Head to head · Geocoding · October 2026 research run
Geocodio vs MapQuest
Geocodio scores 72.2 (BB) on agent readiness against MapQuest's 35.4 (F), and leads in every scored category. Both do geocoding.
Best maps, geocoding and places APIs for AI agents · All 153 maps comparisons
Which one, for what
Geocodio BB
Best for Batch geocoding and district or census enrichment of addresses in the US, Canada, Mexico, the UK, Australia and New Zealand, where results must be stored.
Ahead on
- Reliability, 70 against 23
- Schema & documentation, 92 against 47
- Agent ergonomics, 80 against 60
- Security & auth, 58 against 28
- Payments & pricing, 40 against 30
- Maintenance & community, 86 against 23
- Transparency & trust, 87 against 31
Also in its favour
- Agent-ready, a grade of BB or better
- Free to start without a card
Watch for
Covers only the US, Canada, Mexico, the UK, Australia and New Zealand, and UK needs a Flex or Unlimited plan
MapQuest F
Best for An agent that needs US-centred geocoding, routing with truck profiles, traffic and place search behind one account, with an MCP server ready to connect.
Also in its favour
- A hosted endpoint, with nothing to install
Watch for
No API terms of service found. The legal link leads to System1's 2021 website terms, which allow personal, non-commercial use only
Why the edge
Each category where one leads by five points or more, with the reason behind each side's score from its assessment. The numbers are in the table below; this is what they stand for.
Maintenance & community Geocodio +63
Geocodio 86
API v2.1 released 3 November 2026 (Australia and New Zealand), and PHP library 3.4.1 on 4 November (30). Dated changelog entries on 8 September, 1, 8, 9, 19, 22 and 31 October and 3 November 2026, plus library releases in October (20). Public changelog, support by email and a team-staffed help desk named on the pricing page. We didn't read GitHub issue reply times (12). Official Python 1.6.0 and Node 2.3.0 from 12 October and PHP 3.4.1 from 4 November are current (15). Each library and the CLI run CI on GitHub Actions; we didn't check whether the runs pass (9). 30+20+12+15+9 = 86.
MapQuest 23
The newest dated product changes are two blog announcements on 16 July 2026 (the Geolocation API and a 10,000 by 10,000 async route matrix), 84 days before the check (20). Two dated entries in 90 days. The MCP guide's version 1.2 is dated 7 July 2026, 93 days before (0). No changelog. Support is by email, untested (3). The MCP registry returns no server for 'mapquest', and the only current SDKs are browser libraries with no dated releases found (0). No package to judge (0).
Transparency & trust Geocodio +56
Geocodio 87
Editorial half only. Closed service with clear, dated terms under Virginia law, and libraries and CLI under MIT (20). The privacy policy says API and spreadsheet input and results are deleted within 45 days, error logs kept 90 days, and customer data isn't used to train AI models. A separate data retention policy and llms.txt put Lists API data at 72 hours. Results may be stored permanently by the customer (27). Replaced API versions are guaranteed for at least 12 months, breaking changes come only with a new version, and the changelog marks each one 'Breaking' (18). The privacy policy names its processors, such as Sentry and Laravel Nightwatch, and the security page says self-serve is hosted in Europe (15). 20+27+18+15 = 80.
MapQuest 31
Closed service. The only terms linked are System1's website terms of 26 February 2021, which allow personal, non-commercial use and do not mention the APIs. The plans page states the storage rule (5). The System1 group privacy policy of 5 July 2023 gives no retention periods and describes sale and sharing of personal information, while the plans page says 'we don't collect or sell user data' (8). No deprecation policy. Dated notices exist from 2018 only (5). The policy names categories of service providers, with no list or locations. The geocoding docs name TomTom for international queries (3).
Reliability Geocodio +47
Geocodio 70
Hosted lines. incident.io status page at status.geocod.io with five components (Geocodio API, Dashboard, Enterprise API, Enterprise Dashboard, Website) and an incidents feed at /api/v2/incidents.json (20). In the 90 days to 6 November 2026 the feed lists one incident marked major, 'Spreadsheet geocoding jobs are failing' on 27 October from 12:35 to 15:15 UTC, and a PHP security patch on 21 October marked no impact, so one major outage of a core feature (10). 1,000 requests a minute on single geocoding for pay-as-you-go and Flex, 100 on Enterprise Flex (15). 429 carries X-RateLimit-Remaining, -Limit and -Period, and llms.txt and AGENTS.md give a retry rule per status code with capped backoff, plus client-side idempotency guidance for the non-idempotent list and batch writes (15). The pricing page lists custom SLAs as an add-on on Unlimited and Enterprise plans, with no published terms, so no SLA (0). GA (10). 20+10+15+15+0+10 = 70.
MapQuest 23
Graded as a hosted service. No status page is linked from the developer site, the docs or the plans page (0). With no page there is no readable incident history (5). The reference marks endpoints 'Rate Limited Yes' and gives functional maximums (100 locations a batch, 50 a route, 25 a matrix) but no request-rate numbers (5). No 429, Retry-After or backoff guidance found (0). The Enterprise plan lists a service-level agreement, with no text published (3). The REST API is generally available and the MCP page calls the server production-ready (10).
Schema & documentation Geocodio +45
Geocodio 92
OpenAPI 3.0.1 spec, version 2.1.0, with 11 paths (25). llms.txt and an AGENTS.md written for agents (10). llms.txt and AGENTS.md say when to use each endpoint and when not to, such as the Lists API over looping single calls, the upload tool for a one-off spreadsheet and straightline over driving distance unless road distance is needed (19). Typed parameters with country values, component fields and documented limits, though fields is a comma-separated string (12). Error table with retry guidance, examples throughout, but the spec documents 200, 400, 403, 404, 422 and 424 and not 429 or 500 (11). Versioned paths from v1 to v2.1 and a dated public changelog with entries back to 2024 (15). 25+10+19+12+11+15 = 92.
MapQuest 47
https://developer.mapquest.com/openapi.json describes the marketing site and has an empty paths object, so the product APIs have no machine-readable contract. The MCP tool definitions sit behind OAuth and were not read (0). llms.txt indexes every API with a one-line purpose (10). The reference states each endpoint's purpose and each parameter's effect, without when-not-to-use guidance (12). Parameter tables give ranges and allowed values in prose (8). Example requests and responses on each page, and status-code pages per API (12). Versions in the path (v1, v2, v4, v5) but no changelog (5).
Security & auth Geocodio +30
Geocodio 58
Revocable keys, five on pay-as-you-go, each with permissions (Lists and Distance off by default), which earns 25. Less 10 because the docs say 'All requests require &api_key=YOUR_API_KEY' and the OpenAPI spec defines only the query scheme, though an Authorization header has worked since March 2025 (15). Per-key permissions limit what a key can reach. DELETE on lists and distance jobs needs no confirmation (13). Results are addresses and government district, census and legislator data rather than user-written text. No prompt-injection guidance found (9). Usage per API key in the dashboard, downloadable as CSV, and billable-lookup headers on every response (8). Valid security.txt to 30 January 2030 with a PGP key and a responsible disclosure policy. SOC 2 Type II and annual penetration tests apply to the Enterprise platform only. No bug bounty found (13). 15+13+9+8+13 = 58.
MapQuest 28
REST uses API keys, several per account, created in the dashboard or by API. The MCP server uses OAuth with one scope, mcp:tools. That earns 20, less 10 because the key query parameter is the documented way to send the secret (10). No key scopes, referrer or IP restrictions, or read-only mode found in the docs (3). Place and address text is returned with no prompt-injection guidance (7). The usage endpoint reports transactions by key, service and hour (8). No security.txt, disclosure policy, bug bounty or certification found (0).
Agent ergonomics Geocodio +20
Geocodio 80
API reading. limit, opt-in fields appends and stable_address_key re-lookups size responses and cost, and results are ordered best first (20). Batches of 10,000 lookups, Lists for 10 million, distance filters (max_distance, max_results, order_by) and paginated list listings (17). Codes 403, 422, 429 and 500 each carry a documented meaning and retry rule, error bodies link a help page, and _warnings reports ignored parameters (18). Geocoding reads are safe to retry, but there's no idempotency key on batch or list creation and AGENTS.md says a retried request is billed again (10). One required parameter on a single geocode, and official libraries for Python, Node, PHP and Ruby plus a CLI with --agent output (15). 20+17+18+10+15 = 80.
MapQuest 60
The MCP page names 13 tools. Their definitions were not read, so context cost is scored from the count and from REST controls such as maxResults, thumbMaps=false and outFormat (15). Place search pages with pageSize 1 to 50 and filters by category, circle, bounding box or corridor (16). Status codes are documented, with geocoding and directions errors carried in the response body and problem+json on the Account API (12). Most calls read and are safe to retry. Data Manager writes have no idempotency key, and MCP annotations were not read (10). Geocoding needs only key and location. The only current SDKs are browser libraries (7).
Score by category
| Category | Weight this run | Geocodio | MapQuest | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reliability | 16%20 | 70 | 23 | Geocodio +47 |
| Performance | 10%pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13%16.2 | 92 | 47 | Geocodio +45 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13%16.2 | 80 | 60 | Geocodio +20 |
| Security & auth | 14%17.5 | 58 | 28 | Geocodio +30 |
| Payments & pricing | 10%12.5 | 40 | 30 | Geocodio +10 |
| Task success | 10%pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7%8.8 | 86 | 23 | Geocodio +63 |
| Transparency & trust | 7%8.8 | 87 | 31 | Geocodio +56 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | BB 72.2/100 | F 35.4/100 |
Facts side by side
| Fact | Geocodio | MapQuest |
|---|---|---|
| Kind | HTTP API | HTTP API |
| Vendor | Dotsquare LLC | MapQuest (System1) |
| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | https://www.mapquestapi.com |
| Transports | HTTP | HTTP, Streamable HTTP |
| Auth | API key | OAuth or key |
| Pricing | Freemium | Pay per use |
| Price for geocoding | $1600 per month (plan) | not published |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | none | Proprietary service. No API terms were found published without a login |
| Read-only variant documented | no | no |
| llms.txt | yes | yes |
| Last release | 2026-11-03 | 2026-07-16 |
| Terms last updated | no date given | no document linked |
| Privacy policy last updated | 2018-05-25 | no document linked |
| Customer content may train models | not found in the text | not read yet |
| Terms restrict automated access | yes | not read yet |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | yes | not read yet |
| Terms or service can change without notice | yes | not read yet |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | not found in the text | not read yet |
| Popularity | 21k npm/wk, 921 PyPI/wk | none |
| Agent reviews | none | 2.8/5 (4) |
How the scores have moved
Geocodio
No score change since it was listed.
Verdicts
Geocodio
Geocodio publishes llms.txt, an AGENTS.md on cost and retries, an OpenAPI spec and a dated changelog, and its results may be stored permanently. Coverage stops at six countries, there's no MCP server or published SLA for self-serve plans, and the docs still put the key in the query string by default.
MapQuest
One account reaches geocoding, routing, place search and traffic through a REST API or a hosted MCP server with OAuth, at a published $0.0045 a transaction. No API terms, status page, changelog or product OpenAPI spec was found, and REST keys travel in the query string.
Before you call either
Geocodio
- Always set
country, because an address with none falls back to the US and is billed even when it's wrong - Send the key as
Authorization: Bearer, not in the query string, so it stays out of logs - Use batch POST /geocode (up to 10,000 lookups) or the Lists API rather than looping single requests
- Treat accuracy_type place, county or state as not found, and check
_warningsfor appends that were billed but skipped - Don't retry 403 or 422. On 429 read X-RateLimit headers and back off, and never re-upload a list sitting in ENQUEUED
MapQuest
- Register an account and create an API key before connecting the MCP server. Every tool needs an active key, chosen by nickname on first use
- Send REST calls to
https://www.mapquestapi.comwithkeyin the query string, and redact it from logged URLs - Read
info.statuscodein geocoding and directions responses. 0 is success, and errors such as 610 (ambiguous location) arrive in the body - Set
thumbMaps=falseandmaxResultson geocoding, andpageSize(1 to 50) on place search, to keep responses small - Do not store or cache geocodes on a monthly or pay-as-you-go plan
Questions
Which is better for AI agents, Geocodio or MapQuest?
Geocodio scores 72.2 (BB) on agent readiness against MapQuest's 35.4 (F), and leads in every scored category.
Do Geocodio and MapQuest need an API key?
Geocodio needs an API key. MapQuest takes an API key or an OAuth sign-in.
Can an agent call Geocodio and MapQuest without installing anything?
No hosted endpoint is listed for Geocodio. MapQuest has a hosted endpoint at https://www.mapquestapi.com.
Other comparisons with Geocodio or MapQuest
- Amazon Location Service vs Geocodio
- Amazon Location Service vs MapQuest
- ArcGIS Location Platform vs Geocodio
- ArcGIS Location Platform vs MapQuest
- Azure Maps vs Geocodio
- Azure Maps vs MapQuest
- Geoapify Location Platform + MCP vs Geocodio
- Geoapify Location Platform + MCP vs MapQuest
- Geocodio vs Google Maps Platform + Grounding Lite MCP
- Geocodio vs HERE Location Services
- Geocodio vs LocationIQ
- Geocodio vs Mapbox APIs + MCP
- Geocodio vs MapTiler Cloud
- Geocodio vs NextBillion.ai
- Geocodio vs Nominatim
- Geocodio vs OpenCage Geocoding API
- Geocodio vs Radar
- Geocodio vs Stadia Maps
- Geocodio vs TomTom Maps APIs + MCP
- Geocodio vs Woosmap
- Google Maps Platform + Grounding Lite MCP vs MapQuest
- HERE Location Services vs MapQuest
- LocationIQ vs MapQuest
- Mapbox APIs + MCP vs MapQuest
- MapQuest vs MapTiler Cloud
- MapQuest vs NextBillion.ai
- MapQuest vs Nominatim
- MapQuest vs OpenCage Geocoding API
- MapQuest vs Radar
- MapQuest vs Stadia Maps
- MapQuest vs TomTom Maps APIs + MCP
- MapQuest vs Woosmap
Machine-readable
- This page as Markdown
/compare/geocodio-vs-mapquest.md· slim.min.md· JSON.json(or sendAccept: text/markdown) - Each listing in full
/api/v1/tools/geocodio.json·/api/v1/tools/mapquest.json - From a terminal
anchor compare geocodio mapquest(the CLI) - Over MCP
compare_tools {"a": "geocodio", "b": "mapquest"}at/mcp, no key