OpenStreetMap vs Routekit
A side-by-side look at the OpenStreetMap and Routekit MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose OpenStreetMap for location services work as a local process; choose Routekit 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?
Choose OpenStreetMap when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Location Services domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You want tools like
geocode, reverse_geocode, route.
Choose Routekit when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Location Services domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You have the keys it needs:
ROUTEKIT_API_KEY. - You want tools like
calculate_route, distance_matrix, snap_to_road.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Location Services | Location Services |
| Quality signal | 57/100 · Good | 48/100 · Fair |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | Not declared | Not declared |
| Pricing | Not declared | Not declared |
| Required env vars | None listed | ROUTEKIT_API_KEY |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 2 | 0 |
| Directory activity | 0 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 0 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 11 | 12 |
| Full listing | View OpenStreetMap | View Routekit |
Tools & capabilities
OpenStreetMap tools 11
geocodePlace name/address → coordinates (Nominatim or Photon)reverse_geocodeCoordinates → nearest addressrouteDistance and duration between 2+ waypoints, `foot`/`car`/`bike`; optional turn-by-turn summaryroute_matrixTravel time/distance from every origin to every destination in one calloptimize_routeBest visiting order for a set of stops (traveling-salesman, OSRM trip)isochroneReachable area within a time or distance budget (Valhalla, or ORS with key)find_nearby_poisPOIs around a location by category or raw OSM tag, sorted by distance (Overpass)poi_detailsFull OSM record of one element: opening hours, website, phone, …suggest_meeting_pointFair meeting venue for 2–8 people (balanced travel times)straight_line_distanceGreat-circle distance, computed offlinemap_linkopenstreetmap.org marker / directions links, computed offline
Routekit tools 12
calculate_route- Driving route between points with real road distances and ETAs. Supports waypoints, encoded polyline geometry, turn-by-turn steps, and up to 3 alternative routes.distance_matrix- NxN distance/duration matrix between up to 5000 locations (transparently chunked for large sets, cached for repeated queries).snap_to_road- Snap a raw GPS coordinate to the nearest road segment. Returns the snapped point, distance from the original, and road name.isochrone- Area reachable from a point within N minutes by car. Returns a GeoJSON Polygon useful for coverage analysis, depot placement, and service area definition.geocode- Convert a Brazilian address or place name to latitude/longitude. Restricted to Brazil, in-house geocoder with no third-party dependency. Built-in fuzzy fallback handles abbreviations ("Av" -> "Avenida"), accents, and token drops.geocode_batch- Geocode up to 50 addresses in a single call with parallel execution. Perfect for delivery manifests or client lists.reverse_geocode- Convert lat/lon to a human-readable Brazilian address with components (road, neighborhood, city, state, postcode).compare_routes- Run `optimize_routes` under multiple balance strategies (minimize_vehicles, balance_tasks, minimize_distance) and return a side-by-side comparison with winners per metric.validate_eta- Simulate a pre-defined route in Python and return the real arrival times plus any constraint violations. Use when you already have a fixed order of stops and just need the ETAs.optimize_routes- Advanced VRP solver:balance_mode`minimize_vehicles` (default), `balance_tasks`, or `minimize_distance`matrix_overridesuser-provided per-pair travel time / distance overrides (for toll routes, restricted zones, known detours)
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.
OpenStreetMap
{
"mcpServers": {
"openstreetmap": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"osm-mcp"
]
}
}
}
Routekit
{
"mcpServers": {
"routekit": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"routekit-mcp"
],
"env": {
"ROUTEKIT_API_KEY": "YOUR_ROUTEKIT_API_KEY_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
OpenStreetMap is categorized under Location Services and uses a local stdio subprocess. Routekit belongs to Location Services and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick OpenStreetMap for location services work and Routekit 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.
OpenStreetMap has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. Routekit has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. 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 openstreetmap and routekit as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, OpenStreetMap has a quality signal of 57/100 (Good) with 0 views, 0 installs and 2 GitHub stars. Routekit has 48/100 (Fair) with 0 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars.