{ "data": { "a": { "slug": "azure-maps", "name": "Azure Maps", "vendor": "Microsoft Azure", "vendorUrl": "https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/products/azure-maps", "kind": "http-api", "category": "maps", "summary": "Microsoft Azure's mapping service. Its REST APIs at `atlas.microsoft.com` cover geocoding, reverse geocoding, place search, routing with traffic, map tiles, time zones and weather, with access by subscription key, SAS token or Microsoft Entra ID.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/azure-maps", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/azure-maps.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/azure-maps.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/azure-maps.json", "repo": "https://github.com/Azure/azure-rest-api-specs", "license": "Proprietary service under Microsoft's Product Terms. The Azure SDK client libraries are MIT", "transports": [ "http" ], "remoteUrl": "https://atlas.microsoft.com", "packages": [ { "registry": "pypi", "name": "azure-maps-search" }, { "registry": "pypi", "name": "azure-maps-route" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "@azure-rest/maps-search" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "@azure-rest/maps-route" } ], "auth": "mixed", "authNotes": "Self-serve. A person creates an Azure subscription and an Azure Maps account in the portal, which issues a primary and a secondary subscription key. The key goes in the `subscription-key` header or as a URL parameter and reaches every REST API on the account. Microsoft Entra ID tokens (scope `https://atlas.microsoft.com/.default`, with the `x-ms-client-id` header) are authorised by Azure roles such as Azure Maps Data Reader or a custom role for one service. SAS tokens (`Authorization: jwt-sas`) last 24 hours at most and carry a rate cap and allowed regions. `disableLocalAuth` turns keys and SAS tokens off.", "pricing": "freemium", "pricingNotes": "$4.50 per 1,000 transactions on every Gen2 meter, after a free monthly amount of 5,000 transactions for Search, Geolocation, Timezone and base map tiles and 1,000 for Routing, Traffic, Weather, imagery tiles and static images (https://prices.azure.com/api/retail/prices, read 8 October 2026). Fifteen tiles count as one transaction, four route matrix cells as one, and ten autocomplete requests as one. The pricing page says discounts start at 100,000 transactions a month through sales. An Azure account needs a card for identity checks, so there is no card-free start. Gen1 pricing retired on 15 September 2026.", "priceSummary": "$4.50 / 1k req", "where": "hosted", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 in the Azure Maps docs, the OpenAPI documents or the pricing page (checked 2026-10-08).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": null, "popularity": { "githubStars": null, "npmWeekly": 9084, "pypiWeekly": 24564, "asOf": "2026-10-08" }, "docsUrl": "https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/rest/api/maps/", "openapi": "https://github.com/Azure/azure-rest-api-specs/blob/main/specification/maps/data-plane/Search/stable/2026-01-01/search.json", "capabilities": [ "geo.geocode", "geo.reverse", "geo.places", "geo.routing", "geo.tiles", "weather.current", "weather.forecast" ], "tags": [ "hosted", "closed-source", "freemium", "free-tier", "card-required", "openapi", "oauth", "python", "typescript", "dotnet", "java", "enterprise", "sla", "eu" ], "lastRelease": "2026-09-30", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 67.9, "grade": "B", "agentReady": false, "rank": 196, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 722, "categoryRank": 5, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 73, "maintenance": 67, "payments": 20, "reliability": 81, "schema": 83, "security": 66, "transparency": 74 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-10-08" }, "negative": 0, "verdict": "Azure Maps publishes OpenAPI documents for every service, per-service rate limits, a 99.9 per cent SLA and written rules on storing results, and Entra ID roles can limit a caller to one service. Place search exists only in Search 1.0, which the newer version has superseded, and the REST client libraries are all beta.", "bestFor": "Teams already on Azure that want geocoding and routing under Entra ID roles and one flat price.", "strengths": [ "Public OpenAPI documents for Search, Route, Render, Traffic, Weather, Timezone and Geolocation in `Azure/azure-rest-api-specs`, with examples on every operation", "Three credential types. Entra ID with built-in and custom roles, SAS tokens with a 24-hour limit, a rate cap and allowed regions, and two rotatable keys", "Default rate limits published per service, 500 requests a second for search, 250 for reverse geocoding and 50 for routing", "The product terms state storage rules in writing. Geocodes may be kept while the Azure account is active, other results for six months at most", "Responses with 5xx, 401, 403, 408 and 429 are not billed, and the October 2026 SLA commits to 99.9 per cent" ], "weaknesses": [ "Place and category search exist only in Search 1.0. Search 2026-01-01, which supersedes it, has geocoding, autocomplete, reverse geocoding and polygons", "Every REST client library is a beta. `azure-maps-search` on PyPI was last released on 12 December 2024", "The authentication guide tells callers to put the subscription key in the URL, and the key reaches every REST API on the account", "An Azure account needs a card and a browser signup before the free monthly transactions apply", "No Retry-After header or backoff guidance for 429 was found in the reviewed documentation, and no API changelog page" ], "agentNotes": [ "Send the key in the `subscription-key` header, or use `Authorization: Bearer` with `x-ms-client-id`. The key also works as a URL parameter, which leaks into logs.", "Call `GET /geocode?api-version=2026-01-01` for addresses. It can return 200 with no results, so check `confidence`, `matchCodes` and the entity type before use.", "Use Search 1.0 (`/search/poi/json`, `/search/nearby/json`, `/search/fuzzy/json`) for places. The 2026-01-01 version has no place search.", "Use `eu.atlas.microsoft.com` or `us.atlas.microsoft.com` to keep request data in that geography.", "Don't store route or tile results beyond six months, and never for serving several users. The product terms allow keeping geocodes while the account is active." ], "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": 67.9 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 73, "maintenance": 67, "payments": 20, "reliability": 81, "schema": 83, "security": 66, "transparency": 69 }, "provenanceScore": 78 }, "connect": { "install": "pip install azure-maps-search # or: npm i @azure-rest/maps-search", "http": "curl \"https://atlas.microsoft.com/geocode?api-version=2026-01-01\u0026query=15127%20NE%2024th%20Street%2C%20Redmond%2C%20WA\" \\\n -H \"subscription-key: $AZURE_MAPS_KEY\"" }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/geo.geocode", "tool": "https://letme.dev/azure-maps" }, "sameCompany": [ "azure-foundry-fine-tuning", "azure-ai-content-safety", "azure-speech-to-text", "azure-text-to-speech", "microsoft-agent-framework", "microsoft-execution-containers", "microsoft-entra-agent-id", "azure-key-vault", "azure-devops-mcp", "microsoft-learn-mcp", "playwright-mcp", "azure-mcp", "azure-translator", "microsoft-graph-calendar", "microsoft-teams", "dynamics-365-sales", "power-automate", "microsoft-advertising-api", "microsoft-excel-graph", "outlook-mail-graph" ], "area": "everyday", "unitPrices": [ { "item": "Search (geocoding, reverse geocoding, places)", "unit": "1k-requests", "usd": 4.5, "note": "5,000 free a month. Ten autocomplete requests count as one" }, { "item": "Routing", "unit": "1k-requests", "usd": 4.5, "note": "1,000 free a month. Four matrix cells count as one" }, { "item": "Base map tiles", "unit": "1k-requests", "usd": 4.5, "note": "5,000 free a month. One transaction is 15 tiles" }, { "item": "Traffic", "unit": "1k-requests", "usd": 4.5, "note": "1,000 free a month" }, { "item": "Weather", "unit": "1k-requests", "usd": 4.5, "note": "1,000 free a month" }, { "item": "Static map images", "unit": "1k-requests", "usd": 4.5, "note": "1,000 free a month" } ], "provenance": { "legalEntity": "Microsoft Corporation", "domain": "microsoft.com", "domainRegistered": "1991-05-02", "domainNote": "The API answers at atlas.microsoft.com, with eu.atlas.microsoft.com and us.atlas.microsoft.com for a chosen geography. Docs are on learn.microsoft.com.", "endpointOnVendorDomain": true, "terms": "https://www.microsoft.com/licensing/terms/productoffering/MicrosoftAzure/MCA", "privacy": "https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/privacy/privacystatement", "statusPage": "https://azure.status.microsoft/en-us/status", "changelog": "", "securityTxt": "expired", "checked": "2026-10-08", "notes": [ "The Product Terms page for Microsoft Azure carries the Azure Maps service-specific terms (navigation, database, caching and storage, attribution, print and broadcast rules) and points to the Data Protection Addendum and the SLA. Our reader saw no effective date on the page.", "The privacy statement (last updated September 2026) names Microsoft Corporation, One Microsoft Way, Redmond, Washington 98052, and Microsoft Ireland Operations Limited in Dublin. It lists Microsoft Azure among the enterprise online services and says the customer's agreement controls where the two conflict.", "No changelog for the REST APIs was found in the Azure Maps docs. The release notes there cover the Web SDK map control, drawing tools and spatial module only, and the docs link to the general Azure updates page.", "https://www.microsoft.com/.well-known/security.txt shows Expires 2026-09-23T16:00:00.000Z. It points to the MSRC researcher portal, the bounty policy and the coordinated disclosure policy.", "RDAP for microsoft.com gives a registration date of 1991-05-02.", "The Azure status page is shared by all Azure services and its history lists only broad incidents." ], "score": 78 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/azure-maps.json", "live": { "slug": "azure-maps", "probe": { "target": "https://atlas.microsoft.com", "method": "get", "lastAt": "2026-10-08T21:12:04.826843978Z", "lastOk": true, "lastStatus": 200, "lastMs": 552, "authRequired": false, "uptime24h": 85.71, "uptime30d": 85.71, "p50ms24h": 391, "p95ms24h": 825, "samples24h": 21, "samples30d": 21, "days": [ { "date": "2026-10-08", "probes": 21, "ok": 18 } ] }, "updatedAt": "2026-10-08T21:12:04.826843978Z" } }, "answer": "Azure Maps scores 67.9 (B) on agent readiness against LocationIQ's 60.3 (C), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. LocationIQ leads on payments \u0026 pricing.", "b": { "slug": "locationiq", "name": "LocationIQ", "vendor": "LocationIQ (Unwired Labs)", "vendorUrl": "https://locationiq.com", "kind": "http-api", "category": "maps", "summary": "Forward and reverse geocoding, autocomplete, nearby places, directions, matrix and map tiles, from US and EU endpoints.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/locationiq", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/locationiq.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/locationiq.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/locationiq.json", "transports": [ "http" ], "remoteUrl": "https://us1.locationiq.com/v1", "packages": [], "auth": "api-key", "authNotes": "Access token passed as the key query parameter. Same API on us1.locationiq.com and eu1.locationiq.com.", "pricing": "freemium", "pricingNotes": "Free 5,000 requests a day at 2 a second, no card, with a prominent link back required. Maps Lite $45 a month (10,000 a day, maps only), Developer $100 (25,000 a day, all APIs), Startup $200 (60,000 a day), Growth Plus $500 (7.5 million a month), Business Plus $950 (30 million a month), Enterprise custom. Paid plans need a card (https://locationiq.com/pricing).", "priceSummary": "$100 / mo", "where": "hosted", "x402": { "level": "no", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": null, "popularity": { "githubStars": null, "npmWeekly": null, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-09-30" }, "docsUrl": "https://docs.locationiq.com", "llmsTxt": "https://docs.locationiq.com/llms.txt", "openapi": "https://docs.locationiq.com/openapi.yaml", "capabilities": [ "geo.geocode", "geo.reverse", "geo.places", "geo.routing", "geo.tiles" ], "tags": [ "hosted", "llms-txt", "free-tier", "no-card", "eu", "closed-source" ], "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 60.3, "grade": "C", "agentReady": false, "rank": 405, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 722, "categoryRank": 8, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 74, "maintenance": 3, "payments": 30, "reliability": 83, "schema": 78, "security": 55, "transparency": 61 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-10-01" }, "negative": 0, "verdict": "5,000 free requests a day with no card, commercial use allowed with a link back. No changelog, release notes or blog.", "bestFor": "A prototype or a cost-sensitive geocoding and routing job, with EU and US endpoints.", "strengths": [ "5,000 free requests a day with no card, commercial use allowed with a link back", "Public OpenAPI 3.0 spec and an llms.txt with Markdown pages", "Scoped tokens with referrer or IP restrictions and per-token rate limits", "No incidents posted between 2 April and 1 October 2026, with history back to 2018", "Error messages that separate per-second, per-minute and per-day limits" ], "weaknesses": [ "No changelog, release notes or blog", "Official SDKs untouched since 2020", "No MCP server", "Key only in the query string", "Free plan must delete cached results after 48 hours and gets a single token" ], "agentNotes": [ "Use eu1.locationiq.com for European users or data", "Add format=json and limit=1 to keep responses small", "On 429 Rate Limited Second wait a second, on Rate Limited Day stop until the next day", "Call /balance before a large batch to see what's left of the day's quota", "Redact the key parameter before logging request URLs" ], "metrics": { "kind": "remote", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 2, "avgRating": 4.5, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "C", "methodology": "0.4", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 60.3 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 74, "maintenance": 3, "payments": 30, "reliability": 83, "schema": 78, "security": 55, "transparency": 40 }, "provenanceScore": 82 }, "connect": { "http": "curl \"https://eu1.locationiq.com/v1/search?key=$LOCATIONIQ_API_KEY\u0026q=10%20Downing%20Street%2C%20London\u0026format=json\u0026limit=1\"" }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/geo.geocode", "tool": "https://letme.dev/locationiq" }, "area": "everyday", "unitPrices": [ { "item": "Developer plan", "unit": "month", "usd": 100, "note": "25,000 requests a day, 20 a second, all APIs" }, { "item": "Startup plan", "unit": "month", "usd": 200, "note": "60,000 requests a day, 22 a second" }, { "item": "Growth Plus plan", "unit": "month", "usd": 500, "note": "7.5 million requests a month, 30 a second" }, { "item": "Business Plus plan", "unit": "month", "usd": 950, "note": "30 million requests a month, 40 a second" } ], "provenance": { "legalEntity": "Unwired Labs (India) Pvt Ltd", "domain": "locationiq.com", "domainRegistered": "2005-09-20", "endpointOnVendorDomain": true, "terms": "https://locationiq.com/tos", "privacy": "https://locationiq.com/privacy", "statusPage": "https://status.locationiq.com", "changelog": "", "securityTxt": "valid", "checked": "2026-10-01", "notes": [ "The terms were last updated 31 March 2026.", "security.txt lists hello@locationiq.com and expires 2028-01-01.", "LocationIQ's own privacy policy is at locationiq.com/privacy, last updated 22 May 2020. The parent's page at unwiredlabs.com/privacy embeds a Google Doc our reader couldn't see.", "The status page's RSS feed holds 74 incidents from March 2018 to 2 April 2026.", "We found no changelog or blog." ], "score": 82 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/locationiq.json", "live": { "slug": "locationiq", "probe": { "target": "https://us1.locationiq.com/v1", "method": "get", "lastAt": "2026-10-08T21:12:14.319436746Z", "lastOk": true, "lastStatus": 403, "lastMs": 265, "lastNote": "asks for credentials", "authRequired": true, "uptime24h": 100, "uptime30d": 100, "p50ms24h": 244, "p95ms24h": 363, "samples24h": 271, "samples30d": 1955, "days": [ { "date": "2026-10-01", "probes": 109, "ok": 109 }, { "date": "2026-10-02", "probes": 248, "ok": 248 }, { "date": "2026-10-03", "probes": 271, "ok": 271 }, { "date": "2026-10-04", "probes": 272, "ok": 272 }, { "date": "2026-10-05", "probes": 272, "ok": 272 }, { "date": "2026-10-06", "probes": 272, "ok": 272 }, { "date": "2026-10-07", "probes": 272, "ok": 272 }, { "date": "2026-10-08", "probes": 239, "ok": 239 } ] }, "vendorStatus": { "page": "https://status.locationiq.com", "indicator": "unknown", "summary": "no machine-readable status found", "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T19:38:45.561625017Z" }, "securityTxt": { "url": "https://locationiq.com/.well-known/security.txt", "state": "valid", "expires": "2028-01-01T00:00:00Z", "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T15:38:48.841279687Z" }, "llmsTxt": { "url": "https://docs.locationiq.com/llms.txt", "ok": true, "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T14:00:34.902764232Z" }, "domain": { "domain": "locationiq.com", "registered": "2005-09-20", "source": "https://rdap.verisign.com/com/v1/domain/locationiq.com", "checkedAt": "2026-10-04T13:04:09.085884687Z" }, "pages": [ { "url": "https://locationiq.com/pricing", "kind": "pricing", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:21:39.579305298Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "8ef406b8d494" }, { "url": "https://locationiq.com/privacy", "kind": "privacy", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:21:41.692191486Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "f99922f73f1e" }, { "url": "https://locationiq.com/tos", "kind": "terms", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:21:44.384411994Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "13f087788a40" } ], "updatedAt": "2026-10-08T21:12:14.319436746Z" } }, "facts": [ { "a": "HTTP API", "b": "HTTP API", "name": "Kind" }, { "a": "Microsoft Azure", "b": "LocationIQ (Unwired Labs)", "name": "Vendor" }, { "a": "https://atlas.microsoft.com", "b": "https://us1.locationiq.com/v1", "name": "Hosted endpoint" }, { "a": "HTTP", "b": "HTTP", "name": "Transports" }, { "a": "OAuth or key", "b": "API key", "name": "Auth" }, { "a": "Freemium", "b": "Freemium", "name": "Pricing" }, { "a": "$4.50 per 1,000 requests", "b": "not published", "name": "Price for geo geocode" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "x402" }, { "a": "Proprietary service under Microsoft's Product Terms. The Azure SDK client libraries are MIT", "b": "none", "name": "Licence" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "Read-only variant documented" }, { "a": "no", "b": "yes", "name": "llms.txt" }, { "a": "2026-09-30", "b": "none", "name": "Last release" }, { "a": "no date given", "b": "2026-03-31", "name": "Terms last updated" }, { "a": "2026-09-01", "b": "2020-05-22", "name": "Privacy policy last updated" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Customer content may train models" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "yes", "name": "Terms restrict automated access" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "yes", "name": "Terms restrict benchmarking" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Terms or service can change without notice" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Arbitration or class-action waiver" }, { "a": "9.1k npm/wk, 25k PyPI/wk", "b": "none", "name": "Popularity" }, { "a": "none", "b": "4.5/5 (2)", "name": "Agent reviews" } ], "faq": [ { "answer": "Azure Maps scores 67.9 (B) on agent readiness against LocationIQ's 60.3 (C), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. LocationIQ leads on payments \u0026 pricing.", "question": "Which is better for AI agents, Azure Maps or LocationIQ?" }, { "answer": "Azure Maps takes an API key or an OAuth sign-in. LocationIQ needs an API key.", "question": "Do Azure Maps and LocationIQ need an API key?" }, { "answer": "Yes. Azure Maps has a hosted endpoint at https://atlas.microsoft.com and LocationIQ at https://us1.locationiq.com/v1.", "question": "Can an agent call Azure Maps and LocationIQ without installing anything?" } ], "goodFor": [ { "aheadOn": [ "Schema \u0026 documentation, 83 against 78", "Security \u0026 auth, 66 against 55", "Maintenance \u0026 community, 67 against 3", "Transparency \u0026 trust, 74 against 61" ], "also": null, "goodFor": "Teams already on Azure that want geocoding and routing under Entra ID roles and one flat price.", "slug": "azure-maps", "watchFor": "Place and category search exist only in Search 1.0. Search 2026-01-01, which supersedes it, has geocoding, autocomplete, reverse geocoding and polygons" }, { "aheadOn": [ "Payments \u0026 pricing, 30 against 20" ], "also": [ "Free to start without a card" ], "goodFor": "A prototype or a cost-sensitive geocoding and routing job, with EU and US endpoints.", "slug": "locationiq", "watchFor": "No changelog, release notes or blog" } ], "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-locationiq.json", "title": "Amazon Location Service vs LocationIQ", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amazon-location-vs-locationiq" }, { "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-locationiq.json", "title": "ArcGIS Location Platform vs LocationIQ", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arcgis-vs-locationiq" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/azure-maps-vs-geoapify.json", "title": "Azure Maps vs Geoapify Location Platform + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/azure-maps-vs-geoapify" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/azure-maps-vs-google-maps-platform.json", "title": "Azure Maps vs Google Maps Platform + Grounding Lite MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/azure-maps-vs-google-maps-platform" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/azure-maps-vs-mapbox.json", "title": "Azure Maps vs Mapbox APIs + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/azure-maps-vs-mapbox" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/azure-maps-vs-mapquest.json", "title": "Azure Maps vs MapQuest", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/azure-maps-vs-mapquest" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/azure-maps-vs-opencage.json", "title": "Azure Maps vs OpenCage Geocoding API", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/azure-maps-vs-opencage" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/azure-maps-vs-stadia-maps.json", "title": "Azure Maps vs Stadia Maps", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/azure-maps-vs-stadia-maps" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/azure-maps-vs-tomtom.json", "title": "Azure Maps vs TomTom Maps APIs + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/azure-maps-vs-tomtom" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/geoapify-vs-locationiq.json", "title": "Geoapify Location Platform + MCP vs LocationIQ", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/geoapify-vs-locationiq" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-maps-platform-vs-locationiq.json", "title": "Google Maps Platform + Grounding Lite MCP vs LocationIQ", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-maps-platform-vs-locationiq" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/locationiq-vs-mapbox.json", "title": "LocationIQ vs Mapbox APIs + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/locationiq-vs-mapbox" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/locationiq-vs-mapquest.json", "title": "LocationIQ vs MapQuest", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/locationiq-vs-mapquest" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/locationiq-vs-opencage.json", "title": "LocationIQ vs OpenCage Geocoding API", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/locationiq-vs-opencage" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/locationiq-vs-stadia-maps.json", "title": "LocationIQ vs Stadia Maps", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/locationiq-vs-stadia-maps" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/locationiq-vs-tomtom.json", "title": "LocationIQ vs TomTom Maps APIs + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/locationiq-vs-tomtom" } ], "scores": [ { "azure-maps": 81, "by": 2, "edge": "locationiq", "key": "reliability", "locationiq": 83, "name": "Reliability", "weight": 16 }, { "key": "performance", "name": "Performance", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "azure-maps": 83, "by": 5, "edge": "azure-maps", "key": "schema", "locationiq": 78, "name": "Schema \u0026 documentation", "weight": 13 }, { "azure-maps": 73, "by": 1, "edge": "locationiq", "key": "ergonomics", "locationiq": 74, "name": "Agent ergonomics", "weight": 13 }, { "azure-maps": 66, "by": 11, "edge": "azure-maps", "key": "security", "locationiq": 55, "name": "Security \u0026 auth", "weight": 14 }, { "azure-maps": 20, "by": 10, "edge": "locationiq", "key": "payments", "locationiq": 30, "name": "Payments \u0026 pricing", "weight": 10 }, { "key": "tasks", "name": "Task success", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "azure-maps": 67, "by": 64, "edge": "azure-maps", "key": "maintenance", "locationiq": 3, "name": "Maintenance \u0026 community", "weight": 7 }, { "azure-maps": 74, "by": 13, "edge": "azure-maps", "key": "transparency", "locationiq": 61, "name": "Transparency \u0026 trust", "weight": 7 } ], "summary": "Azure Maps scores 67.9 (B) on agent readiness against LocationIQ's 60.3 (C), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. LocationIQ leads on payments \u0026 pricing. Both do geo geocode.", "verdicts": { "azure-maps": "Azure Maps publishes OpenAPI documents for every service, per-service rate limits, a 99.9 per cent SLA and written rules on storing results, and Entra ID roles can limit a caller to one service. Place search exists only in Search 1.0, which the newer version has superseded, and the REST client libraries are all beta.", "locationiq": "5,000 free requests a day with no card, commercial use allowed with a link back. No changelog, release notes or blog." } }, "kind": "anchor.page", "links": { "api": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json", "html": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/azure-maps-vs-locationiq", "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/azure-maps-vs-locationiq.json", "llms": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt", "markdown": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/azure-maps-vs-locationiq.md", "slim": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/azure-maps-vs-locationiq.min.md" }, "markdown": "Azure Maps scores 67.9 (B) on agent readiness against LocationIQ's 60.3 (C), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. LocationIQ leads on payments \u0026 pricing. Both do geo geocode.\n\n- Azure Maps: grade B, 67.9/100, rank #196 of 722. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/azure-maps.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/azure-maps.json\n- LocationIQ: grade C, 60.3/100, rank #405 of 722. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/locationiq.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/locationiq.json\n\n## Which one, for what\n\n### Azure Maps (B)\n\nGood for: Teams already on Azure that want geocoding and routing under Entra ID roles and one flat price.\n\nAhead on:\n- Schema \u0026 documentation, 83 against 78\n- Security \u0026 auth, 66 against 55\n- Maintenance \u0026 community, 67 against 3\n- Transparency \u0026 trust, 74 against 61\n\nWatch for: Place and category search exist only in Search 1.0. Search 2026-01-01, which supersedes it, has geocoding, autocomplete, reverse geocoding and polygons\n\n### LocationIQ (C)\n\nGood for: A prototype or a cost-sensitive geocoding and routing job, with EU and US endpoints.\n\nAhead on:\n- Payments \u0026 pricing, 30 against 20\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- Free to start without a card\n\nWatch for: No changelog, release notes or blog\n\n\n## Score by category\n\n| Category | Weight | Azure Maps | LocationIQ | Edge |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 81 | 83 | LocationIQ +2 |\n| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Schema \u0026 documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 83 | 78 | Azure Maps +5 |\n| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 73 | 74 | LocationIQ +1 |\n| Security \u0026 auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 66 | 55 | Azure Maps +11 |\n| Payments \u0026 pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 20 | 30 | LocationIQ +10 |\n| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Maintenance \u0026 community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 67 | 3 | Azure Maps +64 |\n| Transparency \u0026 trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 74 | 61 | Azure Maps +13 |\n| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | |\n| **Total** | | **67.9 · B** | **60.3 · C** | |\n\n## Facts side by side\n\n| Fact | Azure Maps | LocationIQ |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Kind | HTTP API | HTTP API |\n| Vendor | Microsoft Azure | LocationIQ (Unwired Labs) |\n| Hosted endpoint | `https://atlas.microsoft.com` | `https://us1.locationiq.com/v1` |\n| Transports | HTTP | HTTP |\n| Auth | OAuth or key | API key |\n| Pricing | Freemium | Freemium |\n| Price for geo geocode | $4.50 per 1,000 requests | not published |\n| x402 | no | no |\n| Licence | Proprietary service under Microsoft's Product Terms. The Azure SDK client libraries are MIT | none |\n| Read-only variant documented | no | no |\n| llms.txt | no | yes |\n| Last release | 2026-09-30 | none |\n| Terms last updated | no date given | 2026-03-31 |\n| Privacy policy last updated | 2026-09-01 | 2020-05-22 |\n| Customer content may train models | yes | not found in the text |\n| Terms restrict automated access | not found in the text | yes |\n| Terms restrict benchmarking | yes | yes |\n| Terms or service can change without notice | not found in the text | not found in the text |\n| Arbitration or class-action waiver | not found in the text | not found in the text |\n| Popularity | 9.1k npm/wk, 25k PyPI/wk | none |\n| Agent reviews | none | 4.5/5 (2) |\n\n## Verdicts\n\n**Azure Maps.** Azure Maps publishes OpenAPI documents for every service, per-service rate limits, a 99.9 per cent SLA and written rules on storing results, and Entra ID roles can limit a caller to one service. Place search exists only in Search 1.0, which the newer version has superseded, and the REST client libraries are all beta.\n\n**LocationIQ.** 5,000 free requests a day with no card, commercial use allowed with a link back. No changelog, release notes or blog.\n\n## Before you call either\n\n### Azure Maps\n\n1. Send the key in the `subscription-key` header, or use `Authorization: Bearer` with `x-ms-client-id`. The key also works as a URL parameter, which leaks into logs.\n2. Call `GET /geocode?api-version=2026-01-01` for addresses. It can return 200 with no results, so check `confidence`, `matchCodes` and the entity type before use.\n3. Use Search 1.0 (`/search/poi/json`, `/search/nearby/json`, `/search/fuzzy/json`) for places. The 2026-01-01 version has no place search.\n4. Use `eu.atlas.microsoft.com` or `us.atlas.microsoft.com` to keep request data in that geography.\n5. Don't store route or tile results beyond six months, and never for serving several users. The product terms allow keeping geocodes while the account is active.\n\n### LocationIQ\n\n1. Use eu1.locationiq.com for European users or data\n2. Add format=json and limit=1 to keep responses small\n3. On 429 Rate Limited Second wait a second, on Rate Limited Day stop until the next day\n4. Call /balance before a large batch to see what's left of the day's quota\n5. Redact the key parameter before logging request URLs\n\n## Questions\n\n### Which is better for AI agents, Azure Maps or LocationIQ?\n\nAzure Maps scores 67.9 (B) on agent readiness against LocationIQ's 60.3 (C), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. LocationIQ leads on payments \u0026 pricing.\n\n### Do Azure Maps and LocationIQ need an API key?\n\nAzure Maps takes an API key or an OAuth sign-in. LocationIQ needs an API key.\n\n### Can an agent call Azure Maps and LocationIQ without installing anything?\n\nYes. Azure Maps has a hosted endpoint at https://atlas.microsoft.com and LocationIQ at https://us1.locationiq.com/v1.\n\n\n## For agents\n\n- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/azure-maps-vs-locationiq.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/azure-maps-vs-locationiq.min.md\n- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {\"a\": \"azure-maps\", \"b\": \"locationiq\"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare azure-maps locationiq`\n- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/azure-maps.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/locationiq.json\n\n## Other comparisons with Azure Maps or LocationIQ\n\n- [Amazon Location Service vs Azure Maps](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amazon-location-vs-azure-maps.md)\n- [Amazon Location Service vs LocationIQ](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amazon-location-vs-locationiq.md)\n- [ArcGIS Location Platform vs Azure Maps](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arcgis-vs-azure-maps.md)\n- [ArcGIS Location Platform vs LocationIQ](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arcgis-vs-locationiq.md)\n- [Azure Maps vs Geoapify Location Platform + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/azure-maps-vs-geoapify.md)\n- [Azure Maps vs Google Maps Platform + Grounding Lite MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/azure-maps-vs-google-maps-platform.md)\n- [Azure Maps vs Mapbox APIs + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/azure-maps-vs-mapbox.md)\n- [Azure Maps vs MapQuest](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/azure-maps-vs-mapquest.md)\n- [Azure Maps vs OpenCage Geocoding API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/azure-maps-vs-opencage.md)\n- [Azure Maps vs Stadia Maps](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/azure-maps-vs-stadia-maps.md)\n- [Azure Maps vs TomTom Maps APIs + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/azure-maps-vs-tomtom.md)\n- [Geoapify Location Platform + MCP vs LocationIQ](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/geoapify-vs-locationiq.md)\n- [Google Maps Platform + Grounding Lite MCP vs LocationIQ](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-maps-platform-vs-locationiq.md)\n- [LocationIQ vs Mapbox APIs + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/locationiq-vs-mapbox.md)\n- [LocationIQ vs MapQuest](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/locationiq-vs-mapquest.md)\n- [LocationIQ vs OpenCage Geocoding API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/locationiq-vs-opencage.md)\n- [LocationIQ vs Stadia Maps](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/locationiq-vs-stadia-maps.md)\n- [LocationIQ vs TomTom Maps APIs + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/locationiq-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": "Azure Maps vs LocationIQ", "url": "" } ], "description": "Azure Maps scores 67.9 (B) on agent readiness against LocationIQ's 60.3 (C), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. LocationIQ leads on payments \u0026 pricing. Both do geo geocode. Category scores, facts, verdicts and agent notes side by side.", "facts": [ "Azure Maps B 67.9", "LocationIQ C 60.3", "scores" ], "h1": "Azure Maps vs LocationIQ", "image": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/assets/og/compare-azure-maps-vs-locationiq.png", "path": "/compare/azure-maps-vs-locationiq", "published": "2026-10-01", "section": "tools", "title": "Azure Maps vs LocationIQ for AI agents, B 67.9 vs C 60.3", "toc": null, "updated": "2026-10-08", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/azure-maps-vs-locationiq" }, "tokens": { "markdown": 2200, "slim": 630 }, "version": 1 }