Ban Fr vs MCP Server

A side-by-side look at the Ban Fr and MCP Server MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.

Ban Fr logoBan FrLocation Services · Local subprocess (stdio)Base Adresse Nationale (BAN) MCP — France's official keyless geocoding API60GoodAuth: no auth requiredMCP Server logoMCP ServerLocation Services · Local subprocess (stdio)US address verification, parsing, autocomplete, forward/reverse geocoding, and IP geolocation via sthan.io APIs. 8 tools, free tier available. npx @sthan/mcp-server61GoodAuth: api key required

Verdict: choose Ban Fr for location services work as a local process; choose MCP Server for location services as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.

Which MCP server should you choose?

Ban Fr logoChoose Ban Fr when

  • You need dedicated capabilities in the Location Services domain.
  • You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
  • Its auth model fits you: No auth required.
  • You want tools like geocode, reverse_geocode, search_municipality.
Explore Ban Fr

MCP Server logoChoose MCP Server when

  • You need dedicated capabilities in the Location Services domain.
  • You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
  • Its auth model fits you: API key required.
  • You have the keys it needs: STHAN_API_KEY.
  • You want tools like sthan_verify_address, sthan_parse_address, sthan_autocomplete_address.
Explore MCP Server

Feature & specification comparison

Rows where the two servers differ are marked.

SpecBan Fr logoBan FrMCP Server logoMCP Server
CategoryLocation ServicesLocation Services
Quality signal60/100 · Good61/100 · Good
Install commandConfirmedConfirmed
TransportLocal subprocess (stdio)Local subprocess (stdio)
AuthNo auth requiredAPI key required
PricingFreeFreemium
Required env varsNone listedSTHAN_API_KEY
Verified ownerCommunity listingCommunity listing
GitHub stars00
Directory activity 2 views 0 installs 0 upvotes 5 views 0 installs 0 upvotes
Tools38

Tools & capabilities

Ban Fr tools 3

  • geocodeForward-geocode a French address, street, locality or commune. Returns scored GeoJSON matches (score 0-1) with label, coordinates, postcode, citycode (INSEE) and context. France only.
  • reverse_geocodeReverse-geocode a coordinate to the nearest French address/feature. Returns scored GeoJSON matches with label, postcode, citycode (INSEE), context and distance (metres). France only.
  • search_municipalityLook up a French commune (municipality) by name to resolve its INSEE citycode, postcode, population and centre coordinates. Shortcut for geocode with type=municipality.

MCP Server tools 8

  • sthan_verify_addressVerify a US address is real and deliverable. Returns standardized format, ZIP+4, DPV, residential/commercial.
  • sthan_parse_addressParse freeform US address text into structured components (street number, name, type, direction, unit, city, state, zip).
  • sthan_autocomplete_addressSuggest complete US addresses from partial input. Sub-100ms.
  • sthan_autocomplete_citySuggest US cities from partial input, with state code.
  • sthan_autocomplete_zipcodeSuggest US ZIP codes from partial input.
  • sthan_geocodeUS address → latitude/longitude with accuracy + confidence, county, ZIP+4 and time zone.
  • sthan_reverse_geocodeLatitude/longitude → nearest US street address with distance in meters, county, ZIP+4 and time zone; `limit` (up to 10) also lists nearby addresses.
  • sthan_ip_geolocationIPv4 or IPv6 → location (country to postal code, local time, flag, currency), the network behind it (ASN, ISP, proxy/hosting flags) and a confidence score.

Ready-to-paste client configs

Paste either block (or both) into your client config, e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json. We only show a config when the install command is confirmed.

Ban Fr

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ban-fr": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@pipeworx/mcp-ban-fr"
      ]
    }
  }
}

MCP Server

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sthan-io-mcp-server": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@sthan/mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "STHAN_API_KEY": "YOUR_STHAN_API_KEY_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Frequently asked questions

Ban Fr is categorized under Location Services and uses a local stdio subprocess. MCP Server belongs to Location Services and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Ban Fr for location services work and MCP Server for location services.

Copy the mcpServers block from the config section on this page into your client's config (for example claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json), then fully restart the client.

Ban Fr is listed as free. Auth: no auth required. MCP Server is listed as freemium — a free tier with paid plans. Auth: api key required. If a server needs environment variables such as API keys, define them under the env key in your client's MCP config.

Yes. MCP clients support multiple servers: add ban-fr and sthan-io-mcp-server as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.

On AllMCPs, Ban Fr has a quality signal of 60/100 (Good) with 2 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars. MCP Server has 61/100 (Good) with 5 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars.