ArcGIS Location Platform vs Mapbox APIs + MCP

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.

Mapbox APIs + MCP

Official MCP server, hosted at mcp.mapbox.com with OAuth or run locally, listed in the MCP registry. Storing geocodes needs the Permanent tier at $5 per 1,000, about 6.7 times the temporary rate.

ArcGIS Location Platform

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Cap geocoding output with maxLocations (default and maximum 50) and outFields, because billing counts results returned and the default returns every field.
4. 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.
5. 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.

Mapbox APIs + MCP

1. Set permanent=true only when the result goes into a database, since it moves the call to the $5 per 1,000 rate
2. Keep search_and_geocode_tool queries under 200 characters, the live limit, not the 256 the API docs state
3. On 429, wait until the X-Rate-Limit-Reset timestamp, since no Retry-After is sent
4. Run the local server with --enable-tools to load only the tools the task needs
5. Use category_search_tool for generic place types like coffee shops, not search_and_geocode_tool