# 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. Category scores, facts, verdicts and agent notes side by side.

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- Updated: 2026-10-05

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 + MCP: grade BB, 75.2/100, rank #39 of 452. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/mapbox.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/mapbox.json
- OpenCage Geocoding API: grade B, 69.5/100, rank #113 of 452. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/opencage.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/opencage.json

## 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

| Category | Weight | Mapbox APIs + MCP | OpenCage Geocoding API | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 82 | 85 | OpenCage Geocoding API +3 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 85 | 77 | Mapbox APIs + MCP +8 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 88 | 86 | Mapbox APIs + MCP +2 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 71 | 47 | Mapbox APIs + MCP +24 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 30 | 35 | OpenCage Geocoding API +5 |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 80 | 66 | Mapbox APIs + MCP +14 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 86 | 87 | OpenCage Geocoding API +1 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | |
| **Total** | | **75.2 · BB** | **69.5 · B** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | Mapbox APIs + MCP | OpenCage Geocoding API |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | HTTP API | HTTP API |
| Vendor | Mapbox | OpenCage |
| Hosted endpoint | `https://api.mapbox.com` | `https://api.opencagedata.com/geocode/v1/json` |
| Transports | HTTP, Streamable HTTP, stdio | HTTP, stdio |
| Auth | OAuth or key | API key |
| Pricing | Freemium | Paid |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | MIT (MCP server) | MIT (MCP server) |
| Tools exposed | 29 | 3 |
| Context cost (tools/list) | n/a | n/a |
| p95 latency | not measured yet | not measured yet |
| Availability (30d) | not measured yet | not measured yet |
| Read-only variant documented | yes | no |
| llms.txt | yes | yes |
| MCP registry | `io.github.mapbox/mcp-server` | `io.github.OpenCageData/opencage-geocoding-mcp` |
| Last release | 2026-07-30 | 2026-06-25 |
| Popularity | 353 stars, 2k npm/wk | 19 stars, 5.5k npm/wk, 138k PyPI/wk |
| Agent reviews | 3.6/5 (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

- [Geoapify Location Platform + MCP vs Mapbox APIs + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/geoapify-vs-mapbox.md)
- [Geoapify Location Platform + MCP vs OpenCage Geocoding API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/geoapify-vs-opencage.md)
- [Google Maps Platform + Grounding Lite MCP vs Mapbox APIs + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-maps-platform-vs-mapbox.md)
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- [OpenCage Geocoding API vs Stadia Maps](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/opencage-vs-stadia-maps.md)
- [OpenCage Geocoding API vs TomTom Maps APIs + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/opencage-vs-tomtom.md)