Radar
Location data platform API combining geocoding, geofencing, trip tracking, and place detection, optimized for mobile applications with device-side SDKs and server-side REST APIs.
Score Breakdown
⚙ Agent Friendliness
🔒 Security
Publishable key (frontend) + secret key (backend). Location data is sensitive PII — GDPR compliance required. SOC2 Type II. User location data should be handled with consent and minimal retention.
⚡ Reliability
Best When
You're building a mobile app that needs location intelligence features like geofencing, trip tracking, or place detection, and want a unified platform rather than piecing together multiple mapping APIs.
Avoid When
You only need geocoding without tracking, or you're building a purely server-side location pipeline without mobile clients.
Use Cases
- • Geofencing — detecting when users or assets enter/exit defined geographic regions
- • Curbside pickup tracking — monitoring customer location as they approach a retail location
- • Delivery ETA and trip tracking with real-time updates to both shipper and recipient
- • Address autocomplete for checkout flows with global address coverage
- • Background location monitoring for mobile apps with battery-efficient tracking
Not For
- • Turn-by-turn navigation or routing optimization (use TomTom or HERE)
- • Static mapping display without location tracking
- • High-precision surveying or centimeter-level accuracy
- • Applications without mobile client SDKs — server-side only use is limited
Interface
Authentication
Publishable keys for client-side SDK (can be exposed). Secret keys for server-side API (must be kept private). Test and live key pairs separate environments.
Pricing
Generous free tier for most small-to-medium applications. Pricing based on MAUs and API calls, which can be more predictable than pure call-based pricing.
Agent Metadata
Known Gotchas
- ⚠ Publishable and secret key split — mixing them up causes confusing auth errors
- ⚠ Geofencing events require mobile SDK running on device — server-side geofence checks use different API
- ⚠ Trip tracking state machine is complex — understand states (started, approaching, arrived) before implementing
- ⚠ Radar places database is separate from Foursquare — categories and IDs don't map 1:1
- ⚠ Webhooks require HTTPS endpoint — local development needs tunneling
- ⚠ Test environment data is separate from live — easy to forget to switch environments
Alternatives
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Scores are editorial opinions as of 2026-03-06.