ip-api vs ipinfo.io
Free API comparison
| ip-api | ipinfo.io | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | IP to location APIs | IP to location APIs |
| API key | Not needed | Needed, free |
| Pricing | Free for non-commercial use without a key, at up to 45 requests per minute over HTTP; commercial use and HTTPS need the paid Pro plan. | A free account with a token raises the limits; paid plans add details such as privacy detection (VPN, proxy, Tor) and company data. |
| Commercial use | Not on the free plan | Not stated |
| From the browser | Yes (CORS) | Yes (CORS) |
| Formats | JSON | JSON |
| Interface | REST, HTTP-GET | REST, HTTP-GET, MCP |
| Provider | ip-api.com | ipinfo.io |
| Last checked | Working on November 1st, 2026 | Working on November 1st, 2026 |
| MCP server | No | Yes, official |
Which one to choose
ip-api needs no key and returns location, ISP and proxy or hosting flags, but its free use is non-commercial, over plain HTTP, at 45 requests a minute. ipinfo.io works over HTTPS and a free account with a token raises its limits; details such as VPN detection are on paid plans. For a non-commercial project ip-api is the quickest; for anything else ipinfo.io with a free token.
Each service's own page has its full description, a code example and what visitors report: ip-api, ipinfo.io.