Geocoding vs Nominatim

In-depth architectural comparison of the Geocoding and Nominatim MCP servers. Compare execution transports, security boundaries, tool capabilities, quality scores, and ready-to-paste client installation snippets for Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, and VS Code.

Which MCP Server Should You Choose?

Choose Geocoding when:

• You need dedicated capabilities in the Location Services domain.
• You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
• Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).

Explore Geocoding Details

Choose Nominatim when:

• You need dedicated capabilities in the Location Services domain.
• You prefer remote streaming HTTP/SSE transport architecture.
• Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).
• Primary tools included: search_address, reverse_geocode, lookup.

Explore Nominatim Details

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	Geocoding Location Services	Nominatim Location Services
Summary	Forward and reverse geocoding, place search, and distance via OpenStreetMap Nominatim. No key.	Nominatim MCP — wraps OpenStreetMap Nominatim geocoding API (free, no auth)
Category & Scope	Location Services	Location Services
Quality signal

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

Ready-to-Paste Client Configurations

Paste either (or both) of these JSON server blocks into your client config file (e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json).

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "geocoding": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "geocode-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "nominatim": {
      "url": "https://gateway.pipeworx.io/nominatim/mcp"
    }
  }
}

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