What is the key difference between Nominatim and Ban Fr?

Nominatim belongs to the Developer Tools category with local stdio execution, while Ban Fr belongs to the Developer Tools category with local stdio execution.

How do I install Nominatim or Ban Fr in Claude Desktop or Cursor?

Copy the mcpServers JSON configuration snippet provided on this page into your claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json file and restart your AI client.

Are Nominatim and Ban Fr free or paid?

Nominatim operates under a Free / Open Source model (No auth required). Ban Fr operates under a Free / Open Source model (No auth required).

Which MCP server has more tools and community activity?

Nominatim lists 3 tools with 0 views and 0 GitHub stars. Ban Fr lists 3 tools with 0 views and 0 GitHub stars.

Can I use both Nominatim and Ban Fr together in the same MCP host?

Yes! MCP hosts like Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, and VS Code support configuring multiple servers under the mcpServers object simultaneously.

Side-by-Side Model Context Protocol Comparison

Nominatim vs Ban Fr

In-depth architectural comparison of the Nominatim and Ban Fr 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.

At a Glance & Executive Verdict

Nominatim

Developer Tools · Local stdio

Quality: 47/100 (Fair) | Auth: No auth required

Ban Fr

Developer Tools · Local stdio

Quality: 44/100 (Fair) | Auth: No auth required

Verdict Summary: Choose Nominatim if you need specialized Developer Tools tools running via a local process. Choose Ban Fr if your workspace requires Developer Tools integration with local subprocess execution. Both servers can be configured concurrently in your client's mcpServers manifest.

Which MCP Server Should You Choose?

Choose Nominatim when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Developer Tools domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).
Primary tools included: search_address, reverse_geocode, lookup.

Explore Nominatim Details

Choose Ban Fr when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Developer Tools domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).
Primary tools included: geocode, reverse_geocode, search_municipality.

Explore Ban Fr Details

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	N Nominatim Developer Tools	B Ban Fr Developer Tools
Summary	Nominatim MCP — wraps OpenStreetMap Nominatim geocoding API (free, no auth)	Base Adresse Nationale (BAN) MCP — France's official keyless geocoding API
Category & Scope	Developer Tools	Developer Tools
Quality signal

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

Nominatim Tools (3)

search_address

Search for coordinates of an address or place name. Returns latitude, longitude, display name, and place type for matched locations.

reverse_geocode

Convert latitude/longitude coordinates to a human-readable address. Returns nearest address, place name, and administrative boundaries.

lookup

Get details for OpenStreetMap locations by ID (e.g., "N123456" for node, "W654321" for way, "R111" for relation). Returns coordinates, names, and metadata.

Ban Fr Tools (3)

geocode

Forward-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_geocode

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).

Nominatim Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "nominatim": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "nominatim"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Ban Fr Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ban-fr": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "ban-fr"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Frequently Asked Questions

Nominatim is categorized under Developer Tools and uses a local stdio subprocess. In contrast, Ban Fr belongs to Developer Tools using local stdio subprocess. Select Nominatim when you need capabilities focused on developer tools and Ban Fr when you require tools for developer tools.

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