# ArcGIS Location Platform vs MapQuest

> ArcGIS Location Platform scores 65.4 (B) on agent readiness against MapQuest's 35.1 (F), and leads in every scored category. Both do geo geocode. Category scores, facts, verdicts and agent notes side by side.

- Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arcgis-vs-mapquest
- Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arcgis-vs-mapquest.md (~2,400 tokens)
- Slim: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arcgis-vs-mapquest.min.md (~630 tokens, same facts, less prose, for token-sensitive contexts)
- JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arcgis-vs-mapquest.json (this page as data, same URL with Accept: application/json)
- Site index for agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt (full text: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms-full.txt)
- API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json
- Updated: 2026-10-08

ArcGIS Location Platform scores 65.4 (B) on agent readiness against MapQuest's 35.1 (F), and leads in every scored category. Both do geo geocode.

- 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
- MapQuest: grade F, 35.1/100, rank #710 of 722. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/mapquest.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/mapquest.json

## Which one, for what

### ArcGIS Location Platform (B)

Good for: Organisations already on Esri software, and work that needs demographic enrichment, service areas or fleet routing beside geocoding.

Ahead on:
- Reliability, 65 against 23
- Schema & documentation, 61 against 47
- Agent ergonomics, 78 against 60
- Security & auth, 64 against 28
- Payments & pricing, 40 against 30
- Maintenance & community, 83 against 23
- Transparency & trust, 72 against 28

Watch 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).

### MapQuest (F)

Good for: An agent that needs US-centred geocoding, routing with truck profiles, traffic and place search behind one account, with an MCP server ready to connect.

Watch for: No API terms of service found. The legal link leads to System1's 2021 website terms, which allow personal, non-commercial use only


## Score by category

| Category | Weight | ArcGIS Location Platform | MapQuest | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 65 | 23 | ArcGIS Location Platform +42 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 61 | 47 | ArcGIS Location Platform +14 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 78 | 60 | ArcGIS Location Platform +18 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 64 | 28 | ArcGIS Location Platform +36 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 40 | 30 | ArcGIS Location Platform +10 |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 83 | 23 | ArcGIS Location Platform +60 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 72 | 28 | ArcGIS Location Platform +44 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | |
| **Total** | | **65.4 · B** | **35.1 · F** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | ArcGIS Location Platform | MapQuest |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | HTTP API | HTTP API |
| Vendor | Esri | MapQuest (System1) |
| Hosted endpoint | `https://geocode-api.arcgis.com` | `https://www.mapquestapi.com` |
| Transports | HTTP, Streamable HTTP | HTTP, Streamable HTTP |
| Auth | OAuth or key | OAuth or key |
| Pricing | Freemium | Pay per use |
| Price for geo geocode | $0.50 per 1,000 requests | not published |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | Proprietary service under the ArcGIS Location Platform Agreement. The ArcGIS REST JS client library is Apache-2.0 | Proprietary service. No API terms were found published without a login |
| Tools exposed | 8 | none |
| Read-only variant documented | no | no |
| llms.txt | no | yes |
| Last release | 2026-09-29 | 2026-07-16 |
| Terms last updated |  | no document linked |
| Privacy policy last updated | 2026-07-31 | no document linked |
| Customer content may train models |  |  |
| Terms restrict automated access |  |  |
| Terms restrict benchmarking |  |  |
| Terms or service can change without notice |  |  |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver |  |  |
| Popularity | 392 stars, 65k npm/wk, 33k PyPI/wk | none |

## Verdicts

**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.

**MapQuest.** One account reaches geocoding, routing, place search and traffic through a REST API or a hosted MCP server with OAuth, at a published $0.0045 a transaction. No API terms, status page, changelog or product OpenAPI spec was found, and REST keys travel in the query string.

## Before you call either

### 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.

### MapQuest

1. Register an account and create an API key before connecting the MCP server. Every tool needs an active key, chosen by nickname on first use
2. Send REST calls to `https://www.mapquestapi.com` with `key` in the query string, and redact it from logged URLs
3. Read `info.statuscode` in geocoding and directions responses. 0 is success, and errors such as 610 (ambiguous location) arrive in the body
4. Set `thumbMaps=false` and `maxResults` on geocoding, and `pageSize` (1 to 50) on place search, to keep responses small
5. Do not store or cache geocodes on a monthly or pay-as-you-go plan

## Questions

### Which is better for AI agents, ArcGIS Location Platform or MapQuest?

ArcGIS Location Platform scores 65.4 (B) on agent readiness against MapQuest's 35.1 (F), and leads in every scored category.

### Do ArcGIS Location Platform and MapQuest need an API key?

Both take an API key or an OAuth sign-in.

### Can an agent call ArcGIS Location Platform and MapQuest without installing anything?

Yes. ArcGIS Location Platform has a hosted endpoint at https://geocode-api.arcgis.com and MapQuest at https://www.mapquestapi.com.


## For agents

- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arcgis-vs-mapquest.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arcgis-vs-mapquest.min.md
- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {"a": "arcgis", "b": "mapquest"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare arcgis mapquest`
- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/arcgis.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/mapquest.json

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