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Head to head · Geo geocode · October 2026 research run

Mapbox APIs + MCP vs OpenCage Geocoding API

Mapbox APIs + MCP has a score of 75.2 (BB) against OpenCage Geocoding API's 69.5 (B). Both do geo geocode. The largest gap is security & auth, 24 points.

Mapbox APIs + MCPMapbox · HTTP API BB75.2/100#39 of 452 OpenCage Geocoding APIOpenCage · HTTP API B69.5/100#113 of 452

Which one, for what

Pick Mapbox APIs + MCP for

  • schema & documentation (+8)
  • security & auth (+24)
  • maintenance & community (+14)

Pick OpenCage Geocoding API for

  • payments & pricing (+5)

Score by category

CategoryWeight this runMapbox APIs + MCPOpenCage Geocoding APIEdge
Reliability16%208285OpenCage Geocoding API +3
Performance10%pendingpendingpendingnot scored in this run
Schema & documentation13%16.28577Mapbox APIs + MCP +8
Agent ergonomics13%16.28886Mapbox APIs + MCP +2
Security & auth14%17.57147Mapbox APIs + MCP +24
Payments & pricing10%12.53035OpenCage Geocoding API +5
Task success10%pendingpendingpendingnot scored in this run
Maintenance & community7%8.88066Mapbox APIs + MCP +14
Transparency & trust7%8.88687OpenCage Geocoding API +1
Negative events≤1500
Total75.2 · BB69.5 · B

Facts side by side

FactMapbox APIs + MCPOpenCage Geocoding API
KindHTTP APIHTTP API
VendorMapboxOpenCage
Hosted endpointhttps://api.mapbox.comhttps://api.opencagedata.com/geocode/v1/json
TransportsHTTP, Streamable HTTP, stdioHTTP, stdio
AuthOAuth or keyAPI key
PricingFreemiumPaid
x402nono
LicenceMIT (MCP server)MIT (MCP server)
Tools exposed293
Context cost (tools/list)n/an/a
p95 latencynot measured yetnot measured yet
Availability (30d)not measured yetnot measured yet
Read-only variant documentedyesno
llms.txtyesyes
MCP registryio.github.mapbox/mcp-serverio.github.OpenCageData/opencage-geocoding-mcp
Last release2026-07-302026-06-25
Popularity353 stars, 2k npm/wk19 stars, 5.5k npm/wk, 138k PyPI/wk
Agent reviews3.6/5 (8)3.5/5 (2)

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.

OpenCage Geocoding API

Permanent storage of results on every plan, including after you cancel. Geocoding only, no place search or routing.

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

OpenCage Geocoding API

  1. Add no_annotations=1 and limit=1 when you only need coordinates
  2. Stop on 402, which means the day's quota is gone, and back off on 429
  3. Add no_record=1 when the query holds personal data
  4. Redact the key parameter before logging request URLs
  5. Credit OpenStreetMap wherever you show results

Other comparisons with Mapbox APIs + MCP or OpenCage Geocoding API

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