Head to head · Geocoding · October 2026 research run

Mapbox APIs + MCP vs Woosmap

Mapbox APIs + MCP scores 77.2 (BB) on agent readiness against Woosmap's 59.4 (C), 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

Mapbox APIs + MCP BB

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

Ahead on

  • Agent ergonomics, 88 against 76
  • Security & auth, 71 against 43
  • Payments & pricing, 40 against 30
  • Maintenance & community, 90 against 26
  • Transparency & trust, 84 against 54

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, and a card on file

Woosmap C

Best for Store locators, address autocomplete and distance for retail and logistics teams that keep their own location data in the platform, with an MCP server for agents.

No category where it leads by five points or more, and no fact that sets it apart.

Watch for

No public changelog or release notes for the APIs

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 Mapbox APIs + MCP +64

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).

Woosmap 26

No dated API release, changelog or release note found. The newest dated activity we saw is the public woosmap-samples repository on 16 September 2026, which isn't an API release (10). No dated changes to count in the last 90 days (0). Support by email and a support centre, with no public changelog (5). Official JavaScript, iOS and Android SDKs exist, but we couldn't check their versions because the GitHub API was rate-limited and two SDK repository names didn't resolve; the MCP server isn't in the official MCP registry (8). The samples carry tests, per the rate-limits page (3). 10+0+5+8+3 = 26.

Transparency & trust Mapbox APIs + MCP +30

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).

Woosmap 54

Editorial half only. Closed service under online terms that name WOOSMAP SAS of Montpellier and the Commercial Court of Paris (15). The privacy policy covers website visitors only, and we found no statement on how long API request data is kept (5). The pricing page says the Address API is 'being deprecated for Pro Plan subscriptions', with no date (5). The legal notice says the site is hosted by Amazon Web Services; no sub-processor list or data location for the APIs was found (6). 15+5+5+6 = 31.

Security & auth Mapbox APIs + MCP +28

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).

Woosmap 43

Public keys are read-only and must carry a domain or IP restriction. Private keys are read-only or read and write (fixed at creation), restricted by IP, iOS or Android, and can go in an X-Api-Key header. Less 10 because private_key in the query string is a documented option and the default in the spec (17). Read-only keys and the read/write split give least privilege; no confirmation step on dataset deletes was found (16). find_nearby and get_place_details return public POI data, ratings and opening hours, with no prompt-injection guidance (7). Console usage per project wasn't checked (3). www.woosmap.com/.well-known/security.txt returns 404, and we found no disclosure policy, bug bounty or certification (0). 17+16+7+3+0 = 43.

Agent ergonomics Mapbox APIs + MCP +12

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).

Woosmap 76

API reading, with the hosted MCP server's nine tools as a second surface. Localities and Stores responses can be narrowed by type, components and fields, and the MCP set is small (20). Store search takes query filters, radius and paging, and the Distance Matrix has an async mode for large jobs (17). Documented error codes including 402 for billing and 429 with reset timing (17). Reads are safe to retry, but no idempotency key was found for the Datasets and Stores write endpoints, and the MCP docs don't mention tool annotations (10). Official JavaScript, iOS and Android SDKs and samples in Python and JavaScript, with few required parameters (12). 20+17+17+10+12 = 76.

Payments & pricing Mapbox APIs + MCP +10

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).

Woosmap 30

No x402, MPP or L402 (0). Plans and per-API tier breakpoints are public, but per-request prices sit in a script-driven calculator we couldn't read, so plan-only credit (10). Free plan up to 10,000 requests a month with 'No Credit Card Required' (20). A person signs up and creates a key in the console (0). 0+10+20+0 = 30.

Score by category

CategoryWeight this runMapbox APIs + MCPWoosmapEdge
Reliability16%208278Mapbox APIs + MCP +4
Performance10%pendingpendingpendingnot scored in this run
Schema & documentation13%16.28581Mapbox APIs + MCP +4
Agent ergonomics13%16.28876Mapbox APIs + MCP +12
Security & auth14%17.57143Mapbox APIs + MCP +28
Payments & pricing10%12.54030Mapbox APIs + MCP +10
Task success10%pendingpendingpendingnot scored in this run
Maintenance & community7%8.89026Mapbox APIs + MCP +64
Transparency & trust7%8.88454Mapbox APIs + MCP +30
Negative events≤1500
TotalBB 77.2/100C 59.4/100

Facts side by side

FactMapbox APIs + MCPWoosmap
KindHTTP APIHTTP API
VendorMapboxWOOSMAP SAS
Hosted endpointhttps://api.mapbox.comhttps://api.woosmap.com/mcp
TransportsHTTP, Streamable HTTP, stdioHTTP, Streamable HTTP
AuthOAuth or keyAPI key
PricingFreemiumFreemium
Price for geocoding$0.75 per 1,000 requestsnot published
x402nono
LicenceMIT (MCP server)none
Tools exposed299
Read-only variant documentedyesyes
llms.txtyesyes
MCP registryio.github.mapbox/mcp-servernot listed
Last release2026-10-15none
Terms last updated2024-03-31no date given
Privacy policy last updated2026-02-112024-07-01
Customer content may train modelsyesnot found in the text
Terms restrict automated accessnot found in the textnot found in the text
Terms restrict benchmarkingnot found in the textnot found in the text
Terms or service can change without noticeyesnot found in the text
Arbitration or class-action waivernot found in the textnot found in the text
Popularity353 stars, 2k npm/wknone
Agent reviews3.6/5 (8)none

How the scores have moved

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.

Woosmap

Woosmap publishes an OpenAPI 3.1 spec, llms.txt with Markdown pages, per-endpoint rate limits and 429 retry rules, plus a hosted nine-tool MCP server. No changelog, security.txt, API data retention statement or readable per-request price was found, and private keys can 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. On a trial account without a card, expect lower limits and no permanent geocoding; check the Console usage before batch work

Woosmap

  1. Send the private key in the X-Api-Key header, not the private_key query parameter
  2. Use a read-only private key for the MCP server unless the task writes stores or datasets
  3. On 429 wait the t seconds from the RateLimit header, retry at most three times, and pause batches when r reaches 0
  4. Use find_stores_nearby for the customer's own locations and find_nearby for public POIs
  5. Read endpoint parameters from the /api-reference/ Markdown pages, which llms.txt marks as authoritative

Questions

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

Mapbox APIs + MCP scores 77.2 (BB) on agent readiness against Woosmap's 59.4 (C), and leads in every scored category.

Do Mapbox APIs + MCP and Woosmap need an API key?

Mapbox APIs + MCP takes an API key or an OAuth sign-in. Woosmap needs an API key.

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

Yes. Mapbox APIs + MCP has a hosted endpoint at https://api.mapbox.com and Woosmap at https://api.woosmap.com/mcp.

Other comparisons with Mapbox APIs + MCP or Woosmap

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