# OpenRouteService vs OSRM demo server

Page: https://free-web-services.com/compare/openrouteservice-vs-osrm/

| | [OpenRouteService](https://free-web-services.com/web-services/geo/location-info/openrouteservice.md) | [OSRM demo server](https://free-web-services.com/web-services/geo/location-info/osrm-api.md) |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Location Information | Location Information |
| API key | Needed, free | Not needed |
| Pricing | Free plan with a free API key and daily limits per service; open source, so you can also host it yourself. | Free for reasonable non-commercial use, no key needed, at most one request per second. |
| Commercial use | Not stated | Not on the free plan |
| From the browser | Not stated | Yes (CORS) |
| Formats | JSON | JSON |
| Interface | REST, HTTP-GET | REST, HTTP-GET |
| Provider | giscience.github.io | project-osrm.org |
| MCP server | No | No |

## Which one to choose

Both plan routes on OpenStreetMap roads and are open source. OpenRouteService needs a free key and offers profiles for car, truck, bicycle, walking and wheelchair, plus travel-time areas and route optimisation. The OSRM demo server needs no key but is for light, non-commercial use at one request per second. Use OSRM for a quick test, OpenRouteService for an app.