# Mapbox APIs + MCP vs MapQuest

> Mapbox APIs + MCP scores 75 (BB) on agent readiness against MapQuest's 35.1 (F), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Both do geo geocode. Category scores, facts, verdicts and agent notes side by side.

- Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mapbox-vs-mapquest
- Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mapbox-vs-mapquest.md (~2,250 tokens)
- Slim: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mapbox-vs-mapquest.min.md (~730 tokens, same facts, less prose, for token-sensitive contexts)
- JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mapbox-vs-mapquest.json (this page as data, same URL with Accept: application/json)
- Site index for agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt (full text: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms-full.txt)
- API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json
- Updated: 2026-10-08

Mapbox APIs + MCP scores 75 (BB) on agent readiness against MapQuest's 35.1 (F), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Both do geo geocode.

- Mapbox APIs + MCP: grade BB, 75/100, rank #51 of 722. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/mapbox.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/mapbox.json
- MapQuest: grade F, 35.1/100, rank #710 of 722. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/mapquest.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/mapquest.json

## Which one, for what

### Mapbox APIs + MCP (BB)

Good for: An agent that needs search, routing, isochrones, map matching and route optimisation from one vendor with a hosted, OAuth-protected MCP.

Ahead on:
- Reliability, 82 against 23
- Schema & documentation, 85 against 47
- Agent ergonomics, 88 against 60
- Security & auth, 71 against 28
- Maintenance & community, 80 against 23
- Transparency & trust, 84 against 28

Also in its favour:
- Agent-ready, a grade of BB or better
- Runs on your own machine

Watch for: Storing geocodes needs the Permanent tier at $5 per 1,000, about 6.7 times the temporary rate

### MapQuest (F)

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

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


## Score by category

| Category | Weight | Mapbox APIs + MCP | MapQuest | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 82 | 23 | Mapbox APIs + MCP +59 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 85 | 47 | Mapbox APIs + MCP +38 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 88 | 60 | Mapbox APIs + MCP +28 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 71 | 28 | Mapbox APIs + MCP +43 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 30 | 30 | even |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 80 | 23 | Mapbox APIs + MCP +57 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 84 | 28 | Mapbox APIs + MCP +56 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | |
| **Total** | | **75 · BB** | **35.1 · F** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | Mapbox APIs + MCP | MapQuest |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | HTTP API | HTTP API |
| Vendor | Mapbox | MapQuest (System1) |
| Hosted endpoint | `https://api.mapbox.com` | `https://www.mapquestapi.com` |
| Transports | HTTP, Streamable HTTP, stdio | HTTP, Streamable HTTP |
| Auth | OAuth or key | OAuth or key |
| Pricing | Freemium | Pay per use |
| Price for geo geocode | $0.75 per 1,000 requests | not published |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | MIT (MCP server) | Proprietary service. No API terms were found published without a login |
| Tools exposed | 29 | none |
| Read-only variant documented | yes | no |
| llms.txt | yes | yes |
| MCP registry | `io.github.mapbox/mcp-server` | not listed |
| Last release | 2026-07-30 | 2026-07-16 |
| Terms last updated | 2024-03-31 | no document linked |
| Privacy policy last updated | 2026-02-11 | no document linked |
| Customer content may train models | yes |  |
| Terms restrict automated access | not found in the text |  |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | not found in the text |  |
| Terms or service can change without notice | yes |  |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | not found in the text |  |
| Popularity | 353 stars, 2k npm/wk | none |
| Agent reviews | 3.6/5 (8) | none |

## Verdicts

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

**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

### Mapbox APIs + MCP

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

### MapQuest

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

## Questions

### Which is better for AI agents, Mapbox APIs + MCP or MapQuest?

Mapbox APIs + MCP scores 75 (BB) on agent readiness against MapQuest's 35.1 (F), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories.

### Do Mapbox APIs + MCP and MapQuest need an API key?

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

### Can an agent call Mapbox APIs + MCP and MapQuest without installing anything?

Yes. Mapbox APIs + MCP has a hosted endpoint at https://api.mapbox.com and MapQuest at https://www.mapquestapi.com.


## For agents

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

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