardrails", "amazon-transcribe", "amazon-polly", "aws-secrets-manager", "aws-mcp-servers", "amazon-ses", "amazon-translate", "amazon-ads-api" ], "area": "everyday", "unitPrices": [ { "item": "Geocode, reverse geocode, place search (core)", "unit": "1k-requests", "usd": 0.5, "note": "US East. `SingleUse` results, not for storage" }, { "item": "Geocode, reverse geocode, place search (advanced)", "unit": "1k-requests", "usd": 1.5, "note": "With contacts, opening hours, access points or time zone" }, { "item": "Geocode, reverse geocode, place search (stored)", "unit": "1k-requests", "usd": 4, "note": "`IntendedUse` set to `Storage`" }, { "item": "Autocomplete and Suggest (label)", "unit": "1k-requests", "usd": 0.2 }, { "item": "Routes calculated (core)", "unit": "1k-requests", "usd": 0.5, "note": "Car, truck or pedestrian. A matrix bills origins times destinations" }, { "item": "Routes with toll cost (premium)", "unit": "1k-requests", "usd": 4 }, { "item": "Dynamic map tiles", "unit": "1k-requests", "usd": 0.04 }, { "item": "Static map images", "unit": "1k-requests", "usd": 0.5 } ], "provenance": { "legalEntity": "Amazon Web Services, Inc.", "domain": "amazon.com", "domainRegistered": "1994-11-01", "endpointOnVendorDomain": true, "terms": "https://aws.amazon.com/service-terms/", "privacy": "https://aws.amazon.com/privacy/", "statusPage": "https://health.aws.amazon.com/health/status", "changelog": "https://docs.aws.amazon.com/location/latest/developerguide/doc-history.html", "securityTxt": "expired", "checked": "2026-10-08", "notes": [ "The AWS Service Terms (last updated 1 October 2026) govern the service, with Amazon Location Service at section 82. The AWS Customer Agreement sits above them.", "The AWS Privacy Notice (last updated 18 May 2026) names Amazon Web Services, Inc., 410 Terry Avenue North, Seattle, WA 98109-5210.", "The endpoints are on amazonaws.com and api.aws, both AWS domains.", "aws.amazon.com/.well-known/security.txt carries Expires 2026-09-24T16:25:03Z, which had passed on the day of the check. It points to a HackerOne disclosure programme.", "RDAP for amazon.com gives a registration date of 1994-11-01.", "The document history page has one entry, dated 31 October 2024. API changes are otherwise visible in AWS What's New posts and the SDK service models." ], "score": 88 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/amazon-location.json", "live": { "slug": "amazon-location", "probe": { "target": "https://places.geo.us-east-1.amazonaws.com", "method": "get", "lastAt": "2026-10-08T21:53:15.033838513Z", "lastOk": true, "lastStatus": 404, "lastMs": 252, "authRequired": false, "uptime24h": 100, "uptime30d": 100, "p50ms24h": 252, "p95ms24h": 307, "samples24h": 28, "samples30d": 28, "days": [ { "date": "2026-10-08", "probes": 28, "ok": 28 } ] }, "updatedAt": "2026-10-08T21:53:15.033838513Z" } }, "answer": "Amazon Location Service scores 74.1 (BB) on agent readiness against ArcGIS Location Platform's 65.4 (B), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. ArcGIS Location Platform leads on payments \u0026 pricing and maintenance \u0026 community.", "b": { "slug": "arcgis", "name": "ArcGIS Location Platform", "vendor": "Esri", "vendorUrl": "https://location.arcgis.com", "kind": "http-api", "category": "maps", "summary": "Esri's pay-as-you-go location services for developers. REST APIs cover geocoding, reverse and batch geocoding, place search, routing, basemap tiles, static maps, elevation and demographic enrichment, with an Esri-hosted MCP server in beta.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/arcgis", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/arcgis.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/arcgis.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/arcgis.json", "repo": "https://github.com/Esri/arcgis-rest-js", "license": "Proprietary service under the ArcGIS Location Platform Agreement. The ArcGIS REST JS client library is Apache-2.0", "transports": [ "http", "streamable-http" ], "remoteUrl": "https://geocode-api.arcgis.com", "packages": [ { "registry": "npm", "name": "@esri/arcgis-rest-geocoding" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "@esri/arcgis-rest-request" }, { "registry": "pypi", "name": "arcgis" } ], "auth": "mixed", "authNotes": "Self-serve. A free ArcGIS Location Platform account created in a browser issues API key credentials with selected privileges, an expiry date of up to one year, optional referrer limits and two tokens for rotation. OAuth 2.0 user authentication and app authentication (client ID and secret, short-lived tokens) are also supported. Requests take the token as a `token` parameter or in an `X-Esri-Authorization` or `Authorization` header. Accounts are for one person and may not be shared.", "pricing": "freemium", "pricingNotes": "Usage-based in US dollars with a monthly free tier and no contract. Free each month are 20,000 unstored geocodes, 20,000 routes, 500 place searches, 2 million basemap tiles, 1,000 static maps and 50,000 elevation points. A payment method (card, purchase order or voucher) is needed only to turn on pay-as-you-go, which services without a free tier, among them stored geocodes, require. The sign-up form is drawn by script and we couldn't read whether it asks for a card.", "priceSummary": "$0.50 / 1k req", "where": "hosted", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 on the pricing page, the billing help or the REST and MCP documentation (checked 2026-10-08).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": 8, "popularity": { "githubStars": 392, "npmWeekly": 65286, "pypiWeekly": 32974, "asOf": "2026-10-08" }, "docsUrl": "https://developers.arcgis.com/rest/location-based-services/", "capabilities": [ "geo.geocode", "geo.reverse", "geo.places", "geo.routing", "geo.tiles" ], "tags": [ "hosted", "maps", "geocoding", "routing", "places", "api-key", "oauth", "mcp", "beta-mcp", "free-tier", "usage-priced", "sla", "status-page", "typescript", "python" ], "lastRelease": "2026-09-29", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 65.4, "grade": "B", "agentReady": false, "rank": 259, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 722, "categoryRank": 6, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 78, "maintenance": 83, "payments": 40, "reliability": 65, "schema": 61, "security": 64, "transparency": 72 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-10-08" }, "negative": 0, "verdict": "Per-unit prices are public for every service, with a monthly free tier of 20,000 geocodes and 20,000 routes, keys limited to chosen privileges and a 99.9 per cent SLA. No rate limits or OpenAPI description were found, results may not be stored unless the dearer stored geocode is bought, and the agreement bars benchmarking without written permission.", "bestFor": "Organisations already on Esri software, and work that needs demographic enrichment, service areas or fleet routing beside geocoding.", "strengths": [ "Every service has a public unit price and most have a monthly free tier, such as 20,000 geocodes, 20,000 routes and 2 million basemap tiles (https://location.arcgis.com/pricing/).", "API key credentials carry selected privileges, an expiry date of up to one year, optional referrer limits and two tokens for rotation. OAuth 2.0 user and app authentication are also supported.", "A published SLA commits to 99.9 per cent monthly uptime for ten services, with credits of 10 or 20 per cent of the monthly bill for the affected service (document G632a, 23 December 2025).", "The agreement promises 90 days' notice for deprecations of SDKs, APIs and location services (ArcGIS Location Platform Agreement, revised 21 November 2025, section 4.1).", "An Esri-hosted MCP server at `https://location-services-mcp.arcgis.com/beta/mcp` has eight tools, filters them by the token's privileges and adds no charge on top of service rates." ], "weaknesses": [ "The agreement bars benchmarking availability, performance or functionality, and publishing benchmark results, without prior written permission from Esri and its licensors (sections 3.1.b.6 and 3.1.c.6.F).", "No request rate limits, 429 behaviour or retry guidance were found in the geocoding, places or routing reference pages we read.", "No OpenAPI description or llms.txt was found. `/llms.txt` returns 404 on developers.arcgis.com and location.arcgis.com.", "Storing a geocode needs `forStorage=true` at $4 per 1,000 with no free tier, against $0.50 per 1,000 for results that may not be kept. The MCP geocoding tools bill at the stored rate.", "The MCP server is a beta under an Early Access programme, and the SLA excludes beta, evaluation and free services. Technical support is sold separately." ], "agentNotes": [ "Send the token in an `X-Esri-Authorization: Bearer` or `Authorization` header. The docs' examples put it in a `token` parameter, which Esri's own best-practice page calls less secure.", "Set `forStorage=true` on `findAddressCandidates` or `reverseGeocode` only when results will be kept. It needs pay-as-you-go and the Geocode (stored) privilege, and costs eight times the unstored rate.", "Cap geocoding output with `maxLocations` (default and maximum 50) and `outFields`, because billing counts results returned and the default returns every field.", "Page place searches with `pageSize` (maximum 20) and `offset`. A nearby or extent search costs $8 per 1,000 requests after 500 free a month.", "Check the JSON body for an `error` object with `code`, `message` and `details`. Code 499 means the token is missing and 403 means it lacks the privilege." ], "metrics": { "kind": "remote", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 0, "avgRating": 0, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "B", "methodology": "0.4", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 65.4 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 78, "maintenance": 83, "payments": 40, "reliability": 65, "schema": 61, "security": 64, "transparency": 54 }, "provenanceScore": 89 }, "connect": { "install": "npm install @esri/arcgis-rest-request @esri/arcgis-rest-geocoding", "http": "curl https://geocode-api.arcgis.com/arcgis/rest/services/World/GeocodeServer/findAddressCandidates \\\n -d \"f=pjson\" \\\n -d \"address=1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, DC\" \\\n -d \"token=\u003cACCESS_TOKEN\u003e\"", "config": { "servers": { "mcpArcGISLocationServices": { "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer ${input:esriApiKey}" }, "type": "http", "url": "https://location-services-mcp.arcgis.com/beta/mcp" } } } }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/geo.geocode", "tool": "https://letme.dev/arcgis" }, "area": "everyday", "unitPrices": [ { "item": "Geocodes, not stored (after 20,000 free a month)", "unit": "1k-requests", "usd": 0.5 }, { "item": "Geocodes, stored (`forStorage=true`, no free tier)", "unit": "1k-requests", "usd": 4 }, { "item": "Places nearby and extent search (after 500 free a month)", "unit": "1k-requests", "usd": 8 }, { "item": "Routes (after 20,000 free a month)", "unit": "1k-requests", "usd": 0.5 }, { "item": "Routes, stop-optimised (no free tier)", "unit": "1k-requests", "usd": 50 }, { "item": "Service areas (after 5,000 free a month)", "unit": "1k-requests", "usd": 50 }, { "item": "Basemap tiles (after 2 million free a month)", "unit": "1k-requests", "usd": 0.15 }, { "item": "Static maps (after 1,000 free a month)", "unit": "1k-requests", "usd": 0.9 }, { "item": "Elevation, per 1,000 points (after 50,000 free a month)", "unit": "1k-requests", "usd": 1 } ], "provenance": { "legalEntity": "Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc.", "domain": "arcgis.com", "domainRegistered": "1999-06-09", "endpointOnVendorDomain": true, "terms": "https://www.esri.com/content/dam/esrisites/en-us/media/legal/platform/platform-legal.pdf", "privacy": "https://www.esri.com/en-us/privacy/privacy-statements/privacy-statement", "statusPage": "https://status.location.arcgis.com", "changelog": "https://location.arcgis.com/help/release-notes/2026-07/", "securityTxt": "none", "checked": "2026-10-08", "notes": [ "The ArcGIS Location Platform Agreement (E204 Platform Legal, revised 21 November 2025) is between the customer and Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc., a California corporation at 380 New York Street, Redlands, California 92373-8100.", "The privacy statement (revised 31 July 2026) is the one the product's pages link. Esri also publishes a Products \u0026 Services Privacy Statement Supplement (9 September 2025) and a Data Processing Addendum (12 March 2024). Neither names ArcGIS Location Platform. The agreement's section 11.5 points to the addendum.", "The services answer on arcgis.com subdomains, among them geocode-api.arcgis.com, places-api.arcgis.com and location-services-mcp.arcgis.com.", "`/.well-known/security.txt` returns 404 on www.esri.com, developers.arcgis.com, location.arcgis.com and www.arcgis.com. The trust centre takes reports through a form, with a PGP key and a safe harbour statement.", "RDAP gives 1999-06-09 for arcgis.com and 1990-04-18 for esri.com, both registered through MarkMonitor Inc.", "The status page is Esri's own. Its event history is drawn by script, so we read the RSS feed it links, whose newest entry is dated 16 June 2026." ], "score": 89 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/arcgis.json", "live": { "slug": "arcgis", "probe": { "target": "https://geocode-api.arcgis.com", "method": "get", "lastAt": "2026-10-08T21:53:15.891018608Z", "lastOk": true, "lastStatus": 200, "lastMs": 134, "authRequired": false, "uptime24h": 100, "uptime30d": 100, "p50ms24h": 134, "p95ms24h": 386, "samples24h": 28, "samples30d": 28, "days": [ { "date": "2026-10-08", "probes": 28, "ok": 28 } ] }, "vendorStatus": { "page": "https://status.location.arcgis.com", "indicator": "unknown", "summary": "no machine-readable status found", "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T19:38:14.482657019Z" }, "updatedAt": "2026-10-08T21:53:15.891018608Z" } }, "facts": [ { "a": "HTTP API", "b": "HTTP API", "name": "Kind" }, { "a": "Amazon Web Services", "b": "Esri", "name": "Vendor" }, { "a": "https://places.geo.us-east-1.amazonaws.com", "b": "https://geocode-api.arcgis.com", "name": "Hosted endpoint" }, { "a": "HTTP", "b": "HTTP, Streamable HTTP", "name": "Transports" }, { "a": "API key", "b": "OAuth or key", "name": "Auth" }, { "a": "Pay per use", "b": "Freemium", "name": "Pricing" }, { "a": "$0.50 per 1,000 requests", "b": "$0.50 per 1,000 requests", "name": "Price for geo geocode" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "x402" }, { "a": "Proprietary service under the AWS Customer Agreement and AWS Service Terms. The AWS SDK clients and the agent context package on GitHub are Apache-2.0", "b": "Proprietary service under the ArcGIS Location Platform Agreement. The ArcGIS REST JS client library is Apache-2.0", "name": "Licence" }, { "a": "none", "b": "8", "name": "Tools exposed" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "no", "name": "Read-only variant documented" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "no", "name": "llms.txt" }, { "a": "2026-08-17", "b": "2026-09-29", "name": "Last release" }, { "a": "2026-10-01", "b": "", "name": "Terms last updated" }, { "a": "2026-05-18", "b": "2026-07-31", "name": "Privacy policy last updated" }, { "a": "yes, with an opt-out", "b": "", "name": "Customer content may train models" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "", "name": "Terms restrict automated access" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "", "name": "Terms restrict benchmarking" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "", "name": "Terms or service can change without notice" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "", "name": "Arbitration or class-action waiver" }, { "a": "427k npm/wk", "b": "392 stars, 65k npm/wk, 33k PyPI/wk", "name": "Popularity" } ], "faq": [ { "answer": "Amazon Location Service scores 74.1 (BB) on agent readiness against ArcGIS Location Platform's 65.4 (B), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. ArcGIS Location Platform leads on payments \u0026 pricing and maintenance \u0026 community.", "question": "Which is better for AI agents, Amazon Location Service or ArcGIS Location Platform?" }, { "answer": "They cost about the same, $0.50 per 1,000 requests for Amazon Location Service and $0.50 per 1,000 requests for ArcGIS Location Platform. These are the vendors' published prices for the job.", "question": "Which is cheaper for geo geocode, Amazon Location Service or ArcGIS Location Platform?" }, { "answer": "Amazon Location Service needs an API key. ArcGIS Location Platform takes an API key or an OAuth sign-in.", "question": "Do Amazon Location Service and ArcGIS Location Platform need an API key?" }, { "answer": "Yes. Amazon Location Service has a hosted endpoint at https://places.geo.us-east-1.amazonaws.com and ArcGIS Location Platform at https://geocode-api.arcgis.com.", "question": "Can an agent call Amazon Location Service and ArcGIS Location Platform without installing anything?" } ], "goodFor": [ { "aheadOn": [ "Reliability, 95 against 65", "Schema \u0026 documentation, 87 against 61", "Agent ergonomics, 88 against 78", "Security \u0026 auth, 73 against 64" ], "also": [ "Agent-ready, a grade of BB or better" ], "goodFor": "Operators already on AWS who want geocoding, places and routing inside IAM, CloudTrail and one bill, with HERE data and GrabMaps for Southeast Asia.", "slug": "amazon-location", "watchFor": "The API key is sent as the `key` query parameter, the only documented way to present it" }, { "aheadOn": [ "Payments \u0026 pricing, 40 against 20", "Maintenance \u0026 community, 83 against 60" ], "also": null, "goodFor": "Organisations already on Esri software, and work that needs demographic enrichment, service areas or fleet routing beside geocoding.", "slug": "arcgis", "watchFor": "The agreement bars benchmarking availability, performance or functionality, and publishing benchmark results, without prior written permission from Esri and its licensors (sections 3.1.b.6 and 3.1.c.6.F)." } ], "job": { "capability": "geo.geocode", "name": "Geo geocode" }, "others": [ { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amazon-location-vs-azure-maps.json", "title": "Amazon Location Service vs Azure Maps", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amazon-location-vs-azure-maps" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amazon-location-vs-geoapify.json", "title": "Amazon Location Service vs Geoapify Location Platform + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amazon-location-vs-geoapify" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amazon-location-vs-google-maps-platform.json", "title": "Amazon Location Service vs Google Maps Platform + Grounding Lite MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amazon-location-vs-google-maps-platform" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amazon-location-vs-locationiq.json", "title": "Amazon Location Service vs LocationIQ", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amazon-location-vs-locationiq" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amazon-location-vs-mapbox.json", "title": "Amazon Location Service vs Mapbox APIs + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amazon-location-vs-mapbox" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amazon-location-vs-mapquest.json", "title": "Amazon Location Service vs MapQuest", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amazon-location-vs-mapquest" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amazon-location-vs-opencage.json", "title": "Amazon Location Service vs OpenCage Geocoding API", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amazon-location-vs-opencage" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amazon-location-vs-stadia-maps.json", "title": "Amazon Location Service vs Stadia Maps", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amazon-location-vs-stadia-maps" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amazon-location-vs-tomtom.json", "title": "Amazon Location Service vs TomTom Maps APIs + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amazon-location-vs-tomtom" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arcgis-vs-azure-maps.json", "title": "ArcGIS Location Platform vs Azure Maps", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arcgis-vs-azure-maps" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arcgis-vs-geoapify.json", "title": "ArcGIS Location Platform vs Geoapify Location Platform + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arcgis-vs-geoapify" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arcgis-vs-google-maps-platform.json", "title": "ArcGIS Location Platform vs Google Maps Platform + Grounding Lite MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arcgis-vs-google-maps-platform" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arcgis-vs-locationiq.json", "title": "ArcGIS Location Platform vs LocationIQ", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arcgis-vs-locationiq" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arcgis-vs-mapbox.json", "title": "ArcGIS Location Platform vs Mapbox APIs + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arcgis-vs-mapbox" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arcgis-vs-mapquest.json", "title": "ArcGIS Location Platform vs MapQuest", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arcgis-vs-mapquest" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arcgis-vs-opencage.json", "title": "ArcGIS Location Platform vs OpenCage Geocoding API", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arcgis-vs-opencage" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arcgis-vs-stadia-maps.json", "title": "ArcGIS Location Platform vs Stadia Maps", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arcgis-vs-stadia-maps" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arcgis-vs-tomtom.json", "title": "ArcGIS Location Platform vs TomTom Maps APIs + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arcgis-vs-tomtom" } ], "scores": [ { "amazon-location": 95, "arcgis": 65, "by": 30, "edge": "amazon-location", "key": "reliability", "name": "Reliability", "weight": 16 }, { "key": "performance", "name": "Performance", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "amazon-location": 87, "arcgis": 61, "by": 26, "edge": "amazon-location", "key": "schema", "name": "Schema \u0026 documentation", "weight": 13 }, { "amazon-location": 88, "arcgis": 78, "by": 10, "edge": "amazon-location", "key": "ergonomics", "name": "Agent ergonomics", "weight": 13 }, { "amazon-location": 73, "arcgis": 64, "by": 9, "edge": "amazon-location", "key": "security", "name": "Security \u0026 auth", "weight": 14 }, { "amazon-location": 20, "arcgis": 40, "by": 20, "edge": "arcgis", "key": "payments", "name": "Payments \u0026 pricing", "weight": 10 }, { "key": "tasks", "name": "Task success", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "amazon-location": 60, "arcgis": 83, "by": 23, "edge": "arcgis", "key": "maintenance", "name": "Maintenance \u0026 community", "weight": 7 }, { "amazon-location": 70, "arcgis": 72, "by": 2, "edge": "arcgis", "key": "transparency", "name": "Transparency \u0026 trust", "weight": 7 } ], "summary": "Amazon Location Service scores 74.1 (BB) on agent readiness against ArcGIS Location Platform's 65.4 (B), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. ArcGIS Location Platform leads on payments \u0026 pricing and maintenance \u0026 community. Both do geo geocode.", "verdicts": { "amazon-location": "Places, Routes and Maps calls work over plain HTTPS with an API key limited to named actions, and every one of the 17 operations is read-only with typed inputs. Access starts with an AWS account a person opens, the key travels in the URL query string, and stored results cost eight times the single-use rate.", "arcgis": "Per-unit prices are public for every service, with a monthly free tier of 20,000 geocodes and 20,000 routes, keys limited to chosen privileges and a 99.9 per cent SLA. No rate limits or OpenAPI description were found, results may not be stored unless the dearer stored geocode is bought, and the agreement bars benchmarking without written permission." } }, "kind": "anchor.page", "links": { "api": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json", "html": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amazon-location-vs-arcgis", "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amazon-location-vs-arcgis.json", "llms": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt", "markdown": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amazon-location-vs-arcgis.md", "slim": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amazon-location-vs-arcgis.min.md" }, "markdown": "Amazon Location Service scores 74.1 (BB) on agent readiness against ArcGIS Location Platform's 65.4 (B), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. ArcGIS Location Platform leads on payments \u0026 pricing and maintenance \u0026 community. Both do geo geocode.\n\n- Amazon Location Service: grade BB, 74.1/100, rank #68 of 722. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/amazon-location.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/amazon-location.json\n- ArcGIS Location Platform: grade B, 65.4/100, rank #259 of 722. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/arcgis.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/arcgis.json\n\n## Which one, for what\n\n### Amazon Location Service (BB)\n\nGood for: Operators already on AWS who want geocoding, places and routing inside IAM, CloudTrail and one bill, with HERE data and GrabMaps for Southeast Asia.\n\nAhead on:\n- Reliability, 95 against 65\n- Schema \u0026 documentation, 87 against 61\n- Agent ergonomics, 88 against 78\n- Security \u0026 auth, 73 against 64\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- Agent-ready, a grade of BB or better\n\nWatch for: The API key is sent as the `key` query parameter, the only documented way to present it\n\n### ArcGIS Location Platform (B)\n\nGood for: Organisations already on Esri software, and work that needs demographic enrichment, service areas or fleet routing beside geocoding.\n\nAhead on:\n- Payments \u0026 pricing, 40 against 20\n- Maintenance \u0026 community, 83 against 60\n\nWatch for: The agreement bars benchmarking availability, performance or functionality, and publishing benchmark results, without prior written permission from Esri and its licensors (sections 3.1.b.6 and 3.1.c.6.F).\n\n\n## Score by category\n\n| Category | Weight | Amazon Location Service | ArcGIS Location Platform | Edge |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 95 | 65 | Amazon Location Service +30 |\n| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Schema \u0026 documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 87 | 61 | Amazon Location Service +26 |\n| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 88 | 78 | Amazon Location Service +10 |\n| Security \u0026 auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 73 | 64 | Amazon Location Service +9 |\n| Payments \u0026 pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 20 | 40 | ArcGIS Location Platform +20 |\n| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Maintenance \u0026 community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 60 | 83 | ArcGIS Location Platform +23 |\n| Transparency \u0026 trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 70 | 72 | ArcGIS Location Platform +2 |\n| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | |\n| **Total** | | **74.1 · BB** | **65.4 · B** | |\n\n## Facts side by side\n\n| Fact | Amazon Location Service | ArcGIS Location Platform |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Kind | HTTP API | HTTP API |\n| Vendor | Amazon Web Services | Esri |\n| Hosted endpoint | `https://places.geo.us-east-1.amazonaws.com` | `https://geocode-api.arcgis.com` |\n| Transports | HTTP | HTTP, Streamable HTTP |\n| Auth | API key | OAuth or key |\n| Pricing | Pay per use | Freemium |\n| Price for geo geocode | $0.50 per 1,000 requests | $0.50 per 1,000 requests |\n| x402 | no | no |\n| Licence | Proprietary service under the AWS Customer Agreement and AWS Service Terms. The AWS SDK clients and the agent context package on GitHub are Apache-2.0 | Proprietary service under the ArcGIS Location Platform Agreement. The ArcGIS REST JS client library is Apache-2.0 |\n| Tools exposed | none | 8 |\n| Read-only variant documented | yes | no |\n| llms.txt | yes | no |\n| Last release | 2026-08-17 | 2026-09-29 |\n| Terms last updated | 2026-10-01 | |\n| Privacy policy last updated | 2026-05-18 | 2026-07-31 |\n| Customer content may train models | yes, with an opt-out | |\n| Terms restrict automated access | yes | |\n| Terms restrict benchmarking | yes | |\n| Terms or service can change without notice | yes | |\n| Arbitration or class-action waiver | not found in the text | |\n| Popularity | 427k npm/wk | 392 stars, 65k npm/wk, 33k PyPI/wk |\n\n## Verdicts\n\n**Amazon Location Service.** Places, Routes and Maps calls work over plain HTTPS with an API key limited to named actions, and every one of the 17 operations is read-only with typed inputs. Access starts with an AWS account a person opens, the key travels in the URL query string, and stored results cost eight times the single-use rate.\n\n**ArcGIS Location Platform.** Per-unit prices are public for every service, with a monthly free tier of 20,000 geocodes and 20,000 routes, keys limited to chosen privileges and a 99.9 per cent SLA. No rate limits or OpenAPI description were found, results may not be stored unless the dearer stored geocode is bought, and the agreement bars benchmarking without written permission.\n\n## Before you call either\n\n### Amazon Location Service\n\n1. Call the v2 endpoints (`places.geo.\u003cregion\u003e.amazonaws.com/v2/geocode`, `routes.geo`, `maps.geo`). They need no resource creation, unlike the v1 place index and route calculator calls\n2. Set `IntendedUse` to `Storage` before saving or caching any Places result. The default `SingleUse` results may not be stored under section 82.4 of the AWS Service Terms\n3. Read `PricingBucket` in each response. Requesting `Contact`, `Access`, `TimeZone` or `Phonemes` in `AdditionalFeatures` moves a Places call from $0.50 to $1.50 per 1,000\n4. Keep the API key out of logs and shared URLs, since it travels as `?key=`. Use SigV4 with an IAM role for server-side work, and for the Jobs API, which refuses API keys\n5. Back off on HTTP 429 `ThrottlingException`. The burst allowance is 80 per cent of the per-second rate within any part of a second\n\n### ArcGIS Location Platform\n\n1. Send the token in an `X-Esri-Authorization: Bearer` or `Authorization` header. The docs' examples put it in a `token` parameter, which Esri's own best-practice page calls less secure.\n2. Set `forStorage=true` on `findAddressCandidates` or `reverseGeocode` only when results will be kept. It needs pay-as-you-go and the Geocode (stored) privilege, and costs eight times the unstored rate.\n3. Cap geocoding output with `maxLocations` (default and maximum 50) and `outFields`, because billing counts results returned and the default returns every field.\n4. Page place searches with `pageSize` (maximum 20) and `offset`. A nearby or extent search costs $8 per 1,000 requests after 500 free a month.\n5. Check the JSON body for an `error` object with `code`, `message` and `details`. Code 499 means the token is missing and 403 means it lacks the privilege.\n\n## Questions\n\n### Which is better for AI agents, Amazon Location Service or ArcGIS Location Platform?\n\nAmazon Location Service scores 74.1 (BB) on agent readiness against ArcGIS Location Platform's 65.4 (B), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. ArcGIS Location Platform leads on payments \u0026 pricing and maintenance \u0026 community.\n\n### Which is cheaper for geo geocode, Amazon Location Service or ArcGIS Location Platform?\n\nThey cost about the same, $0.50 per 1,000 requests for Amazon Location Service and $0.50 per 1,000 requests for ArcGIS Location Platform. These are the vendors' published prices for the job.\n\n### Do Amazon Location Service and ArcGIS Location Platform need an API key?\n\nAmazon Location Service needs an API key. ArcGIS Location Platform takes an API key or an OAuth sign-in.\n\n### Can an agent call Amazon Location Service and ArcGIS Location Platform without installing anything?\n\nYes. Amazon Location Service has a hosted endpoint at https://places.geo.us-east-1.amazonaws.com and ArcGIS Location Platform at https://geocode-api.arcgis.com.\n\n\n## For agents\n\n- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amazon-location-vs-arcgis.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amazon-location-vs-arcgis.min.md\n- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {\"a\": \"amazon-location\", \"b\": \"arcgis\"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare amazon-location arcgis`\n- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/amazon-location.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/arcgis.json\n\n## Other comparisons with Amazon Location Service or ArcGIS Location Platform\n\n- [Amazon Location Service vs Azure Maps](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amazon-location-vs-azure-maps.md)\n- [Amazon Location Service vs Geoapify Location Platform + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amazon-location-vs-geoapify.md)\n- [Amazon Location Service vs Google Maps Platform + Grounding Lite MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amazon-location-vs-google-maps-platform.md)\n- [Amazon Location Service vs LocationIQ](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amazon-location-vs-locationiq.md)\n- [Amazon Location Service vs Mapbox APIs + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amazon-location-vs-mapbox.md)\n- [Amazon Location Service vs MapQuest](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amazon-location-vs-mapquest.md)\n- [Amazon Location Service vs OpenCage Geocoding API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amazon-location-vs-opencage.md)\n- [Amazon Location Service vs Stadia Maps](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amazon-location-vs-stadia-maps.md)\n- [Amazon Location Service vs TomTom Maps APIs + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amazon-location-vs-tomtom.md)\n- [ArcGIS Location Platform vs Azure Maps](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arcgis-vs-azure-maps.md)\n- [ArcGIS Location Platform vs Geoapify Location Platform + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arcgis-vs-geoapify.md)\n- [ArcGIS Location Platform vs Google Maps Platform + Grounding Lite MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arcgis-vs-google-maps-platform.md)\n- [ArcGIS Location Platform vs LocationIQ](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arcgis-vs-locationiq.md)\n- [ArcGIS Location Platform vs Mapbox APIs + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arcgis-vs-mapbox.md)\n- [ArcGIS Location Platform vs MapQuest](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arcgis-vs-mapquest.md)\n- [ArcGIS Location Platform vs OpenCage Geocoding API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arcgis-vs-opencage.md)\n- [ArcGIS Location Platform vs Stadia Maps](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arcgis-vs-stadia-maps.md)\n- [ArcGIS Location Platform vs TomTom Maps APIs + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arcgis-vs-tomtom.md)\n", "meta": { "attribution": "Anchor Terminal (https://www.anchorterminal.com)", "docs": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/docs/", "generatedAt": "2026-10-08", "license": "CC-BY-4.0", "method": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/benchmark/", "methodology": "0.4", "openapi": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/openapi.json", "preview": false, "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run" }, "page": { "breadcrumbs": [ { "name": "Home", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/" }, { "name": "Compare", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/" }, { "name": "Amazon Location Service vs ArcGIS Location Platform", "url": "" } ], "description": "Amazon Location Service scores 74.1 (BB) on agent readiness against ArcGIS Location Platform's 65.4 (B), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. ArcGIS Location Platform leads on payments \u0026 pricing and maintenance \u0026 community. Both do geo geocode. Category scores, facts, verdicts…", "facts": [ "Amazon Location Service BB 74.1", "ArcGIS Location Platform B 65.4", "scores" ], "h1": "Amazon Location Service vs ArcGIS Location Platform", "image": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/assets/og/compare-amazon-location-vs-arcgis.png", "path": "/compare/amazon-location-vs-arcgis", "published": "2026-10-01", "section": "tools", "title": "Amazon Location Service vs ArcGIS Location Platform for AI agents", "toc": null, "updated": "2026-10-08", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amazon-location-vs-arcgis" }, "tokens": { "markdown": 2750, "slim": 780 }, "version": 1 }