{ "data": { "a": { "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", "dns": "arcgis.grade.anchorterminal.com", "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": 9, "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": "2026-10-27", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 66.1, "grade": "B", "agentReady": false, "rank": 381, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 1510, "categoryRank": 7, "methodology": "0.7", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 78, "maintenance": 83, "payments": 40, "reliability": 70, "schema": 61, "security": 64, "transparency": 69 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-11-02" }, "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 nine 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 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": 4, "avgRating": 3.5, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "B", "methodology": "0.7", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 66.1 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 78, "maintenance": 83, "payments": 40, "reliability": 70, "schema": 61, "security": 64, "transparency": 54 }, "provenanceScore": 83, "checked": { "categories": { "ergonomics": "2026-11-02", "maintenance": "2026-11-02", "payments": "2026-11-02", "reliability": "2026-11-02", "schema": "2026-11-02", "security": "2026-11-02", "transparency": "2026-11-02" }, "last": "2026-11-02", "lastMoved": "2026-11-02", "oldest": "2026-11-02", "stale": false, "staleAfterDays": 90 } }, "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/2026-09/", "securityTxt": "none", "checked": "2026-11-02", "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 (developers and location re-read on 2 November 2026). 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 platform's RSS feed (all.rss, titled ArcGIS Location Platform Services Status), whose newest entry on 2 November 2026 is still dated 16 June 2026. The page's \"all services RSS feed\" link points at location_platform.rss, which answered 404 that day.", "The platform release notes moved on to a September 2026 page (Static Maps polygon and overlay endpoints, the MCP service, pay-as-you-go moved to the payment methods page, a fix for an API key validation bug in geocoding and routing)." ], "score": 83 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/arcgis.json", "live": { "slug": "arcgis", "probe": { "target": "https://geocode-api.arcgis.com", "method": "get", "lastAt": "2026-11-07T19:21:52.853508267Z", "lastOk": true, "lastStatus": 200, "lastMs": 195, "authRequired": false, "uptime24h": 100, "uptime30d": 100, "p50ms24h": 154, "p95ms24h": 279, "samples24h": 238, "samples30d": 7430, "days": [ { "date": "2026-10-08", "probes": 50, "ok": 50 }, { "date": "2026-10-09", "probes": 250, "ok": 250 }, { "date": "2026-10-10", "probes": 247, "ok": 247 }, { "date": "2026-10-11", "probes": 247, "ok": 247 }, { "date": "2026-10-12", "probes": 247, "ok": 247 }, { "date": "2026-10-13", "probes": 248, "ok": 248 }, { "date": "2026-10-14", "probes": 249, "ok": 249 }, { "date": "2026-10-15", "probes": 253, "ok": 253 }, { "date": "2026-10-16", "probes": 252, "ok": 252 }, { "date": "2026-10-17", "probes": 253, "ok": 253 }, { "date": "2026-10-18", "probes": 256, "ok": 256 }, { "date": "2026-10-19", "probes": 255, "ok": 255 }, { "date": "2026-10-20", "probes": 252, "ok": 252 }, { "date": "2026-10-21", "probes": 253, "ok": 253 }, { "date": "2026-10-22", "probes": 253, "ok": 253 }, { "date": "2026-10-23", "probes": 248, "ok": 248 }, { "date": "2026-10-24", "probes": 251, "ok": 251 }, { "date": "2026-10-25", "probes": 250, "ok": 250 }, { "date": "2026-10-26", "probes": 252, "ok": 252 }, { "date": "2026-10-27", "probes": 249, "ok": 249 }, { "date": "2026-10-28", "probes": 251, "ok": 251 }, { "date": "2026-10-29", "probes": 249, "ok": 249 }, { "date": "2026-10-30", "probes": 248, "ok": 248 }, { "date": "2026-10-31", "probes": 251, "ok": 251 }, { "date": "2026-11-01", "probes": 249, "ok": 249 }, { "date": "2026-11-02", "probes": 250, "ok": 250 }, { "date": "2026-11-03", "probes": 248, "ok": 248 }, { "date": "2026-11-04", "probes": 246, "ok": 246 }, { "date": "2026-11-05", "probes": 185, "ok": 185 }, { "date": "2026-11-06", "probes": 241, "ok": 241 }, { "date": "2026-11-07", "probes": 197, "ok": 197 } ] }, "vendorStatus": { "page": "https://status.location.arcgis.com", "indicator": "unknown", "summary": "no machine-readable status found", "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T04:47:06.736228455Z" }, "versions": [ { "registry": "github", "name": "Esri/arcgis-rest-js", "version": "@esri/arcgis-rest-request@4.11.1", "released": "2026-08-12", "seenAt": "2026-11-06T23:07:01.462203334Z" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "@esri/arcgis-rest-geocoding", "version": "4.11.0", "seenAt": "2026-11-06T23:06:59.054252559Z" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "@esri/arcgis-rest-request", "version": "4.11.0", "seenAt": "2026-11-06T23:06:59.265334951Z" }, { "registry": "pypi", "name": "arcgis", "version": "2.4.4", "released": "2026-10-20", "seenAt": "2026-11-06T23:07:01.275527424Z" } ], "githubStars": 394, "npmWeekly": 8426, "pypiWeekly": 37506, "securityTxt": { "url": "https://arcgis.com/.well-known/security.txt", "state": "none", "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T16:01:16.036225554Z" }, "domain": { "domain": "arcgis.com", "registered": "1999-06-09", "source": "https://rdap.verisign.com/com/v1/domain/arcgis.com", "checkedAt": "2026-11-01T14:12:57.919937705Z" }, "pages": [ { "url": "https://location.arcgis.com/help/release-notes/2026-07/", "kind": "changelog", "status": 304, "checkedAt": "2026-11-02T07:20:10.512584723Z", "changedAt": "2026-10-17T23:05:30.185999821Z", "fingerprint": "9af8b8dce85d" }, { "url": "https://location.arcgis.com/help/release-notes/2026-09/", "kind": "changelog", "status": 304, "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T14:13:25.735875546Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "bcf8d7b9a99a" }, { "url": "https://support.esri.com/en-us/knowledge-base/landscape-variables-in-arcgis-geoenrichment-000043632", "kind": "deprecations", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T14:21:26.942689851Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "135039d0a7c5" }, { "url": "https://www.esri.com/en-us/privacy/privacy-statements/privacy-statement", "kind": "privacy", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T14:28:19.883777876Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "a1bf1873839c" } ], "github": { "repo": "esri/arcgis-rest-js", "checkedAt": "2026-11-02T08:46:46.266240285Z", "stars": 393, "archived": false, "issuesEnabled": true, "pushedAt": "2026-10-30T17:50:59Z", "openIssues": 59, "openPRs": 5, "issuesOpened90d": 2, "issuesClosed90d": 1, "prsMerged90d": 7, "ci": { "branch": "main", "runs": 50, "success": 45, "failure": 3, "other": 2, "latest": "success", "latestAt": "2026-08-07T21:03:48Z" }, "replies": { "sampled": 25, "unanswered": 12, "medianDays": 33.4 } }, "updatedAt": "2026-11-07T19:21:52.853508267Z" } }, "answer": "ArcGIS Location Platform scores 66.1 (B) on agent readiness against Nominatim's 63.5 (B), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Nominatim leads on reliability and payments \u0026 pricing.", "b": { "slug": "nominatim", "name": "Nominatim", "vendor": "Nominatim project (osm-search)", "vendorUrl": "https://nominatim.org", "kind": "http-api", "category": "maps", "summary": "Nominatim is open-source geocoding software that searches OpenStreetMap data by name and address and reverse geocodes coordinates. Operators self-host its HTTP API; the OpenStreetMap Foundation runs a free public instance under a strict usage policy.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/nominatim", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/nominatim.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/nominatim.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/nominatim.json", "dns": "nominatim.grade.anchorterminal.com", "repo": "https://github.com/osm-search/Nominatim", "license": "GPL-3.0-or-later", "transports": [ "http" ], "packages": [ { "registry": "pypi", "name": "nominatim-api" }, { "registry": "pypi", "name": "nominatim-db" } ], "auth": "none", "authNotes": "The server has no authentication; operators add it with their own proxy. The public instance at nominatim.openstreetmap.org takes no key but requires a valid User-Agent or Referer identifying the application.", "pricing": "free", "pricingNotes": "Free software. The public instance is free within its usage policy (at most 1 request a second, no bulk or systematic use). Commercial hosted Nominatim is sold by third parties, not by the project.", "priceSummary": "Free · OSS", "where": "local", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No payment protocol in the server or the docs (checked 2026-11-06). The software is free.", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": null, "popularity": { "githubStars": null, "npmWeekly": null, "pypiWeekly": 2052, "asOf": "2026-11-06" }, "docsUrl": "https://nominatim.org/release-docs/latest/api/Overview/", "capabilities": [ "geo.geocode", "geo.reverse", "geo.places" ], "tags": [ "open-source", "self-hosted", "free", "no-auth", "no-key", "python", "open-data", "local" ], "lastRelease": "2026-10-14", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 63.5, "grade": "B", "agentReady": false, "rank": 513, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 1510, "categoryRank": 9, "methodology": "0.7", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 75, "maintenance": 60, "payments": 60, "reliability": 82, "schema": 51, "security": 50, "transparency": 59 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-11-06" }, "negative": 0, "verdict": "Nominatim is the open-source OpenStreetMap geocoder, free to run with a documented search, reverse and lookup API, tested releases and two years of security support per release. It has no OpenAPI spec, no built-in authentication, and the public instance allows one request a second and restricts LLM-suggested use, so agents at scale need their own server.", "bestFor": "Self-hosted worldwide geocoding from OpenStreetMap data with no per-call cost or storage limits beyond ODbL.", "strengths": [ "Open source under GPL, free to self-host with no key and nothing to buy", "Search, reverse, lookup and status endpoints with limit, layer, country and viewbox filters", "Release 5.3.3 on 14 October 2026, with a ChangeLog and two years of security updates per release line", "SECURITY.md with a security address, a 3-work-day acknowledgement and a disclosure process", "CI runs unit and BDD tests on every push across PostgreSQL 13 to 18" ], "weaknesses": [ "No OpenAPI spec and no llms.txt", "The public instance allows at most one request a second, no autocomplete, no systematic queries and no reselling", "The usage policy says LLMs may suggest the public API only while pointing to the policy, and bars it from no-code and vibe-coding platforms", "No authentication in the server, so access control is the operator's job", "A full planet import needs substantial hardware and time to set up" ], "agentNotes": [ "Don't send bulk or repeated queries to nominatim.openstreetmap.org; keep to one request a second, cache results and set an identifying User-Agent", "Tell the user about the OSMF usage policy before suggesting the public instance, as the policy requires", "For regular or large jobs, run your own Nominatim or use a commercial provider listed on the Nominatim wiki", "Pass format=jsonv2 or geojson and limit, since omitting format sends the request to the web UI", "Attribute OpenStreetMap and respect the ODbL share-alike terms when storing results" ], "metrics": { "kind": "local", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 0, "avgRating": 0, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "B", "methodology": "0.7", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 63.5 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 75, "maintenance": 60, "payments": 60, "reliability": 82, "schema": 51, "security": 50, "transparency": 81 }, "provenanceScore": 37, "checked": { "categories": { "ergonomics": "2026-11-06", "maintenance": "2026-11-06", "payments": "2026-11-06", "reliability": "2026-11-06", "schema": "2026-11-06", "security": "2026-11-06", "transparency": "2026-11-06" }, "last": "2026-11-06", "oldest": "2026-11-06", "stale": false, "staleAfterDays": 90 } }, "connect": { "install": "pip install nominatim-db nominatim-api", "http": "curl -A \"my-app/1.0 (contact@example.com)\" \"https://nominatim.openstreetmap.org/search?q=Dresden\u0026format=jsonv2\u0026limit=1\"" }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/geo.geocode", "tool": "https://letme.dev/nominatim" }, "area": "everyday", "provenance": { "legalEntity": "", "domain": "nominatim.org", "domainRegistered": "2010-05-20", "endpointOnVendorDomain": false, "terms": "https://operations.osmfoundation.org/policies/nominatim/", "privacy": "", "statusPage": "", "changelog": "https://github.com/osm-search/Nominatim/blob/master/ChangeLog", "securityTxt": "none", "checked": "2026-11-06", "notes": [ "No company stands behind the software. The nominatim.org imprint names its maintainer Sarah Hoffmann as the person who runs the site.", "The terms listed are the OSMF usage policy for the public instance, which is run by the OpenStreetMap Foundation and is also governed by the OSMF Terms of Use. The licence governs the software.", "nominatim.openstreetmap.org's robots.txt disallows /search, /reverse, /lookup, /details and /status, so no request was sent there.", "nominatim.org has no robots.txt (404) and no llms.txt. Security reports go to security@nominatim.org per SECURITY.md; no security.txt was looked for beyond that file.", "RDAP gives nominatim.org a registration date of 20 May 2010.", "A request to pypi.org/pypi/nominatim-api/json, disallowed by PyPI's robots.txt, was sent by mistake on 6 November 2026; release dates are taken from PyPI's allowed RSS release feed instead." ], "score": 37 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/nominatim.json", "live": { "slug": "nominatim", "versions": [ { "registry": "github", "name": "osm-search/Nominatim", "version": "v5.3.3", "released": "2026-10-14", "seenAt": "2026-11-06T23:49:38.546585976Z" }, { "registry": "pypi", "name": "nominatim-api", "version": "5.3.3", "released": "2026-10-14", "seenAt": "2026-11-06T23:49:36.460811725Z" }, { "registry": "pypi", "name": "nominatim-db", "version": "5.3.3", "released": "2026-10-14", "seenAt": "2026-11-06T23:49:36.677899359Z" } ], "githubStars": 4553, "pypiWeekly": 2052, "securityTxt": { "url": "https://nominatim.org/.well-known/security.txt", "state": "none", "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T16:00:36.659918342Z" }, "pages": [ { "url": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/osm-search/Nominatim/master/ChangeLog", "kind": "changelog", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T14:22:43.498875362Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "d293d5592f9f" }, { "url": "https://operations.osmfoundation.org/policies/nominatim/", "kind": "terms", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T14:15:39.38384818Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "e7342ba42b14" } ], "updatedAt": "2026-11-07T16:00:36.659918342Z" } }, "edges": [ { "by": 23, "category": "maintenance", "leads": "arcgis", "name": "Maintenance \u0026 community", "reasons": { "a": "The latest dated change is MCP server 1.0.0-beta.1.9 on 27 October 2026, which added stored and unstored geocoding and a service area tool (30). Dated entries in the 90 days to 2 November include MCP releases on 10 August, 1, 15 and 29 September, 9 and 27 October, the September 2026 platform and geocoding release notes, ArcGIS REST JS 4.11.0 on 7 August and 4.11.1 on 12 August, and the ArcGIS API for Python tag v2.4.4 on 22 September (20). Public release notes and the Esri Community forum exist, technical support is a paid extra, and we didn't read reply times. The 8 October check counted 60 open issues on the ArcGIS REST JS repository; github.com pages weren't readable on 2 November, and the clone's main branch was last changed on 7 August 2026 (10 of 15). Official SDKs are current, ArcGIS REST JS 4.11.1 and the ArcGIS API for Python 2.4.4 (15). The JS repository has pull-request test and release workflows, and we didn't check that they pass (8 of 10). Total 83.", "b": "Release 5.3.3 on 14 October 2026, 23 days before this check (30). Only one release in the 90 days from 8 August, against 106 commits on the default branch; commits aren't counted as releases (0). Commits from the lead maintainer and seven or more contributors since August, but we couldn't read issue reply times (12). The nominatim-api Python library is current with the server (10). CI on every push, current PostgreSQL and Python versions (8). 30+0+12+10+8 = 60." }, "scores": { "a": 83, "b": 60 } }, { "by": 20, "category": "payments", "leads": "nominatim", "name": "Payments \u0026 pricing", "reasons": { "a": "No x402, MPP or L402 (0). Unit prices for every service are public without a login (20). A monthly free tier of 20,000 geocodes, 20,000 routes and 500 place searches, and the billing help says a payment method is needed only to turn on pay-as-you-go. The sign-up form is drawn by script and we couldn't read it, so the no-card reading rests on the billing help (20). An account is created by a person in a browser (0). Total 40.", "b": "Self-hosted rule. No payment protocol (0). Free software with nothing to buy (20 + 20 + 20). The public instance is also free and keyless, within its usage policy. 0+20+20+20 = 60." }, "scores": { "a": 40, "b": 60 } }, { "by": 14, "category": "security", "leads": "arcgis", "name": "Security \u0026 auth", "reasons": { "a": "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.", "b": "The server has no authentication of its own; an operator puts it behind their own proxy. The public instance takes no key and identifies callers by User-Agent or Referer (5). Every endpoint reads, so there's nothing to approve (18). Results are OpenStreetMap names and tags, community-edited text, with no prompt-injection guidance (7). Query logging to a file is available through NOMINATIM_LOG_FILE and off by default (8). SECURITY.md gives security@nominatim.org, an acknowledgement within 3 work days, a disclosure process and two years of security updates per release. No bug bounty (12). 5+18+7+8+12 = 50." }, "scores": { "a": 64, "b": 50 } }, { "by": 12, "category": "reliability", "leads": "nominatim", "name": "Reliability", "reasons": { "a": "Graded as a hosted service on the REST location services, which are generally available. Esri runs its own status page at status.location.arcgis.com with current status and an event history (20). The history is drawn by script, so we read the platform's RSS feed at /admin/api/rss/all.rss, titled ArcGIS Location Platform Services Status. The page's own \"all services RSS feed\" link (location_platform.rss) answered 404 on 2 November. On 2 November its newest entry is still an intermittent basemap tile slowdown on 16 June 2026, outside the 90 days to 2 November. A readable feed that posts incidents, with none touching the product in the window, is a clean record (30). The 8 October check gave 25 and held back 5 for the feed's unknown depth, which isn't a checklist value. No request rate limits with numbers were found in the geocoding, places or routing reference (0, per the 8 October check, not re-read on 2 November). No 429 or backoff guidance was found. The geocoding output page says only that a timeout after 60 seconds may be retried later (0). The SLA of 23 December 2025 commits to 99.9 per cent monthly uptime for ten services (10). The REST services are generally available, and the MCP server is a beta (10). Total 70.", "b": "Read with the local-software lines, since the listing is the Nominatim server an operator runs. The public instance at nominatim.openstreetmap.org belongs to the OpenStreetMap Foundation and its usage policy caps it at one request a second, so it isn't graded as a hosted service. Official packages nominatim-db and nominatim-api on PyPI (5.3.3 on 14 October 2026, Python 3.9 or later) and installation guides for Ubuntu 22 and 24 (20). A public CI workflow runs unit and BDD tests on every push across Ubuntu 24 and 26 with PostgreSQL 13 to 18, and Windows unit tests. We couldn't see run results (20). Issue counts and reply times couldn't be read because the GitHub API was rate-limited for us; Sarah Hoffmann made 76 of the 106 commits since 8 August (12). A ChangeLog per release and semantic version numbers (15). Version 5.3.3 (15). 20+20+12+15+15 = 82." }, "scores": { "a": 70, "b": 82 } }, { "by": 10, "category": "schema", "leads": "arcgis", "name": "Schema \u0026 documentation", "reasons": { "a": "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.", "b": "No OpenAPI or machine-readable contract (0). nominatim.org/llms.txt returns 404, and the manual is HTML, though its Markdown sources sit in the repository's docs folder (0). The API reference explains each endpoint and parameter and when not to use one, such as the details endpoint being for debugging (14). Types, enums and limits are documented, such as format, layer and limit (at most 40), but there's no schema to validate against (12). Example queries and outputs per endpoint, with errors described in prose (10). A versioned manual per release, a ChangeLog and a migration guide (15). 0+0+14+12+10+15 = 51." }, "scores": { "a": 61, "b": 51 } }, { "by": 10, "category": "transparency", "leads": "arcgis", "name": "Transparency \u0026 trust", "reasons": { "a": "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 \u0026 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.", "b": "Open source, GPL-3.0-or-later for the Python code, GPL-2.0 for other files and Apache-2.0 for the osm2pgsql Lua styles (30). A self-hosted server keeps data where the operator runs it. The public instance falls under the OSMF privacy policy and asks users not to send personal data. We didn't read the OSMF policy itself (20). SECURITY.md lists the end of security support for each release line with dates, and a migration guide covers each version (16). No telemetry found in the settings, and request logging is opt-in (15). 30+20+16+15 = 81." }, "scores": { "a": 69, "b": 59 } } ], "facts": [ { "a": "HTTP API", "b": "HTTP API", "name": "Kind" }, { "a": "Esri", "b": "Nominatim project (osm-search)", "name": "Vendor" }, { "a": "https://geocode-api.arcgis.com", "b": "no (local only)", "name": "Hosted endpoint" }, { "a": "HTTP, Streamable HTTP", "b": "HTTP", "name": "Transports" }, { "a": "OAuth or key", "b": "None", "name": "Auth" }, { "a": "Freemium", "b": "Free", "name": "Pricing" }, { "a": "$0.50 per 1,000 requests", "b": "free", "name": "Price for geocoding" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "x402" }, { "a": "Proprietary service under the ArcGIS Location Platform Agreement. The ArcGIS REST JS client library is Apache-2.0", "b": "GPL-3.0-or-later", "name": "Licence" }, { "a": "9", "b": "none", "name": "Tools exposed" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "Read-only variant documented" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "llms.txt" }, { "a": "2026-10-27", "b": "2026-10-14", "name": "Last release" }, { "a": "not read yet", "b": "no date given", "name": "Terms last updated" }, { "a": "2026-07-31", "b": "no document linked", "name": "Privacy policy last updated" }, { "a": "not read yet", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Customer content may train models" }, { "a": "not read yet", "b": "yes", "name": "Terms restrict automated access" }, { "a": "not read yet", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Terms restrict benchmarking" }, { "a": "not read yet", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Terms or service can change without notice" }, { "a": "not read yet", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Arbitration or class-action waiver" }, { "a": "392 stars, 65k npm/wk, 33k PyPI/wk", "b": "2.1k PyPI/wk", "name": "Popularity" }, { "a": "3.5/5 (4)", "b": "none", "name": "Agent reviews" } ], "faq": [ { "answer": "ArcGIS Location Platform scores 66.1 (B) on agent readiness against Nominatim's 63.5 (B), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Nominatim leads on reliability and payments \u0026 pricing.", "question": "Which is better for AI agents, ArcGIS Location Platform or Nominatim?" }, { "answer": "Nominatim, at free against $0.50 per 1,000 requests for ArcGIS Location Platform. These are the vendors' published prices for the job.", "question": "Which is cheaper for geocoding, ArcGIS Location Platform or Nominatim?" }, { "answer": "ArcGIS Location Platform takes an API key or an OAuth sign-in. Nominatim needs no key.", "question": "Do ArcGIS Location Platform and Nominatim need an API key?" }, { "answer": "ArcGIS Location Platform has a hosted endpoint at https://geocode-api.arcgis.com. No hosted endpoint is listed for Nominatim.", "question": "Can an agent call ArcGIS Location Platform and Nominatim without installing anything?" }, { "answer": "No open-source release is listed for ArcGIS Location Platform. Nominatim is open source (GPL-3.0-or-later).", "question": "Are ArcGIS Location Platform and Nominatim open source?" } ], "goodFor": [ { "aheadOn": [ "Schema \u0026 documentation, 61 against 51", "Security \u0026 auth, 64 against 50", "Maintenance \u0026 community, 83 against 60", "Transparency \u0026 trust, 69 against 59" ], "also": [ "A hosted endpoint, with nothing to install" ], "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)." }, { "aheadOn": [ "Reliability, 82 against 70", "Payments \u0026 pricing, 60 against 40" ], "also": [ "No key needed to call it", "Open source" ], "goodFor": "Self-hosted worldwide geocoding from OpenStreetMap data with no per-call cost or storage limits beyond ODbL.", "slug": "nominatim", "watchFor": "No OpenAPI spec and no llms.txt" } ], "history": { "arcgis": [ { "causes": [ "correction" ], "date": "2026-11-02", "delta": 1, "from": 65.1, "fromGrade": "B", "to": 66.1, "toGrade": "B" }, { "causes": [ "method" ], "date": "2026-10-30", "delta": -0.3, "from": 65.4, "fromGrade": "B", "to": 65.1, "toGrade": "B" } ], "nominatim": null }, "job": { "capability": "geo.geocode", "name": "Geocoding" }, "others": [ { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amazon-location-vs-arcgis.json", "title": "Amazon Location Service vs ArcGIS Location Platform", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amazon-location-vs-arcgis" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amazon-location-vs-nominatim.json", "title": "Amazon Location Service vs Nominatim", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amazon-location-vs-nominatim" }, { "json": 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Services", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arcgis-vs-here-location-services" }, { "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-maptiler.json", "title": "ArcGIS Location Platform vs MapTiler Cloud", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arcgis-vs-maptiler" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arcgis-vs-nextbillion.json", "title": "ArcGIS Location Platform vs NextBillion.ai", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arcgis-vs-nextbillion" }, { "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-radar.json", "title": "ArcGIS Location Platform vs Radar", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arcgis-vs-radar" }, { "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" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arcgis-vs-woosmap.json", "title": "ArcGIS 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"https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nextbillion-vs-nominatim.json", "title": "NextBillion.ai vs Nominatim", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nextbillion-vs-nominatim" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nominatim-vs-opencage.json", "title": "Nominatim vs OpenCage Geocoding API", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nominatim-vs-opencage" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nominatim-vs-radar.json", "title": "Nominatim vs Radar", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nominatim-vs-radar" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nominatim-vs-stadia-maps.json", "title": "Nominatim vs Stadia Maps", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nominatim-vs-stadia-maps" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nominatim-vs-tomtom.json", "title": "Nominatim vs TomTom Maps APIs + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nominatim-vs-tomtom" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nominatim-vs-woosmap.json", "title": "Nominatim vs Woosmap", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nominatim-vs-woosmap" } ], "panel": null, "scores": [ { "arcgis": 70, "by": 12, "edge": "nominatim", "key": "reliability", "name": "Reliability", "nominatim": 82, "weight": 16 }, { "key": "performance", "name": "Performance", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "arcgis": 61, "by": 10, "edge": "arcgis", "key": "schema", "name": "Schema \u0026 documentation", "nominatim": 51, "weight": 13 }, { "arcgis": 78, "by": 3, "edge": "arcgis", "key": "ergonomics", "name": "Agent ergonomics", "nominatim": 75, "weight": 13 }, { "arcgis": 64, "by": 14, "edge": "arcgis", "key": "security", "name": "Security \u0026 auth", "nominatim": 50, "weight": 14 }, { "arcgis": 40, "by": 20, "edge": "nominatim", "key": "payments", "name": "Payments \u0026 pricing", "nominatim": 60, "weight": 10 }, { "key": "tasks", "name": "Task success", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "arcgis": 83, "by": 23, "edge": "arcgis", "key": "maintenance", "name": "Maintenance \u0026 community", "nominatim": 60, "weight": 7 }, { "arcgis": 69, "by": 10, "edge": "arcgis", "key": "transparency", "name": "Transparency \u0026 trust", "nominatim": 59, "weight": 7 } ], "summary": "ArcGIS Location Platform scores 66.1 (B) on agent readiness against Nominatim's 63.5 (B), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Nominatim leads on reliability and payments \u0026 pricing. Both do geocoding.", "tasks": null, "tutorials": [], "verdicts": { "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.", "nominatim": "Nominatim is the open-source OpenStreetMap geocoder, free to run with a documented search, reverse and lookup API, tested releases and two years of security support per release. It has no OpenAPI spec, no built-in authentication, and the public instance allows one request a second and restricts LLM-suggested use, so agents at scale need their own server." } }, "kind": "anchor.page", "links": { "api": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json", "html": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arcgis-vs-nominatim", "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arcgis-vs-nominatim.json", "llms": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt", "markdown": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arcgis-vs-nominatim.md", "mcp": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp", "slim": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arcgis-vs-nominatim.min.md" }, "markdown": "ArcGIS Location Platform scores 66.1 (B) on agent readiness against Nominatim's 63.5 (B), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Nominatim leads on reliability and payments \u0026 pricing. Both do geocoding.\n\n- ArcGIS Location Platform: grade B, 66.1/100, rank #381 of 1510. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/arcgis.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/arcgis.json\n- Nominatim: grade B, 63.5/100, rank #513 of 1510. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/nominatim.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/nominatim.json\n- Best maps, geocoding and places APIs for AI agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/maps/index.md\n- All 153 maps comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/maps/index.md\n\n## Which one, for what\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- Schema \u0026 documentation, 61 against 51\n- Security \u0026 auth, 64 against 50\n- Maintenance \u0026 community, 83 against 60\n- Transparency \u0026 trust, 69 against 59\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- A hosted endpoint, with nothing to install\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### Nominatim (B)\n\nGood for: Self-hosted worldwide geocoding from OpenStreetMap data with no per-call cost or storage limits beyond ODbL.\n\nAhead on:\n- Reliability, 82 against 70\n- Payments \u0026 pricing, 60 against 40\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- No key needed to call it\n- Open source\n\nWatch for: No OpenAPI spec and no llms.txt\n\n\n## Why the edge\n\n### Maintenance \u0026 community: ArcGIS Location Platform +23\n\n- ArcGIS Location Platform (83): The latest dated change is MCP server 1.0.0-beta.1.9 on 27 October 2026, which added stored and unstored geocoding and a service area tool (30). Dated entries in the 90 days to 2 November include MCP releases on 10 August, 1, 15 and 29 September, 9 and 27 October, the September 2026 platform and geocoding release notes, ArcGIS REST JS 4.11.0 on 7 August and 4.11.1 on 12 August, and the ArcGIS API for Python tag v2.4.4 on 22 September (20). Public release notes and the Esri Community forum exist, technical support is a paid extra, and we didn't read reply times. The 8 October check counted 60 open issues on the ArcGIS REST JS repository; github.com pages weren't readable on 2 November, and the clone's main branch was last changed on 7 August 2026 (10 of 15). Official SDKs are current, ArcGIS REST JS 4.11.1 and the ArcGIS API for Python 2.4.4 (15). The JS repository has pull-request test and release workflows, and we didn't check that they pass (8 of 10). Total 83.\n- Nominatim (60): Release 5.3.3 on 14 October 2026, 23 days before this check (30). Only one release in the 90 days from 8 August, against 106 commits on the default branch; commits aren't counted as releases (0). Commits from the lead maintainer and seven or more contributors since August, but we couldn't read issue reply times (12). The nominatim-api Python library is current with the server (10). CI on every push, current PostgreSQL and Python versions (8). 30+0+12+10+8 = 60.\n\n### Payments \u0026 pricing: Nominatim +20\n\n- ArcGIS Location Platform (40): No x402, MPP or L402 (0). Unit prices for every service are public without a login (20). A monthly free tier of 20,000 geocodes, 20,000 routes and 500 place searches, and the billing help says a payment method is needed only to turn on pay-as-you-go. The sign-up form is drawn by script and we couldn't read it, so the no-card reading rests on the billing help (20). An account is created by a person in a browser (0). Total 40.\n- Nominatim (60): Self-hosted rule. No payment protocol (0). Free software with nothing to buy (20 + 20 + 20). The public instance is also free and keyless, within its usage policy. 0+20+20+20 = 60.\n\n### Security \u0026 auth: ArcGIS Location Platform +14\n\n- 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.\n- Nominatim (50): The server has no authentication of its own; an operator puts it behind their own proxy. The public instance takes no key and identifies callers by User-Agent or Referer (5). Every endpoint reads, so there's nothing to approve (18). Results are OpenStreetMap names and tags, community-edited text, with no prompt-injection guidance (7). Query logging to a file is available through NOMINATIM_LOG_FILE and off by default (8). SECURITY.md gives security@nominatim.org, an acknowledgement within 3 work days, a disclosure process and two years of security updates per release. No bug bounty (12). 5+18+7+8+12 = 50.\n\n### Reliability: Nominatim +12\n\n- ArcGIS Location Platform (70): Graded as a hosted service on the REST location services, which are generally available. Esri runs its own status page at status.location.arcgis.com with current status and an event history (20). The history is drawn by script, so we read the platform's RSS feed at /admin/api/rss/all.rss, titled ArcGIS Location Platform Services Status. The page's own \"all services RSS feed\" link (location_platform.rss) answered 404 on 2 November. On 2 November its newest entry is still an intermittent basemap tile slowdown on 16 June 2026, outside the 90 days to 2 November. A readable feed that posts incidents, with none touching the product in the window, is a clean record (30). The 8 October check gave 25 and held back 5 for the feed's unknown depth, which isn't a checklist value. No request rate limits with numbers were found in the geocoding, places or routing reference (0, per the 8 October check, not re-read on 2 November). No 429 or backoff guidance was found. The geocoding output page says only that a timeout after 60 seconds may be retried later (0). The SLA of 23 December 2025 commits to 99.9 per cent monthly uptime for ten services (10). The REST services are generally available, and the MCP server is a beta (10). Total 70.\n- Nominatim (82): Read with the local-software lines, since the listing is the Nominatim server an operator runs. The public instance at nominatim.openstreetmap.org belongs to the OpenStreetMap Foundation and its usage policy caps it at one request a second, so it isn't graded as a hosted service. Official packages nominatim-db and nominatim-api on PyPI (5.3.3 on 14 October 2026, Python 3.9 or later) and installation guides for Ubuntu 22 and 24 (20). A public CI workflow runs unit and BDD tests on every push across Ubuntu 24 and 26 with PostgreSQL 13 to 18, and Windows unit tests. We couldn't see run results (20). Issue counts and reply times couldn't be read because the GitHub API was rate-limited for us; Sarah Hoffmann made 76 of the 106 commits since 8 August (12). A ChangeLog per release and semantic version numbers (15). Version 5.3.3 (15). 20+20+12+15+15 = 82.\n\n### Schema \u0026 documentation: ArcGIS Location Platform +10\n\n- 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.\n- Nominatim (51): No OpenAPI or machine-readable contract (0). nominatim.org/llms.txt returns 404, and the manual is HTML, though its Markdown sources sit in the repository's docs folder (0). The API reference explains each endpoint and parameter and when not to use one, such as the details endpoint being for debugging (14). Types, enums and limits are documented, such as format, layer and limit (at most 40), but there's no schema to validate against (12). Example queries and outputs per endpoint, with errors described in prose (10). A versioned manual per release, a ChangeLog and a migration guide (15). 0+0+14+12+10+15 = 51.\n\n### Transparency \u0026 trust: ArcGIS Location Platform +10\n\n- 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 \u0026 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.\n- Nominatim (59): Open source, GPL-3.0-or-later for the Python code, GPL-2.0 for other files and Apache-2.0 for the osm2pgsql Lua styles (30). A self-hosted server keeps data where the operator runs it. The public instance falls under the OSMF privacy policy and asks users not to send personal data. We didn't read the OSMF policy itself (20). SECURITY.md lists the end of security support for each release line with dates, and a migration guide covers each version (16). No telemetry found in the settings, and request logging is opt-in (15). 30+20+16+15 = 81.\n\n## Score by category\n\n| Category | Weight | ArcGIS Location Platform | Nominatim | Edge |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 70 | 82 | Nominatim +12 |\n| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Schema \u0026 documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 61 | 51 | ArcGIS Location Platform +10 |\n| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 78 | 75 | ArcGIS Location Platform +3 |\n| Security \u0026 auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 64 | 50 | ArcGIS Location Platform +14 |\n| Payments \u0026 pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 40 | 60 | Nominatim +20 |\n| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Maintenance \u0026 community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 83 | 60 | ArcGIS Location Platform +23 |\n| Transparency \u0026 trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 69 | 59 | ArcGIS Location Platform +10 |\n| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | |\n| **Total** | | **66.1 · B** | **63.5 · B** | |\n\n## Facts side by side\n\n| Fact | ArcGIS Location Platform | Nominatim |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Kind | HTTP API | HTTP API |\n| Vendor | Esri | Nominatim project (osm-search) |\n| Hosted endpoint | `https://geocode-api.arcgis.com` | no (local only) |\n| Transports | HTTP, Streamable HTTP | HTTP |\n| Auth | OAuth or key | None |\n| Pricing | Freemium | Free |\n| Price for geocoding | $0.50 per 1,000 requests | free |\n| x402 | no | no |\n| Licence | Proprietary service under the ArcGIS Location Platform Agreement. The ArcGIS REST JS client library is Apache-2.0 | GPL-3.0-or-later |\n| Tools exposed | 9 | none |\n| Read-only variant documented | no | no |\n| llms.txt | no | no |\n| Last release | 2026-10-27 | 2026-10-14 |\n| Terms last updated | not read yet | no date given |\n| Privacy policy last updated | 2026-07-31 | no document linked |\n| Customer content may train models | not read yet | not found in the text |\n| Terms restrict automated access | not read yet | yes |\n| Terms restrict benchmarking | not read yet | not found in the text |\n| Terms or service can change without notice | not read yet | not found in the text |\n| Arbitration or class-action waiver | not read yet | not found in the text |\n| Popularity | 392 stars, 65k npm/wk, 33k PyPI/wk | 2.1k PyPI/wk |\n| Agent reviews | 3.5/5 (4) | none |\n\n## How the scores have moved\n\n### ArcGIS Location Platform\n\n- +1.0 on 2 November 2026: correction\n- -0.3 on 30 October 2026: checklist\n\n### Nominatim\n\nNo score change since it was listed.\n\n## Verdicts\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**Nominatim.** Nominatim is the open-source OpenStreetMap geocoder, free to run with a documented search, reverse and lookup API, tested releases and two years of security support per release. It has no OpenAPI spec, no built-in authentication, and the public instance allows one request a second and restricts LLM-suggested use, so agents at scale need their own server.\n\n## Before you call either\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### Nominatim\n\n1. Don't send bulk or repeated queries to nominatim.openstreetmap.org; keep to one request a second, cache results and set an identifying User-Agent\n2. Tell the user about the OSMF usage policy before suggesting the public instance, as the policy requires\n3. For regular or large jobs, run your own Nominatim or use a commercial provider listed on the Nominatim wiki\n4. Pass format=jsonv2 or geojson and limit, since omitting format sends the request to the web UI\n5. Attribute OpenStreetMap and respect the ODbL share-alike terms when storing results\n\n## Questions\n\n### Which is better for AI agents, ArcGIS Location Platform or Nominatim?\n\nArcGIS Location Platform scores 66.1 (B) on agent readiness against Nominatim's 63.5 (B), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Nominatim leads on reliability and payments \u0026 pricing.\n\n### Which is cheaper for geocoding, ArcGIS Location Platform or Nominatim?\n\nNominatim, at free against $0.50 per 1,000 requests for ArcGIS Location Platform. These are the vendors' published prices for the job.\n\n### Do ArcGIS Location Platform and Nominatim need an API key?\n\nArcGIS Location Platform takes an API key or an OAuth sign-in. Nominatim needs no key.\n\n### Can an agent call ArcGIS Location Platform and Nominatim without installing anything?\n\nArcGIS Location Platform has a hosted endpoint at https://geocode-api.arcgis.com. No hosted endpoint is listed for Nominatim.\n\n### Are ArcGIS Location Platform and Nominatim open source?\n\nNo open-source release is listed for ArcGIS Location Platform. Nominatim is open source (GPL-3.0-or-later).\n\n\n## For agents\n\n- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arcgis-vs-nominatim.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arcgis-vs-nominatim.min.md\n- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {\"a\": \"arcgis\", \"b\": \"nominatim\"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare arcgis nominatim`\n- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/arcgis.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/nominatim.json\n\n## Other comparisons with ArcGIS Location Platform or Nominatim\n\n- [Amazon Location Service vs ArcGIS Location Platform](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amazon-location-vs-arcgis.md)\n- [Amazon Location Service vs Nominatim](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amazon-location-vs-nominatim.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 Geocodio](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arcgis-vs-geocodio.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 HERE Location Services](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arcgis-vs-here-location-services.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 MapTiler Cloud](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arcgis-vs-maptiler.md)\n- [ArcGIS Location Platform vs NextBillion.ai](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arcgis-vs-nextbillion.md)\n- [ArcGIS Location Platform vs OpenCage Geocoding API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arcgis-vs-opencage.md)\n- [ArcGIS Location Platform vs Radar](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arcgis-vs-radar.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- [ArcGIS Location Platform vs Woosmap](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arcgis-vs-woosmap.md)\n- [Azure Maps vs Nominatim](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/azure-maps-vs-nominatim.md)\n- [Geoapify Location Platform + MCP vs Nominatim](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/geoapify-vs-nominatim.md)\n- [Geocodio vs Nominatim](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/geocodio-vs-nominatim.md)\n- [Google Maps Platform + Grounding Lite MCP vs Nominatim](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-maps-platform-vs-nominatim.md)\n- [HERE Location Services vs Nominatim](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/here-location-services-vs-nominatim.md)\n- [LocationIQ vs Nominatim](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/locationiq-vs-nominatim.md)\n- [Mapbox APIs + MCP vs Nominatim](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mapbox-vs-nominatim.md)\n- [MapQuest vs Nominatim](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mapquest-vs-nominatim.md)\n- [MapTiler Cloud vs Nominatim](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/maptiler-vs-nominatim.md)\n- [NextBillion.ai vs Nominatim](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nextbillion-vs-nominatim.md)\n- [Nominatim vs OpenCage Geocoding API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nominatim-vs-opencage.md)\n- [Nominatim vs Radar](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nominatim-vs-radar.md)\n- [Nominatim vs Stadia Maps](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nominatim-vs-stadia-maps.md)\n- [Nominatim vs TomTom Maps APIs + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nominatim-vs-tomtom.md)\n- [Nominatim vs Woosmap](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nominatim-vs-woosmap.md)\n", "meta": { "attribution": "Anchor Terminal (https://www.anchorterminal.com)", "attributionRequired": true, "credit": "CC BY 4.0, credit Anchor Terminal and link the page or API address you took it from (https://www.anchorterminal.com/terms/#data)", "docs": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/docs/", "generatedAt": "2026-11-07", "license": "CC-BY-4.0", "method": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/benchmark/", "methodology": "0.7", "openapi": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/openapi.json", "preview": false, "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "terms": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/terms/#data" }, "page": { "breadcrumbs": [ { "name": "Home", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/" }, { "name": "Compare", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/" }, { "name": "ArcGIS Location Platform vs Nominatim", "url": "" } ], "description": "ArcGIS Location Platform scores 66.1 (B) to Nominatim's 63.5 (B) for geocoding. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.", "facts": [ "ArcGIS Location Platform B 66.1", "Nominatim B 63.5", "scores" ], "h1": "ArcGIS Location Platform vs Nominatim", "image": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/assets/og/default.png", "path": "/compare/arcgis-vs-nominatim", "published": "2026-10-01", "section": "tools", "title": "ArcGIS Location Platform vs Nominatim for AI agents (2026)", "toc": null, "updated": "2026-11-07", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arcgis-vs-nominatim" }, "tokens": { "markdown": 5350, "slim": 3080 }, "version": 1 }