Head to head
OpenCage vs Radar
As a maps & geocoding API, Radar rates higher on the APIbenchmarks Index, 77.5 to 74.8, a 2.7-point gap. Here is how they compare on each criterion.
Criterion by criterion
| Criterion | OpenCage | Radar |
|---|---|---|
| Documentation & DX | ||
| Reliability | ||
| Ecosystem & SDKs | ||
| Accessibility | ||
| APIbenchmarks Index | 74.8 | 77.5 |
Specifications
| OpenCage | Radar | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Pure forward/reverse geocoding | Geocoding + geofencing for apps |
| Free tier | 2,500 req/day (free trial) | 100k req/mo (free plan) |
| Pricing | Per day req tier (subscription) | Per 1k req |
| Official SDKs | 12 languages | 8 languages |
Is OpenCage better than Radar?
On the APIbenchmarks Index, Radar rates higher (77.5 vs 74.8). It leads on the four weighted criteria, but price is reported separately, so the best choice still depends on your budget.
Verdict in one line
Radar leads by 2.7 points (77.5 vs 74.8) and wins 2 of 4 criteria; OpenCage wins 1.
Winner by criterion
| Criterion | Winner | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Documentation & DX | 80 | 80 | Tie |
| Reliability | 65 | 72 | |
| Ecosystem & SDKs | 62 | 70 | |
| Accessibility | 95 | 90 |
Choose OpenCage if… / choose Radar if…
- →accessibility matters most to you (95 vs 90)
- →you need broad SDK coverage (12 official SDKs vs 8)
- →your use case matches its focus: pure forward/reverse geocoding
- →reliability matters most to you (72 vs 65)
- →ecosystem & sdks matters most to you (70 vs 62)
- →your use case matches its focus: geocoding + geofencing for apps
Pricing side by side
- Model
- Per day req tier (subscription)
- Free tier
- 2,500 req/day (free trial)
- Free Trial€0
- X-Small€45/mo
- Small€110/mo
- Medium€450/mo
- Large€900/mo
- Enterprise€1,800+/mo
- Model
- Per 1k req
- Free tier
- 100k req/mo (free plan)
- Free$0 / up to 100k requests per month
- Geocoding (forward/reverse/IP)$0.50 per 1,000 requests
- Address Autocomplete / Distance / Maps$0.50 per 1,000 requests (or map loads)
- Address Validation / Places Search$2.00 per 1,000 requests
- EnterpriseCustom / volume-committed
Vendor-published pricing, verified 2026-06-27 (OpenCage) and 2026-06-27 (Radar).
SDK and language coverage
Both · 0
None
Only OpenCage · 12
PythonNode.js / JavaScriptJavaPHPRubyPerlMATLABCommand-line (CLI)Leaflet pluginMCP serverGo (community)Rust (community)
Only Radar · 8
iOS (Swift/Objective-C)Android (Kotlin/Java)JavaScript / WebReact NativeFlutterExpoCordovaCapacitor
Strengths and weaknesses
- +Permissive open-data license: store and reuse geocoding results forever, even after cancelling, unlike Google/Mapbox
- +Predictable flat-rate pricing with soft daily limits (no surge charges or hard cut-offs for subscribers)
- +Single endpoint returns rich annotations: timezone, currency, calling code, sunrise/sunset, what3words, MGRS, confidence score
- –Pure geocoding only, no routing, distance matrix, map tiles, or rich place search
- –Coverage and accuracy thin in developing regions where OpenStreetMap data is sparse
- –Fixed subscription tiers rather than true granular pay-as-you-go billing
- +Geocoding, autocomplete, distance, and map loads at $0.50/1,000, roughly 50-90% cheaper than Google Maps and Mapbox
- +One vendor for both high-accuracy on-device geofencing/tracking SDKs and a full geocoding/maps API stack
- +Meter-level geofencing accuracy (~5m) via GPS/Wi-Fi/Bluetooth/cellular sensor fusion with unlimited geofences
- –Places/POI database and global fine-grained accuracy less mature than Google's (common review complaint)
- –Detailed public pricing increasingly gated behind a 'get a quote' sales flow
- –Few independent third-party latency/accuracy benchmarks, most performance and savings claims are self-published
OpenCage vs Radar: questions
- Which has better documentation, OpenCage or Radar?
- OpenCage and Radar score the same on documentation and developer experience (80).
- Which is more reliable, OpenCage or Radar?
- Radar scores higher on reliability: 72 vs 65 out of 100.
- Do OpenCage and Radar have a free tier?
- OpenCage: yes (2,500 req/day (free trial)). Radar: yes (100k req/mo (free plan)).
- How are OpenCage and Radar priced?
- OpenCage: Per day req tier (subscription). Radar: Per 1k req.
- Which has more official SDKs?
- OpenCage lists 12 official SDKs, Radar lists 8.