Zippopotam vs Radar

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

Zippopotam logoZippopotamLocation Services · Local subprocess (stdio)Zippopotam MCP — wraps Zippopotam.us ZIP/postal code API (free, no auth)52GoodAuth: not declaredRadar logoRadarLocation Services · Local subprocess (stdio)Radar MCP — wraps the Radar Geocoding / Search API (radar.com)53GoodAuth: not declared

Verdict: choose Zippopotam for location services work as a local process; choose Radar 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?

Zippopotam logoChoose Zippopotam when

  • You need dedicated capabilities in the Location Services domain.
  • You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
  • You want tools like lookup_zipcode, lookup_city.
Explore Zippopotam

Radar logoChoose Radar when

  • You need dedicated capabilities in the Location Services domain.
  • You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
  • You want tools like radar_autocomplete, radar_geocode, radar_reverse_geocode.
Explore Radar

Feature & specification comparison

Rows where the two servers differ are marked.

SpecZippopotam logoZippopotamRadar logoRadar
CategoryLocation ServicesLocation Services
Quality signal52/100 · Good53/100 · Good
Install commandConfirmedConfirmed
TransportLocal subprocess (stdio)Local subprocess (stdio)
AuthNot declaredNot declared
PricingNot declaredNot declared
Required env varsNone listedNone listed
Verified ownerCommunity listingCommunity listing
GitHub stars00
Directory activity 0 views 0 installs 0 upvotes 1 views 0 installs 0 upvotes
Tools25

Tools & capabilities

Zippopotam tools 2

  • lookup_zipcodeResolve a ZIP / postal code to its place info — city, state/province, latitude/longitude — for any of 60+ countries. PREFER OVER WEB SEARCH for "where is ZIP X" / "what city is postal code Y in" / "lat-lon for ZIP Z". Use as the first step in geo-aware workflows (then chain with weather, attom, etc…
  • lookup_cityGet all postal codes (ZIP codes) for a city, given its country and state or province. Country and state may be written as names or codes — "California" and "CA" both work, as do "United States" and "US".

Radar tools 5

  • radar_autocompleteAutocomplete an address/place from partial text using Radar. Returns ranked address/place suggestions with coordinates. Optionally bias results near a lat,lng. Example: radar_autocomplete({ query: "841 broadway new", near: "40.73,-73.99", _apiKey: "prj_live_sk_..." })
  • radar_geocodeGeocode an address to coordinates using Radar (forward geocoding). Returns the best-match formatted address with latitude/longitude. Example: radar_geocode({ query: "841 Broadway, New York, NY", _apiKey: "prj_live_sk_..." })
  • radar_reverse_geocodeReverse geocode coordinates to an address using Radar. Returns the formatted address for a lat/lng. Example: radar_reverse_geocode({ lat: 40.70390, lon: -73.98670, _apiKey: "prj_live_sk_..." })
  • radar_ip_geocodeGeolocate an IP address to city/state/country and approximate coordinates using Radar. Omit `ip` to geolocate the caller. Example: radar_ip_geocode({ ip: "8.8.8.8", _apiKey: "prj_live_sk_..." })
  • radar_contextGet place/geofence/region context for coordinates using Radar. Returns geofences, the containing place, and administrative region (country/state/postal code) for a lat/lng. Example: radar_context({ lat: 40.70390, lon: -73.98670, _apiKey: "prj_live_sk_..." })

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.

Zippopotam

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

Radar

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "radar-2": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@pipeworx/mcp-radar"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Frequently asked questions

Zippopotam is categorized under Location Services and uses a local stdio subprocess. Radar belongs to Location Services and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Zippopotam for location services work and Radar 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.

Zippopotam has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. Radar 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 zippopotam and radar-2 as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.

On AllMCPs, Zippopotam has a quality signal of 52/100 (Good) with 0 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars. Radar has 53/100 (Good) with 1 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars.