{ "data": { "a": { "slug": "mapbox", "name": "Mapbox APIs + MCP", "vendor": "Mapbox", "vendorUrl": "https://www.mapbox.com", "kind": "http-api", "category": "maps", "summary": "Geocoding v6 with batch, Search Box for places and categories, Directions, Matrix, Isochrone, Map Matching, route optimisation, static images and map tiles.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/mapbox", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/mapbox.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/mapbox.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/mapbox.json", "dns": "mapbox.grade.anchorterminal.com", "repo": "https://github.com/mapbox/mcp-server", "license": "MIT (MCP server)", "transports": [ "http", "streamable-http", "stdio" ], "remoteUrl": "https://api.mapbox.com", "packages": [ { "registry": "npm", "name": "@mapbox/mcp-server" } ], "auth": "mixed", "authNotes": "Access tokens (public pk. or secret sk.) passed as the access_token query parameter on every REST call. The hosted MCP at mcp.mapbox.com signs in with an OAuth flow in the browser. The local server reads MAPBOX_ACCESS_TOKEN.", "pricing": "freemium", "pricingNotes": "Free monthly allowance per API, then tiered pay as you go. A sign-up without a card gets a trial with lower monthly limits (for example 10,000 temporary geocodes, 10,000 directions requests, 5,000 map loads) and no permanent geocoding until a card is added. Temporary Geocoding 100,000 free, then $0.75 per 1,000 down to $0.45 above 1 million. Permanent Geocoding (results you may store) has no free allowance and costs $5 per 1,000, then $4 above 500,000. Search Box is on introductory preview pricing, 500 free sessions then $3 per 1,000 sessions, or 50,000 free requests then $1 per 1,000. The page also lists standard rates of $11.50 per 1,000 sessions after 2,500 and $1.70 per 1,000 requests after 25,000. Directions, Matrix (by element), Isochrone, Map Matching and route optimisation 100,000 free each, then $2 per 1,000 down to $1.20. Static Images 50,000 free then $1 per 1,000. Vector tiles 200,000 free then $0.25 per 1,000. GL JS map loads 50,000 free then $5 per 1,000 (https://www.mapbox.com/pricing, https://docs.mapbox.com/accounts/guides/signup/).", "priceSummary": "$0.75 / 1k req", "where": "both", "x402": { "level": "no", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": 29, "popularity": { "githubStars": 353, "npmWeekly": 1974, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-09-30" }, "docsUrl": "https://docs.mapbox.com/api/", "llmsTxt": "https://docs.mapbox.com/llms.txt", "registryName": "io.github.mapbox/mcp-server", "capabilities": [ "geo.geocode", "geo.reverse", "geo.places", "geo.routing", "geo.tiles" ], "tags": [ "hosted", "mcp", "llms-txt", "official", "oauth", "typescript", "free-tier", "no-card", "enterprise", "closed-source" ], "lastRelease": "2026-10-15", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 77.2, "grade": "BB", "agentReady": true, "rank": 35, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 1510, "categoryRank": 1, "methodology": "0.7", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 88, "maintenance": 90, "payments": 40, "reliability": 82, "schema": 85, "security": 71, "transparency": 84 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-11-01" }, "negative": 0, "verdict": "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.", "bestFor": "An agent that needs search, routing, isochrones, map matching and route optimisation from one vendor with a hosted, OAuth-protected MCP.", "strengths": [ "Official MCP server, hosted at mcp.mapbox.com with OAuth or run locally, listed in the MCP registry", "Every MCP tool annotated read-only and idempotent, with typed Zod input and output schemas", "Scoped public and secret tokens, URL restrictions and one-hour temporary tokens", "SOC 2 Type II, a HackerOne bug bounty and a published 99.9 per cent SLA with service credits for customers with an order", "A sign-up without a card, with trial limits such as 10,000 temporary geocodes a month" ], "weaknesses": [ "Storing geocodes needs the Permanent tier at $5 per 1,000, about 6.7 times the temporary rate, and a card on file", "REST calls take the token as the access_token query parameter", "29 MCP tools load at once on the hosted endpoint, with filtering documented only for the local server", "Routing in US-East was disrupted on 19 and 20 October 2026, and there's no security.txt", "Card-free trial accounts get one token that can't be rotated or deleted until a payment method is added" ], "agentNotes": [ "Set permanent=true only when the result goes into a database, since it moves the call to the $5 per 1,000 rate", "Keep search_and_geocode_tool queries under 200 characters, the live limit, not the 256 the API docs state", "On 429, wait until the X-Rate-Limit-Reset timestamp, since no Retry-After is sent", "Run the local server with --enable-tools to load only the tools the task needs", "On a trial account without a card, expect lower limits and no permanent geocoding; check the Console usage before batch work" ], "metrics": { "kind": "remote", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 8, "avgRating": 3.6, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "BB", "methodology": "0.7", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 77.2 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 88, "maintenance": 90, "payments": 40, "reliability": 82, "schema": 85, "security": 71, "transparency": 82 }, "provenanceScore": 86, "checked": { "categories": { "ergonomics": "2026-11-01", "maintenance": "2026-11-01", "payments": "2026-11-01", "reliability": "2026-11-01", "schema": "2026-11-01", "security": "2026-11-01", "transparency": "2026-11-01" }, "last": "2026-11-01", "lastMoved": "2026-10-17", "oldest": "2026-11-01", "stale": false, "staleAfterDays": 90 } }, "connect": { "http": "curl \"https://api.mapbox.com/search/geocode/v6/forward?q=10%20Downing%20Street%2C%20London\u0026limit=1\u0026access_token=$MAPBOX_ACCESS_TOKEN\"", "claudeCode": "claude mcp add --transport http mapbox https://mcp.mapbox.com/mcp", "config": { "mcpServers": { "mapbox": { "args": [ "-y", "@mapbox/mcp-server" ], "command": "npx", "env": { "MAPBOX_ACCESS_TOKEN": "${MAPBOX_ACCESS_TOKEN}" } } } } }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/geo.geocode", "tool": "https://letme.dev/mapbox" }, "area": "everyday", "unitPrices": [ { "item": "Temporary Geocoding", "unit": "1k-requests", "usd": 0.75, "note": "After 100,000 free a month, $0.45 above 1 million" }, { "item": "Permanent Geocoding", "unit": "1k-requests", "usd": 5, "note": "No free allowance, $4 above 500,000" }, { "item": "Search Box sessions", "unit": "1k-requests", "usd": 3, "note": "Per 1,000 sessions after 500 free, introductory preview pricing. Standard rate $11.50 after 2,500" }, { "item": "Directions", "unit": "1k-requests", "usd": 2, "note": "After 100,000 free a month, $1.20 above 1 million" }, { "item": "Matrix", "unit": "1k-requests", "usd": 2, "note": "Per 1,000 elements after 100,000 free" }, { "item": "Static Images", "unit": "1k-requests", "usd": 1, "note": "After 50,000 free a month" }, { "item": "Vector tiles", "unit": "1k-requests", "usd": 0.25, "note": "After 200,000 free a month" } ], "provenance": { "legalEntity": "Mapbox, Inc.", "domain": "mapbox.com", "domainRegistered": "2003-11-27", "domainNote": "mapbox.com was registered in 2003, years before Mapbox started, so the domain was bought later.", "endpointOnVendorDomain": true, "terms": "https://www.mapbox.com/legal/tos", "privacy": "https://www.mapbox.com/legal/privacy", "statusPage": "https://status.mapbox.com", "changelog": "https://docs.mapbox.com/api/changelog/", "securityTxt": "none", "checked": "2026-11-01", "notes": [ "The terms of service were last updated 31 March 2024 and point to separate product terms for per-API rules.", "The terms let Mapbox create de-identified aggregated data from customer usage.", "www.mapbox.com/.well-known/security.txt returns 404 (re-checked 1 November 2026).", "The top-level API changelog's newest entry is 5 November 2021. Current changes are in per-service changelogs and the MCP server's CHANGELOG.md on GitHub.", "Subprocessor list (22 entries with locations) last updated 4 June 2026.", "A Service Level Agreement (last updated 15 April 2024) at https://www.mapbox.com/legal/sla covers customers with an executed order." ], "score": 86 }, "requirements": { "setupChecked": true, "complianceChecked": true, "card": "paid-only", "freeTier": true, "minutes": 5, "credential": "mixed", "hosting": [ "US" ], "euResidency": "no", "trainsOnData": "unknown", "zeroRetention": "unknown", "certifications": [ "SOC 2 Type II", "GDPR" ], "dpa": true, "selfHost": "no" }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/mapbox.json", "live": { "slug": "mapbox", "probe": { "target": "https://api.mapbox.com", "method": "get", "lastAt": "2026-11-07T19:22:18.200369408Z", "lastOk": true, "lastStatus": 200, "lastMs": 21, "authRequired": false, "uptime24h": 100, "uptime30d": 100, "p50ms24h": 24, "p95ms24h": 88, "samples24h": 238, "samples30d": 7920, "days": [ { "date": "2026-10-07", "probes": 272, "ok": 272 }, { "date": "2026-10-08", "probes": 268, "ok": 268 }, { "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": 248, "ok": 248 }, { "date": "2026-10-30", "probes": 249, "ok": 249 }, { "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.mapbox.com", "indicator": "none", "summary": "All Systems Operational", "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T19:22:27.188694899Z" }, "versions": [ { "registry": "github", "name": "mapbox/mcp-server", "version": "v0.17.0", "released": "2026-11-06", "seenAt": "2026-11-06T23:42:32.729365912Z" }, { "registry": "mcp-registry", "name": "io.github.mapbox/mcp-server", "version": "0.17.0", "seenAt": "2026-11-07T18:16:28.95801333Z" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "@mapbox/mcp-server", "version": "0.17.0", "seenAt": "2026-11-06T23:42:32.515191584Z" } ], "githubStars": 367, "npmWeekly": 5677, "securityTxt": { "url": "https://mapbox.com/.well-known/security.txt", "state": "none", "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T16:01:43.742734359Z" }, "llmsTxt": { "url": "https://docs.mapbox.com/llms.txt", "ok": true, "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T15:32:56.968988795Z" }, "domain": { "domain": "mapbox.com", "registered": "2003-11-27", "source": "https://rdap.verisign.com/com/v1/domain/mapbox.com", "checkedAt": "2026-11-01T14:12:09.671089153Z" }, "pages": [ { "url": "https://docs.mapbox.com/api/changelog/", "kind": "changelog", "status": 304, "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T14:06:56.328551059Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "395e3e05bd01" }, { "url": "https://www.mapbox.com/pricing", "kind": "pricing", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T14:31:22.645906851Z", "changedAt": "2026-11-06T13:52:01.730958354Z", "fingerprint": "7345758914cc" }, { "url": "https://www.mapbox.com/legal/privacy", "kind": "privacy", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T14:31:18.159504751Z", "changedAt": "2026-11-06T13:51:56.60150451Z", "fingerprint": "6ac6d7ded402" }, { "url": "https://www.mapbox.com/legal/tos", "kind": "terms", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T14:31:20.794072453Z", "changedAt": "2026-11-06T13:52:00.000498024Z", "fingerprint": "1a66e57c3d21" } ], "mcpTools": { "url": "https://mcp.mapbox.com/mcp", "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T01:46:10.747728338Z", "status": "auth", "note": "asks for credentials before listing its tools", "changedAt": "2026-11-07T01:46:10.747728338Z" }, "github": { "repo": "mapbox/mcp-server", "checkedAt": "2026-11-02T09:03:27.007357966Z", "stars": 363, "archived": false, "issuesEnabled": true, "pushedAt": "2026-10-30T13:51:34Z", "openIssues": 13, "openPRs": 8, "issuesOpened90d": 19, "issuesClosed90d": 6, "prsMerged90d": 37, "ci": { "branch": "main", "runs": 50, "success": 50, "failure": 0, "other": 0, "latest": "success", "latestAt": "2026-10-30T13:48:31Z" }, "replies": { "sampled": 25, "unanswered": 12, "medianDays": 0.3 } }, "updatedAt": "2026-11-07T19:22:18.200369408Z" } }, "answer": "Mapbox APIs + MCP scores 77.2 (BB) on agent readiness against Nominatim's 63.5 (B), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Nominatim leads on 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": 34, "category": "schema", "leads": "mapbox", "name": "Schema \u0026 documentation", "reasons": { "a": "No public OpenAPI for the REST APIs, but every MCP tool has a typed Zod input and output schema, published as JSON Schema 2020-12 since 0.15.0 (8 October) (20). llms.txt at docs.mapbox.com, re-read on 1 November (10). MCP descriptions say when not to use a tool, for example search_and_geocode_tool sends generic place types to category_search_tool and warns that big-box brand plus address queries are unreliable (17). Zod limits and enums, such as q capped at 200 characters after the team found the API rejects 201 (13). An error table per API with 401, 403, 404, 422 and 429 messages, and curl examples throughout (13). Versioned paths (geocode v6) and a dated MCP CHANGELOG.md, but the top-level API changelog's newest entry is still 5 November 2021, current changes sit in per-service pages, and the MCP guide on docs.mapbox.com still says v0.12.0 on 1 November (12).", "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": 85, "b": 51 } }, { "by": 30, "category": "maintenance", "leads": "mapbox", "name": "Maintenance \u0026 community", "reasons": { "a": "MCP server v0.16.0 on 15 October 2026, after v0.15.0 and v0.15.1 on 8 and 9 October (30). Three stable releases in the 90 days from 3 August, v0.15.0, v0.15.1 and v0.16.0, plus the v0.16.1-dev, v0.17.0-dev and v0.17.0-dev.1 pre-releases (20). Commits reference user-reported issues and fixes land within weeks. We couldn't see issue reply times from git (15). Listed in the official MCP registry as io.github.mapbox/mcp-server, active, with 0.16.0 the latest, published 15 October (15). CI builds and runs the test suite on every push and pull request, and since 0.17.0-dev also typechecks the tests (10).", "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": 90, "b": 60 } }, { "by": 25, "category": "transparency", "leads": "mapbox", "name": "Transparency \u0026 trust", "reasons": { "a": "Closed service with published terms and product terms, plus an MIT-licensed MCP server (20). A DPA, a privacy FAQ that says IP addresses are kept 30 days, and geocoding storage rules that are plain about what can be cached. The terms also let Mapbox build de-identified aggregated data from customer usage (24). An API policy of at least 90 days' emailed notice before an endpoint is deprecated, with dated removals in the changelog, though that changelog stopped in 2021 (18). 22 subprocessors with locations, 14 third-party and 8 affiliates, still last updated 4 June 2026 on 1 November (20).", "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": 84, "b": 59 } }, { "by": 21, "category": "security", "leads": "mapbox", "name": "Security \u0026 auth", "reasons": { "a": "Public and secret tokens with scopes, URL restrictions, one-hour temporary tokens and documented rotation, which earns 30. Less 10 because the REST APIs take the token as the access_token query parameter, and that's the documented way in. The hosted MCP signs in with OAuth instead. Accounts on the card-free trial get a single token they can't rotate or delete until a payment method is added (20). Public-scope tokens can't change the account, and every MCP tool is read-only (18). Responses are structured place data, partly third-party POI names and attributes, and we found no prompt-injection guidance (7). The local MCP emits OpenTelemetry traces per tool call tagged with the client name. We didn't check per-token usage reporting in the account (8). SOC 2 Type II and SOC 3, a HackerOne bug bounty and a disclosure programme, re-read on 1 November. MCP 0.13.0 on 30 July 2026 fixed a query-parameter injection through directions_tool's exclude field, and 0.15.0 on 8 October shipped the fix for reads of cached tool results by anyone who knew a resource URI and could forge the owner's username claim, with a narrowed map CSP. 0.16.0 on 15 October replaced those cached refs for directions and isochrones with refs that re-run the request under the reader's token, and fetches place photos server-side only from public https hosts. All were stated in the public changelog. On 21 October the URL check for custom marker images and place photos was fixed to strip every trailing dot (`localhost..` had passed), released in the v0.17.0-dev pre-releases of 30 October and not yet in a stable release. The photo fetch also resolves the host and refuses private addresses, and marker URLs are fetched by Mapbox's Static Images API, so we read it as hardening and don't deduct. No security.txt, still 404 on 1 November (18).", "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": 71, "b": 50 } }, { "by": 20, "category": "payments", "leads": "nominatim", "name": "Payments \u0026 pricing", "reasons": { "a": "No x402, MPP or L402 (0). Per-1,000 prices for every API published without login, $0.75 temporary geocoding, $5 permanent, $2 directions, re-read on 1 November (20). The sign-up guide has a 'Start without a credit card' option, a trial with monthly limits such as 10,000 temporary geocodes, 10,000 directions requests and 5,000 map loads, and lower rate limits. Adding a card unlocks the full free allowances, permanent geocoding and raster tiles. Re-read on 1 November (20). Signup is a browser flow with email confirmation, and the hosted MCP needs a browser OAuth step (0).", "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": 13, "category": "ergonomics", "leads": "mapbox", "name": "Agent ergonomics", "reasons": { "a": "29 core MCP tools in 0.16.0, still the latest stable release on 1 November, so 15, plus 5 back for --enable-tools and --disable-tools on the local server. The docs don't say the hosted endpoint can filter tools (20). limit, types, bbox and proximity on geocoding, and a v6 batch endpoint (18). Documented status codes with messages an agent can act on, such as 'Query exceeded character limit of 200' (17). Every tool carries readOnlyHint true, destructiveHint false and idempotentHint, and 17 offline geometry tools set openWorldHint false (20). Few required parameters and the server elicits a route choice when the client supports it. Since 0.16.0 large directions and isochrone results return a short ref that any server process can answer, and descriptions no longer tell the model to avoid other tools or web search. Official SDKs are JavaScript and the mobile SDKs, with no current official Python client that we found (13).", "b": "API reading. limit, addressdetails, extratags, namedetails and the polygon options size responses, and geocodejson, geojson and jsonv2 formats are available (22). countrycodes, viewbox, bounded, layer, featureType and exclude_place_ids filter results, the last one standing in for pagination (18). Bad parameters return an error rather than a silent default in current versions, but there's no error code reference (12). Every endpoint reads and is safe to retry (15). Few required parameters, and the Python library exposes the same search API in-process, but there are no other official clients (8). 22+18+12+15+8 = 75." }, "scores": { "a": 88, "b": 75 } } ], "facts": [ { "a": "HTTP API", "b": "HTTP API", "name": "Kind" }, { "a": "Mapbox", "b": "Nominatim project (osm-search)", "name": "Vendor" }, { "a": "https://api.mapbox.com", "b": "no (local only)", "name": "Hosted endpoint" }, { "a": "HTTP, Streamable HTTP, stdio", "b": "HTTP", "name": "Transports" }, { "a": "OAuth or key", "b": "None", "name": "Auth" }, { "a": "Freemium", "b": "Free", "name": "Pricing" }, { "a": "$0.75 per 1,000 requests", "b": "free", "name": "Price for geocoding" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "x402" }, { "a": "MIT (MCP server)", "b": "GPL-3.0-or-later", "name": "Licence" }, { "a": "29", "b": "none", "name": "Tools exposed" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "no", "name": "Read-only variant documented" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "no", "name": "llms.txt" }, { "a": "io.github.mapbox/mcp-server", "b": "not listed", "name": "MCP registry" }, { "a": "2026-10-15", "b": "2026-10-14", "name": "Last release" }, { "a": "2024-03-31", "b": "no date given", "name": "Terms last updated" }, { "a": "2026-02-11", "b": "no document linked", "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": "not found in the text", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Terms restrict benchmarking" }, { "a": "yes", "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": "353 stars, 2k npm/wk", "b": "2.1k PyPI/wk", "name": "Popularity" }, { "a": "3.6/5 (8)", "b": "none", "name": "Agent reviews" } ], "faq": [ { "answer": "Mapbox APIs + MCP scores 77.2 (BB) on agent readiness against Nominatim's 63.5 (B), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Nominatim leads on payments \u0026 pricing.", "question": "Which is better for AI agents, Mapbox APIs + MCP or Nominatim?" }, { "answer": "Nominatim, at free against $0.75 per 1,000 requests for Mapbox APIs + MCP. These are the vendors' published prices for the job.", "question": "Which is cheaper for geocoding, Mapbox APIs + MCP or Nominatim?" }, { "answer": "Mapbox APIs + MCP takes an API key or an OAuth sign-in. Nominatim needs no key.", "question": "Do Mapbox APIs + MCP and Nominatim need an API key?" }, { "answer": "Mapbox APIs + MCP has a hosted endpoint at https://api.mapbox.com. No hosted endpoint is listed for Nominatim.", "question": "Can an agent call Mapbox APIs + MCP and Nominatim without installing anything?" }, { "answer": "No open-source release is listed for Mapbox APIs + MCP. Nominatim is open source (GPL-3.0-or-later).", "question": "Are Mapbox APIs + MCP and Nominatim open source?" } ], "goodFor": [ { "aheadOn": [ "Schema \u0026 documentation, 85 against 51", "Agent ergonomics, 88 against 75", "Security \u0026 auth, 71 against 50", "Maintenance \u0026 community, 90 against 60", "Transparency \u0026 trust, 84 against 59" ], "also": [ "Agent-ready, a grade of BB or better", "A hosted endpoint, with nothing to install", "Runs on your own machine", "Free to start without a card" ], "goodFor": "An agent that needs search, routing, isochrones, map matching and route optimisation from one vendor with a hosted, OAuth-protected MCP.", "slug": "mapbox", "watchFor": "Storing geocodes needs the Permanent tier at $5 per 1,000, about 6.7 times the temporary rate, and a card on file" }, { "aheadOn": [ "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": { "mapbox": [ { "causes": [ "product", "evidence" ], "date": "2026-10-17", "delta": 2.2, "from": 75, "fromGrade": "BB", "to": 77.2, "toGrade": "BB" }, { "causes": [ "method" ], "date": "2026-10-08", "delta": -0.2, "from": 75.2, "fromGrade": "BB", "to": 75, "toGrade": "BB" } ], "nominatim": null }, "job": { "capability": "geo.geocode", "name": "Geocoding" }, "others": [ { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amazon-location-vs-mapbox.json", "title": "Amazon Location Service vs Mapbox APIs + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amazon-location-vs-mapbox" }, { "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": "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-nominatim.json", "title": "ArcGIS Location Platform vs Nominatim", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arcgis-vs-nominatim" }, { "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-nominatim.json", "title": "Azure Maps vs Nominatim", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/azure-maps-vs-nominatim" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/geoapify-vs-mapbox.json", "title": "Geoapify Location Platform + MCP vs Mapbox APIs + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/geoapify-vs-mapbox" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/geoapify-vs-nominatim.json", "title": "Geoapify Location Platform + MCP vs Nominatim", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/geoapify-vs-nominatim" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/geocodio-vs-mapbox.json", "title": "Geocodio vs Mapbox APIs + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/geocodio-vs-mapbox" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/geocodio-vs-nominatim.json", "title": "Geocodio vs Nominatim", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/geocodio-vs-nominatim" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-maps-platform-vs-mapbox.json", "title": "Google Maps Platform + Grounding Lite MCP vs Mapbox APIs + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-maps-platform-vs-mapbox" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-maps-platform-vs-nominatim.json", "title": "Google Maps Platform + Grounding Lite MCP vs Nominatim", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-maps-platform-vs-nominatim" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/here-location-services-vs-mapbox.json", "title": "HERE Location Services vs Mapbox APIs + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/here-location-services-vs-mapbox" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/here-location-services-vs-nominatim.json", "title": "HERE Location Services vs Nominatim", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/here-location-services-vs-nominatim" }, { "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-nominatim.json", "title": "LocationIQ vs Nominatim", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/locationiq-vs-nominatim" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mapbox-vs-mapquest.json", "title": "Mapbox APIs + MCP vs MapQuest", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mapbox-vs-mapquest" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mapbox-vs-maptiler.json", "title": "Mapbox APIs + MCP vs MapTiler Cloud", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mapbox-vs-maptiler" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mapbox-vs-nextbillion.json", "title": "Mapbox APIs + MCP vs NextBillion.ai", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mapbox-vs-nextbillion" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mapbox-vs-opencage.json", "title": "Mapbox APIs + MCP vs OpenCage Geocoding API", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mapbox-vs-opencage" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mapbox-vs-radar.json", "title": "Mapbox APIs + MCP vs Radar", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mapbox-vs-radar" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mapbox-vs-stadia-maps.json", "title": "Mapbox APIs + MCP vs Stadia Maps", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mapbox-vs-stadia-maps" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mapbox-vs-tomtom.json", "title": "Mapbox APIs + MCP vs TomTom Maps APIs + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mapbox-vs-tomtom" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mapbox-vs-woosmap.json", "title": "Mapbox APIs + MCP vs Woosmap", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mapbox-vs-woosmap" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mapquest-vs-nominatim.json", "title": "MapQuest vs Nominatim", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mapquest-vs-nominatim" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/maptiler-vs-nominatim.json", "title": "MapTiler Cloud vs Nominatim", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/maptiler-vs-nominatim" }, { "json": "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": [ { "by": 0, "edge": "", "key": "reliability", "mapbox": 82, "name": "Reliability", "nominatim": 82, "weight": 16 }, { "key": "performance", "name": "Performance", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 34, "edge": "mapbox", "key": "schema", "mapbox": 85, "name": "Schema \u0026 documentation", "nominatim": 51, "weight": 13 }, { "by": 13, "edge": "mapbox", "key": "ergonomics", "mapbox": 88, "name": "Agent ergonomics", "nominatim": 75, "weight": 13 }, { "by": 21, "edge": "mapbox", "key": "security", "mapbox": 71, "name": "Security \u0026 auth", "nominatim": 50, "weight": 14 }, { "by": 20, "edge": "nominatim", "key": "payments", "mapbox": 40, "name": "Payments \u0026 pricing", "nominatim": 60, "weight": 10 }, { "key": "tasks", "name": "Task success", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 30, "edge": "mapbox", "key": "maintenance", "mapbox": 90, "name": "Maintenance \u0026 community", "nominatim": 60, "weight": 7 }, { "by": 25, "edge": "mapbox", "key": "transparency", "mapbox": 84, "name": "Transparency \u0026 trust", "nominatim": 59, "weight": 7 } ], "summary": "Mapbox APIs + MCP scores 77.2 (BB) on agent readiness against Nominatim's 63.5 (B), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Nominatim leads on payments \u0026 pricing. Both do geocoding.", "tasks": null, "tutorials": [], "verdicts": { "mapbox": "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.", "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/mapbox-vs-nominatim", "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mapbox-vs-nominatim.json", "llms": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt", "markdown": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mapbox-vs-nominatim.md", "mcp": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp", "slim": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mapbox-vs-nominatim.min.md" }, "markdown": "Mapbox APIs + MCP scores 77.2 (BB) on agent readiness against Nominatim's 63.5 (B), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Nominatim leads on payments \u0026 pricing. Both do geocoding.\n\n- Mapbox APIs + MCP: grade BB, 77.2/100, rank #35 of 1510. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/mapbox.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/mapbox.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### Mapbox APIs + MCP (BB)\n\nGood for: An agent that needs search, routing, isochrones, map matching and route optimisation from one vendor with a hosted, OAuth-protected MCP.\n\nAhead on:\n- Schema \u0026 documentation, 85 against 51\n- Agent ergonomics, 88 against 75\n- Security \u0026 auth, 71 against 50\n- Maintenance \u0026 community, 90 against 60\n- Transparency \u0026 trust, 84 against 59\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- Agent-ready, a grade of BB or better\n- A hosted endpoint, with nothing to install\n- Runs on your own machine\n- Free to start without a card\n\nWatch for: Storing geocodes needs the Permanent tier at $5 per 1,000, about 6.7 times the temporary rate, and a card on file\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- 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### Schema \u0026 documentation: Mapbox APIs + MCP +34\n\n- Mapbox APIs + MCP (85): No public OpenAPI for the REST APIs, but every MCP tool has a typed Zod input and output schema, published as JSON Schema 2020-12 since 0.15.0 (8 October) (20). llms.txt at docs.mapbox.com, re-read on 1 November (10). MCP descriptions say when not to use a tool, for example search_and_geocode_tool sends generic place types to category_search_tool and warns that big-box brand plus address queries are unreliable (17). Zod limits and enums, such as q capped at 200 characters after the team found the API rejects 201 (13). An error table per API with 401, 403, 404, 422 and 429 messages, and curl examples throughout (13). Versioned paths (geocode v6) and a dated MCP CHANGELOG.md, but the top-level API changelog's newest entry is still 5 November 2021, current changes sit in per-service pages, and the MCP guide on docs.mapbox.com still says v0.12.0 on 1 November (12).\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### Maintenance \u0026 community: Mapbox APIs + MCP +30\n\n- Mapbox APIs + MCP (90): MCP server v0.16.0 on 15 October 2026, after v0.15.0 and v0.15.1 on 8 and 9 October (30). Three stable releases in the 90 days from 3 August, v0.15.0, v0.15.1 and v0.16.0, plus the v0.16.1-dev, v0.17.0-dev and v0.17.0-dev.1 pre-releases (20). Commits reference user-reported issues and fixes land within weeks. We couldn't see issue reply times from git (15). Listed in the official MCP registry as io.github.mapbox/mcp-server, active, with 0.16.0 the latest, published 15 October (15). CI builds and runs the test suite on every push and pull request, and since 0.17.0-dev also typechecks the tests (10).\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### Transparency \u0026 trust: Mapbox APIs + MCP +25\n\n- Mapbox APIs + MCP (84): Closed service with published terms and product terms, plus an MIT-licensed MCP server (20). A DPA, a privacy FAQ that says IP addresses are kept 30 days, and geocoding storage rules that are plain about what can be cached. The terms also let Mapbox build de-identified aggregated data from customer usage (24). An API policy of at least 90 days' emailed notice before an endpoint is deprecated, with dated removals in the changelog, though that changelog stopped in 2021 (18). 22 subprocessors with locations, 14 third-party and 8 affiliates, still last updated 4 June 2026 on 1 November (20).\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### Security \u0026 auth: Mapbox APIs + MCP +21\n\n- Mapbox APIs + MCP (71): Public and secret tokens with scopes, URL restrictions, one-hour temporary tokens and documented rotation, which earns 30. Less 10 because the REST APIs take the token as the access_token query parameter, and that's the documented way in. The hosted MCP signs in with OAuth instead. Accounts on the card-free trial get a single token they can't rotate or delete until a payment method is added (20). Public-scope tokens can't change the account, and every MCP tool is read-only (18). Responses are structured place data, partly third-party POI names and attributes, and we found no prompt-injection guidance (7). The local MCP emits OpenTelemetry traces per tool call tagged with the client name. We didn't check per-token usage reporting in the account (8). SOC 2 Type II and SOC 3, a HackerOne bug bounty and a disclosure programme, re-read on 1 November. MCP 0.13.0 on 30 July 2026 fixed a query-parameter injection through directions_tool's exclude field, and 0.15.0 on 8 October shipped the fix for reads of cached tool results by anyone who knew a resource URI and could forge the owner's username claim, with a narrowed map CSP. 0.16.0 on 15 October replaced those cached refs for directions and isochrones with refs that re-run the request under the reader's token, and fetches place photos server-side only from public https hosts. All were stated in the public changelog. On 21 October the URL check for custom marker images and place photos was fixed to strip every trailing dot (`localhost..` had passed), released in the v0.17.0-dev pre-releases of 30 October and not yet in a stable release. The photo fetch also resolves the host and refuses private addresses, and marker URLs are fetched by Mapbox's Static Images API, so we read it as hardening and don't deduct. No security.txt, still 404 on 1 November (18).\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### Payments \u0026 pricing: Nominatim +20\n\n- Mapbox APIs + MCP (40): No x402, MPP or L402 (0). Per-1,000 prices for every API published without login, $0.75 temporary geocoding, $5 permanent, $2 directions, re-read on 1 November (20). The sign-up guide has a 'Start without a credit card' option, a trial with monthly limits such as 10,000 temporary geocodes, 10,000 directions requests and 5,000 map loads, and lower rate limits. Adding a card unlocks the full free allowances, permanent geocoding and raster tiles. Re-read on 1 November (20). Signup is a browser flow with email confirmation, and the hosted MCP needs a browser OAuth step (0).\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### Agent ergonomics: Mapbox APIs + MCP +13\n\n- Mapbox APIs + MCP (88): 29 core MCP tools in 0.16.0, still the latest stable release on 1 November, so 15, plus 5 back for --enable-tools and --disable-tools on the local server. The docs don't say the hosted endpoint can filter tools (20). limit, types, bbox and proximity on geocoding, and a v6 batch endpoint (18). Documented status codes with messages an agent can act on, such as 'Query exceeded character limit of 200' (17). Every tool carries readOnlyHint true, destructiveHint false and idempotentHint, and 17 offline geometry tools set openWorldHint false (20). Few required parameters and the server elicits a route choice when the client supports it. Since 0.16.0 large directions and isochrone results return a short ref that any server process can answer, and descriptions no longer tell the model to avoid other tools or web search. Official SDKs are JavaScript and the mobile SDKs, with no current official Python client that we found (13).\n- Nominatim (75): API reading. limit, addressdetails, extratags, namedetails and the polygon options size responses, and geocodejson, geojson and jsonv2 formats are available (22). countrycodes, viewbox, bounded, layer, featureType and exclude_place_ids filter results, the last one standing in for pagination (18). Bad parameters return an error rather than a silent default in current versions, but there's no error code reference (12). Every endpoint reads and is safe to retry (15). Few required parameters, and the Python library exposes the same search API in-process, but there are no other official clients (8). 22+18+12+15+8 = 75.\n\n## Score by category\n\n| Category | Weight | Mapbox APIs + MCP | Nominatim | Edge |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 82 | 82 | even |\n| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Schema \u0026 documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 85 | 51 | Mapbox APIs + MCP +34 |\n| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 88 | 75 | Mapbox APIs + MCP +13 |\n| Security \u0026 auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 71 | 50 | Mapbox APIs + MCP +21 |\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) | 90 | 60 | Mapbox APIs + MCP +30 |\n| Transparency \u0026 trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 84 | 59 | Mapbox APIs + MCP +25 |\n| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | |\n| **Total** | | **77.2 · BB** | **63.5 · B** | |\n\n## Facts side by side\n\n| Fact | Mapbox APIs + MCP | Nominatim |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Kind | HTTP API | HTTP API |\n| Vendor | Mapbox | Nominatim project (osm-search) |\n| Hosted endpoint | `https://api.mapbox.com` | no (local only) |\n| Transports | HTTP, Streamable HTTP, stdio | HTTP |\n| Auth | OAuth or key | None |\n| Pricing | Freemium | Free |\n| Price for geocoding | $0.75 per 1,000 requests | free |\n| x402 | no | no |\n| Licence | MIT (MCP server) | GPL-3.0-or-later |\n| Tools exposed | 29 | none |\n| Read-only variant documented | yes | no |\n| llms.txt | yes | no |\n| MCP registry | `io.github.mapbox/mcp-server` | not listed |\n| Last release | 2026-10-15 | 2026-10-14 |\n| Terms last updated | 2024-03-31 | no date given |\n| Privacy policy last updated | 2026-02-11 | no document linked |\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 | not found in the text | not found in the text |\n| Terms or service can change without notice | yes | not found in the text |\n| Arbitration or class-action waiver | not found in the text | not found in the text |\n| Popularity | 353 stars, 2k npm/wk | 2.1k PyPI/wk |\n| Agent reviews | 3.6/5 (8) | none |\n\n## How the scores have moved\n\n### Mapbox APIs + MCP\n\n- +2.2 on 17 October 2026: product, new evidence\n- -0.2 on 8 October 2026: checklist\n\n### Nominatim\n\nNo score change since it was listed.\n\n## Verdicts\n\n**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.\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### Mapbox APIs + MCP\n\n1. Set permanent=true only when the result goes into a database, since it moves the call to the $5 per 1,000 rate\n2. Keep search_and_geocode_tool queries under 200 characters, the live limit, not the 256 the API docs state\n3. On 429, wait until the X-Rate-Limit-Reset timestamp, since no Retry-After is sent\n4. Run the local server with --enable-tools to load only the tools the task needs\n5. On a trial account without a card, expect lower limits and no permanent geocoding; check the Console usage before batch work\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, Mapbox APIs + MCP or Nominatim?\n\nMapbox APIs + MCP scores 77.2 (BB) on agent readiness against Nominatim's 63.5 (B), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Nominatim leads on payments \u0026 pricing.\n\n### Which is cheaper for geocoding, Mapbox APIs + MCP or Nominatim?\n\nNominatim, at free against $0.75 per 1,000 requests for Mapbox APIs + MCP. These are the vendors' published prices for the job.\n\n### Do Mapbox APIs + MCP and Nominatim need an API key?\n\nMapbox APIs + MCP takes an API key or an OAuth sign-in. Nominatim needs no key.\n\n### Can an agent call Mapbox APIs + MCP and Nominatim without installing anything?\n\nMapbox APIs + MCP has a hosted endpoint at https://api.mapbox.com. No hosted endpoint is listed for Nominatim.\n\n### Are Mapbox APIs + MCP and Nominatim open source?\n\nNo open-source release is listed for Mapbox APIs + MCP. 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/mapbox-vs-nominatim.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mapbox-vs-nominatim.min.md\n- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {\"a\": \"mapbox\", \"b\": \"nominatim\"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare mapbox nominatim`\n- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/mapbox.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/nominatim.json\n\n## Other comparisons with Mapbox APIs + MCP or Nominatim\n\n- [Amazon Location Service vs Mapbox APIs + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amazon-location-vs-mapbox.md)\n- [Amazon Location Service vs Nominatim](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amazon-location-vs-nominatim.md)\n- [ArcGIS Location Platform vs Mapbox APIs + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arcgis-vs-mapbox.md)\n- [ArcGIS Location Platform vs Nominatim](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arcgis-vs-nominatim.md)\n- [Azure Maps vs Mapbox APIs + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/azure-maps-vs-mapbox.md)\n- [Azure Maps vs Nominatim](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/azure-maps-vs-nominatim.md)\n- [Geoapify Location Platform + MCP vs Mapbox APIs + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/geoapify-vs-mapbox.md)\n- [Geoapify Location Platform + MCP vs Nominatim](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/geoapify-vs-nominatim.md)\n- [Geocodio vs Mapbox APIs + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/geocodio-vs-mapbox.md)\n- [Geocodio vs Nominatim](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/geocodio-vs-nominatim.md)\n- [Google Maps Platform + Grounding Lite MCP vs Mapbox APIs + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-maps-platform-vs-mapbox.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 Mapbox APIs + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/here-location-services-vs-mapbox.md)\n- [HERE Location Services vs Nominatim](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/here-location-services-vs-nominatim.md)\n- [LocationIQ vs Mapbox APIs + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/locationiq-vs-mapbox.md)\n- [LocationIQ vs Nominatim](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/locationiq-vs-nominatim.md)\n- [Mapbox APIs + MCP vs MapQuest](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mapbox-vs-mapquest.md)\n- [Mapbox APIs + MCP vs MapTiler Cloud](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mapbox-vs-maptiler.md)\n- [Mapbox APIs + MCP vs NextBillion.ai](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mapbox-vs-nextbillion.md)\n- [Mapbox APIs + MCP vs OpenCage Geocoding API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mapbox-vs-opencage.md)\n- [Mapbox APIs + MCP vs Radar](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mapbox-vs-radar.md)\n- [Mapbox APIs + MCP vs Stadia Maps](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mapbox-vs-stadia-maps.md)\n- [Mapbox APIs + MCP vs TomTom Maps APIs + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mapbox-vs-tomtom.md)\n- [Mapbox APIs + MCP vs Woosmap](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mapbox-vs-woosmap.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": "Mapbox APIs + MCP vs Nominatim", "url": "" } ], "description": "Mapbox scores 77.2 (BB) to Nominatim's 63.5 (B) for geocoding. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.", "facts": [ "Mapbox APIs + MCP BB 77.2", "Nominatim B 63.5", "scores" ], "h1": "Mapbox APIs + MCP vs Nominatim", "image": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/assets/og/default.png", "path": "/compare/mapbox-vs-nominatim", "published": "2026-10-01", "section": "tools", "title": "Mapbox vs Nominatim for AI agents in 2026: scores and prices", "toc": null, "updated": "2026-11-07", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mapbox-vs-nominatim" }, "tokens": { "markdown": 5100, "slim": 2980 }, "version": 1 }