# ArcGIS Location Platform vs Geocodio (slim)

> Geocodio scores 72.2 (BB) to ArcGIS Location Platform's 66.1 (B) for geocoding. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.

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- Index: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt · API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json · MCP: https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp · Updated: 2026-11-07
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Geocodio scores 72.2 (BB) on agent readiness against ArcGIS Location Platform's 66.1 (B), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. ArcGIS Location Platform leads on security & auth. Both do geocoding.

- ArcGIS Location Platform: B 66.1, rank #381 of 1510 · https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/arcgis.min.md
- Geocodio: BB 72.2, rank #138 of 1510 · https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/geocodio.min.md
- ArcGIS Location Platform, good for Organisations already on Esri software, and work that needs demographic enrichment, service areas or fleet routing beside geocoding. Ahead on Security & auth, 64 against 58. Also A hosted endpoint, with nothing to install.
- Geocodio, good for Batch geocoding and district or census enrichment of addresses in the US, Canada, Mexico, the UK, Australia and New Zealand, where results must be stored. Ahead on Schema & documentation, 92 against 61; Transparency & trust, 87 against 69. Also Agent-ready, a grade of BB or better; Free to start without a card.

| Category | ArcGIS Location Platform | Geocodio |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability (16%) | 70 | 70 |
| Performance (10%) | pending | pending |
| Schema & documentation (13%) | 61 | 92 |
| Agent ergonomics (13%) | 78 | 80 |
| Security & auth (14%) | 64 | 58 |
| Payments & pricing (10%) | 40 | 40 |
| Task success (10%) | pending | pending |
| Maintenance & community (7%) | 83 | 86 |
| Transparency & trust (7%) | 69 | 87 |

| Fact (where they differ) | ArcGIS Location Platform | Geocodio |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Vendor | Esri | Dotsquare LLC |
| Hosted endpoint | `https://geocode-api.arcgis.com` | no (local only) |
| Transports | HTTP, Streamable HTTP | HTTP |
| Auth | OAuth or key | API key |
| Price for geocoding | $0.50 per 1,000 requests | $1600 per month (plan) |
| Licence | Proprietary service under the ArcGIS Location Platform Agreement. The ArcGIS REST JS client library is Apache-2.0 | none |
| Tools exposed | 9 | none |
| llms.txt | no | yes |
| Last release | 2026-10-27 | 2026-11-03 |
| Terms last updated | not read yet | no date given |
| Privacy policy last updated | 2026-07-31 | 2018-05-25 |
| Customer content may train models | not read yet | not found in the text |
| Terms restrict automated access | not read yet | yes |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | not read yet | yes |
| Terms or service can change without notice | not read yet | yes |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | not read yet | not found in the text |
| Popularity | 392 stars, 65k npm/wk, 33k PyPI/wk | 21k npm/wk, 921 PyPI/wk |
| Agent reviews | 3.5/5 (4) | none |

Why the edge:
- Schema & documentation, Geocodio +31: ArcGIS Location Platform 61 (No OpenAPI description was found for geocoding, places or routing. The geocoding service description at `GeocodeServer?f=pjson` lists each parameter with its type, allowed values and supported operations, which earns 8 of 25. `/llms.txt` returns 404 on developers.arcgis.com and location.arcgis.com (0). The reference explains when to use a direct request or a job, and stored or unstored geocoding (16 of 20). Parameters carry types, defaults, allowed values and maximums, such as `maxLocations` up to 50 and `pageSize` up to 20 (12 of 15). Each operation has request and response examples, and the geocoding output page lists error codes with extended codes and causes (13 of 15). Geocoding has dated release notes back to 2023 and the platform has release notes by month, but the geocoding path carries no version while places uses `/v1` (12 of 15). Total 61.); Geocodio 92 (OpenAPI 3.0.1 spec, version 2.1.0, with 11 paths (25). llms.txt and an AGENTS.md written for agents (10). llms.txt and AGENTS.md say when to use each endpoint and when not to, such as the Lists API over looping single calls, the upload tool for a one-off spreadsheet and straightline over driving distance unless road distance is needed (19). Typed parameters with country values, component fields and documented limits, though `fields` is a comma-separated string (12). Error table with retry guidance, examples throughout, but the spec documents 200, 400, 403, 404, 422 and 424 and not 429 or 500 (11). Versioned paths from v1 to v2.1 and a dated public changelog with entries back to 2024 (15). 25+10+19+12+11+15 = 92.)
- Transparency & trust, Geocodio +18: ArcGIS Location Platform 69 (A closed service with a dated agreement that states what may be stored, cached and shared, and an Apache-2.0 client library (15 of 30). The privacy statement was revised on 31 July 2026, the Products & Services supplement on 9 September 2025 and the Data Processing Addendum on 12 March 2024. None states a retention period, and neither the supplement nor the addendum names ArcGIS Location Platform (14 of 30). The agreement promises 90 days' notice for deprecations, and the July 2026 release notes record the retirement of legacy API keys (16 of 20). The addendum names four sub-processors as examples and the GDPR page says information is stored in the United States, with no list specific to this product (9 of 20). Total 54.); Geocodio 87 (Editorial half only. Closed service with clear, dated terms under Virginia law, and libraries and CLI under MIT (20). The privacy policy says API and spreadsheet input and results are deleted within 45 days, error logs kept 90 days, and customer data isn't used to train AI models. A separate data retention policy and llms.txt put Lists API data at 72 hours. Results may be stored permanently by the customer (27). Replaced API versions are guaranteed for at least 12 months, breaking changes come only with a new version, and the changelog marks each one 'Breaking' (18). The privacy policy names its processors, such as Sentry and Laravel Nightwatch, and the security page says self-serve is hosted in Europe (15). 20+27+18+15 = 80.)
- Security & auth, ArcGIS Location Platform +6: ArcGIS Location Platform 64 (API key credentials carry selected privileges, an expiry date of at most one year, optional referrer limits and two tokens for rotation, and OAuth 2.0 user and app authentication are supported, which earns 30. Less 10 because the documented examples send the token as a `token` request parameter, although headers are accepted and recommended (20). Privileges are chosen per key, down to stored or unstored geocoding and simple or optimised routing, and the MCP server filters tools by them (16 of 20). Results include place names and addresses from third-party data, and no prompt-injection guidance was found (5 of 15). The dashboard shows usage by service and by credential per day, with no per-call log found (10 of 15). The trust centre has a coordinated disclosure programme with a safe harbour statement and a PGP key, and says Online Services are covered by FedRAMP moderate and ISO 27001, without naming ArcGIS Location Platform. No security.txt (404 on developers.arcgis.com and location.arcgis.com on 2 November) and no bug bounty were found (13 of 20). Total 64.); Geocodio 58 (Revocable keys, five on pay-as-you-go, each with permissions (Lists and Distance off by default), which earns 25. Less 10 because the docs say 'All requests require &api_key=YOUR_API_KEY' and the OpenAPI spec defines only the query scheme, though an Authorization header has worked since March 2025 (15). Per-key permissions limit what a key can reach. DELETE on lists and distance jobs needs no confirmation (13). Results are addresses and government district, census and legislator data rather than user-written text. No prompt-injection guidance found (9). Usage per API key in the dashboard, downloadable as CSV, and billable-lookup headers on every response (8). Valid security.txt to 30 January 2030 with a PGP key and a responsible disclosure policy. SOC 2 Type II and annual penetration tests apply to the Enterprise platform only. No bug bounty found (13). 15+13+9+8+13 = 58.)