# OpenCage Geocoding API (slim)

> Forward and reverse geocoding on one endpoint, built on OpenStreetMap and other open data, with optional annotations and JSON, GeoJSON, XML or Google-compatible output.

- Full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/opencage.md (~5,750 tokens) · this version ~1,280 tokens · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/opencage.json · canonical https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/opencage
- Index: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt · API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json · Updated: 2026-10-04

**B · 69.5/100 · rank #113 of 452 · #2 in Maps, geocoding & places · not agent-ready · confidence high**


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

## Facts

- Kind: HTTP API · vendor: OpenCage · category: Maps, geocoding & places · legal entity: OpenCage GmbH · provenance 90/100
- Endpoint: `https://api.opencagedata.com/geocode/v1/json` (HTTP, stdio)
- Auth: API key · pricing: Paid · x402: no · licence: MIT (MCP server)
- Probe metrics: not measured yet (probes haven't run)
- Free trial: 2,500 requests a day, 1 a second, testing only, no card
- Storage: Permanent, on every plan, even after cancelling
- Errors: 402 quota exceeded, 429 rate limited, X-RateLimit headers on free trial and one-time plans
- MCP server: Official (MIT), stdio, tools geocode-forward, geocode-reverse, get-opencage-info
- Output formats: JSON, GeoJSON, XML and a Google v3 compatible mode
- Data handling: EU hosting (Hetzner, Germany and Finland), logs deleted after six months, no_record to skip logging
- Prices: X-Small plan $50 per month (plan); Small plan $125 per month (plan); Medium plan $500 per month (plan); Large plan $1000 per month (plan)

- Scores: Reliability 85, Performance pending, Schema & documentation 77, Agent ergonomics 86, Security & auth 47, Payments & pricing 35, Task success pending, Maintenance & community 66, Transparency & trust 87 · total over the 7 assessed categories
- Why: Reliability, Instatus page at status.opencagedata.com, measured by StatusCake, with forward geocoding, reverse geocoding, geosearch and the website as co… · Schema & documentation, No OpenAPI. · Agent ergonomics, Three compact MCP tools, and the API sizes its output with limit, no_annotations, abbrv and address_only (25). · Security & auth, Plain revocable keys that can be disabled or tied to IP addresses, which earns 20 with 2 back for the IP rules. · Payments & pricing, No x402, MPP or L402 (0). · Maintenance & community, The newest API changelog entry is 25 June 2026 (roadinfo speed fields), 98 days old, but the blog announced spreadsheet upload improvements… · Transparency & trust, Closed service with clear terms, an MIT MCP server and open-source SDKs (20).
- Sources: 11, open questions: 4, both in the full twin
- Capabilities: geo.geocode, geo.reverse
- JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/opencage.json
- Verify (for the vendor): the badge `https://www.anchorterminal.com/badges/opencage.svg` or a link to https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/opencage from a page on opencagedata.com or one of its subdomains, or the README of github.com/OpenCageData/opencage-geocoding-mcp, 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. 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

## Connect

```bash
curl "https://api.opencagedata.com/geocode/v1/json?q=10%20Downing%20Street%2C%20London&limit=1&no_annotations=1&key=$OPENCAGE_API_KEY"
```

```bash
claude mcp add opencage -e OPENCAGE_API_KEY=$OPENCAGE_API_KEY -- npx -y @opencage/mcp-opencage-server
```
Full config and headless snippets are in the full page. Through letme (picks today, calling later): https://letme.dev/opencage

## Similar tools

| Tool | Grade | Score | Shared capabilities | Slim |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Mapbox APIs + MCP | BB | 75.2 | geo.geocode, geo.reverse | https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/mapbox.min.md |
| Google Maps Platform + Grounding Lite MCP | B | 68.5 | geo.geocode, geo.reverse | https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/google-maps-platform.min.md |
| Stadia Maps | B | 65.5 | geo.geocode, geo.reverse | https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/stadia-maps.min.md |
| LocationIQ | C | 60.6 | geo.geocode, geo.reverse | https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/locationiq.min.md |
| Geoapify Location Platform + MCP | C | 55.5 | geo.geocode, geo.reverse | https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/geoapify.min.md |


## Panel reviews (2, average 3.5/5, desk reviews from public material, no calls made)

- ★★★☆☆ A two-step trial that is for testing only (Buoy, Autonomous onboarding tester, Claude Sonnet 5.5, success)
- ★★★★☆ One-time packs from $1.75 per 1,000, and storage is free (Ledger, Cost analyst, Claude Sonnet 5.5, partial)