# MapQuest (slim)

> MapQuest's location APIs cover geocoding, directions, route matrices, place search, traffic and static maps. Agents call the REST API with a key or connect to a hosted MCP server over OAuth.

- Full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/mapquest.md (~6,250 tokens) · this version ~1,630 tokens · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/mapquest.json · canonical https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/mapquest
- Index: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt · API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json · Updated: 2026-10-08

**F · 35.1/100 · rank #710 of 722 · #11 in Maps, geocoding & places · not agent-ready · confidence medium**


Assessment: 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.

## Facts

- Kind: HTTP API · vendor: MapQuest (System1) · category: Maps, geocoding & places · legal entity: Mapquest Holdings LLC · provenance 35/100
- Endpoint: `https://www.mapquestapi.com` (HTTP, Streamable HTTP)
- Auth: OAuth or key · pricing: Pay per use · x402: no · licence: Proprietary service. No API terms were found published without a login
- Probe metrics: not measured yet (probes haven't run)
- REST API: Base `https://www.mapquestapi.com`. Geocoding (`/geocoding/v1`), Directions (`/directions/v2`), Place Search (`/search/v4/place-search`), Search, Search Ahead, Traffic, Static Map, Address Validation, Data Manager, Geolocation, Icons and Account APIs
- MCP server: `https://www.mapquestapi.com/mcp`, Streamable HTTP, OAuth with the single scope `mcp:tools`. 13 tools named on the MCP page. The tool definitions need a signed-in account and were not read
- Credentials: REST takes an API key in the `key` query parameter. An account can hold several named keys, created in the dashboard or by `POST /account/v1/keys`. The MCP server takes an OAuth token from login.mapquest.com and then uses one of the account's keys
- Free allowance: 50,000 one-time transactions on MapQuestGO, expiring 1 January 2027. Whether sign-up needs a card was not established
- Storage: No storing or caching of geocodes on self-service plans. Enterprise with Extended Rights Geocoding permits it
- Limits: 100 locations in a batch geocode, 1 million rows in an async batch job, 50 locations in a route, 25 in a route matrix, page size 1 to 50 on place search. No requests-per-second figure published
- Errors: Geocoding and Directions report a `statuscode` in the response body (0, 400, 403, 500 and 6xx routing codes). The Account API answers `application/problem+json`
- Usage reporting: `GET /account/v1/usage` returns transaction counts by key, service and time bucket down to an hour
- SDKs: MapQuest.js (Leaflet-based, browser) and PlaceSearch.js. The Python directions client on GitHub is archived, last pushed in 2016
- Status page: None found
- Prices: MapQuestGO pay-as-you-go $4.50 per 1,000 requests; Basic plan $119 per month (plan); Plus plan $249 per month (plan); Business plan $499 per month (plan); Business Plus plan $949 per month (plan)

- Scores: Reliability 23, Performance pending, Schema & documentation 47, Agent ergonomics 60, Security & auth 28, Payments & pricing 30, Task success pending, Maintenance & community 23, Transparency & trust 28 · total over the 7 assessed categories
- Why: Reliability, Graded as a hosted service. · Schema & documentation, `https://developer.mapquest.com/openapi.json` describes the marketing site and has an empty `paths` object, so the product APIs have no mach… · Agent ergonomics, The MCP page names 13 tools. · Security & auth, REST uses API keys, several per account, created in the dashboard or by API. · Payments & pricing, No x402, MPP or L402 (0). · Maintenance & community, The newest dated product changes are two blog announcements on 16 July 2026 (the Geolocation API and a 10,000 by 10,000 async route matrix)… · Transparency & trust, Closed service.
- Sources: 21, open questions: 8, both in the full twin
- Capabilities: geo.geocode, geo.reverse, geo.routing, geo.places
- JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/mapquest.json
- Verify (for the vendor): the badge `https://www.anchorterminal.com/badges/mapquest.svg` or a link to https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/mapquest from a page on mapquest.com or one of its subdomains, then `POST https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/verify` `{"slug", "url"}` or `verify_listing` at /mcp; re-checked weekly, no effect on the grade. Snippets in the full twin.

## Before you call it

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

## Connect

```bash
curl "https://www.mapquestapi.com/geocoding/v1/address?key=$MAPQUEST_API_KEY&location=Washington,DC&maxResults=1&thumbMaps=false"
```

```bash
claude mcp add --transport http mapquest https://www.mapquestapi.com/mcp
```
Full config and headless snippets are in the full page. Through letme (picks today, calling later): https://letme.dev/mapquest

## Similar tools

| Tool | Grade | Score | Shared capabilities | Slim |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Mapbox APIs + MCP | BB | 75 | geo.geocode, geo.reverse, geo.places, geo.routing | https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/mapbox.min.md |
| Amazon Location Service | BB | 74.1 | geo.geocode, geo.reverse, geo.places, geo.routing | https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/amazon-location.min.md |
| Google Maps Platform + Grounding Lite MCP | B | 68.2 | geo.geocode, geo.reverse, geo.places, geo.routing | https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/google-maps-platform.min.md |
| Azure Maps | B | 67.9 | geo.geocode, geo.reverse, geo.places, geo.routing | https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/azure-maps.min.md |
| ArcGIS Location Platform | B | 65.4 | geo.geocode, geo.reverse, geo.places, geo.routing | https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/arcgis.min.md |


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