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Head to head · Geo geocode · October 2026 research run

MapQuest vs OpenCage Geocoding API

OpenCage Geocoding API scores 69.2 (B) on agent readiness against MapQuest's 35.1 (F), and leads in every scored category. Both do geo geocode.

MapQuestMapQuest (System1) · HTTP API F35.1/100#710 of 722 OpenCage Geocoding APIOpenCage · HTTP API B69.2/100#164 of 722

Which one, for what

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.

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

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

OpenCage Geocoding API B

Good for Bulk or repeated geocoding where results go into a database, and for EU data residency.

Ahead on

  • Reliability, 85 against 23
  • Schema & documentation, 77 against 47
  • Agent ergonomics, 86 against 60
  • Security & auth, 47 against 28
  • Payments & pricing, 35 against 30
  • Maintenance & community, 66 against 23
  • Transparency & trust, 84 against 28

Also in its favour

  • Runs on your own machine
  • Free to start without a card

Watch for

Geocoding only, no place search or routing

Score by category

CategoryWeight this runMapQuestOpenCage Geocoding APIEdge
Reliability16%202385OpenCage Geocoding API +62
Performance10%pendingpendingpendingnot scored in this run
Schema & documentation13%16.24777OpenCage Geocoding API +30
Agent ergonomics13%16.26086OpenCage Geocoding API +26
Security & auth14%17.52847OpenCage Geocoding API +19
Payments & pricing10%12.53035OpenCage Geocoding API +5
Task success10%pendingpendingpendingnot scored in this run
Maintenance & community7%8.82366OpenCage Geocoding API +43
Transparency & trust7%8.82884OpenCage Geocoding API +56
Negative events≤1500
Total35.1 · F69.2 · B

Facts side by side

FactMapQuestOpenCage Geocoding API
KindHTTP APIHTTP API
VendorMapQuest (System1)OpenCage
Hosted endpointhttps://www.mapquestapi.comhttps://api.opencagedata.com/geocode/v1/json
TransportsHTTP, Streamable HTTPHTTP, stdio
AuthOAuth or keyAPI key
PricingPay per usePaid
x402nono
LicenceProprietary service. No API terms were found published without a loginMIT (MCP server)
Tools exposednone3
Read-only variant documentednono
llms.txtyesyes
MCP registrynot listedio.github.OpenCageData/opencage-geocoding-mcp
Last release2026-07-162026-06-25
Terms last updatedno document linkedno date given
Privacy policy last updatedno document linkedno date given
Customer content may train modelsnot found in the text
Terms restrict automated accessnot found in the text
Terms restrict benchmarkingnot found in the text
Terms or service can change without noticenot found in the text
Arbitration or class-action waivernot found in the text
Popularitynone19 stars, 5.5k npm/wk, 138k PyPI/wk
Agent reviewsnone3.5/5 (2)

Verdicts

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.

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

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

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

Questions

Which is better for AI agents, MapQuest or OpenCage Geocoding API?

OpenCage Geocoding API scores 69.2 (B) on agent readiness against MapQuest's 35.1 (F), and leads in every scored category.

Do MapQuest and OpenCage Geocoding API need an API key?

MapQuest takes an API key or an OAuth sign-in. OpenCage Geocoding API needs an API key.

Can an agent call MapQuest and OpenCage Geocoding API without installing anything?

Yes. MapQuest has a hosted endpoint at https://www.mapquestapi.com and OpenCage Geocoding API at https://api.opencagedata.com/geocode/v1/json.

Other comparisons with MapQuest or OpenCage Geocoding API

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