OpenCage Geocoding
Geocoding API built on open data sources (OpenStreetMap, GeoNames, etc.) that converts addresses to coordinates (forward) and coordinates to addresses (reverse) with global coverage.
Score Breakdown
⚙ Agent Friendliness
🔒 Security
Single API key per account. No scope granularity. Rate limit enforcement prevents abuse. GDPR-compliant geocoding (EU-hosted option). No PII stored about end users.
⚡ Reliability
Best When
You need reliable, globally consistent geocoding built on open data, with a simple REST API, affordable pricing, and no Google dependency.
Avoid When
You need Google Maps-quality address matching in the US, or you need POI/place search beyond address resolution.
Use Cases
- • Converting user-entered addresses to lat/lon coordinates for map display in agent workflows
- • Reverse geocoding GPS coordinates to human-readable addresses
- • Address normalization and standardization across multiple data sources
- • Batch geocoding of address lists for data enrichment pipelines
- • Location extraction from unstructured text for geographic analysis agents
Not For
- • Place search or POI discovery (use Foursquare or Google Places API)
- • Real-time navigation or routing (use TomTom or HERE)
- • Very high accuracy address validation for mail/shipping (use Smarty or USPS)
- • High-volume free geocoding at commercial scale
Interface
Authentication
API key as query parameter. Free tier key immediately available. No OAuth or scoping — single key per account.
Pricing
Free tier is genuinely useful for development and small production use. No credit card required for free tier. GDPR compliant — no user tracking.
Agent Metadata
Known Gotchas
- ⚠ API key in query parameter (not header) — appears in server access logs and browser history
- ⚠ Rate limit of 1 req/second on free tier requires agents to queue requests explicitly
- ⚠ Geocoding quality varies by region — rural areas and developing countries may have poor precision
- ⚠ Response includes confidence score (0-10) — agents should check confidence before acting on results
- ⚠ No batch endpoint — agents must make one request per address (rate limiting applies per request)
- ⚠ Powered by OSM data which can be incomplete or outdated in some regions
Alternatives
Full Evaluation Report
Detailed scoring breakdown, competitive positioning, security analysis, and improvement recommendations for OpenCage Geocoding.
Scores are editorial opinions as of 2026-03-06.