Free APIs with a free API key
28 services, checked weekly
These APIs need an API key, but the key is free: sign up, get a key and call the API within the limits of the free plan. A key usually gives higher and more reliable limits than keyless APIs, and lets the provider contact you about changes.
| Service | Category | Formats | Free use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Gemini API | Artificial intelligence | JSON | Free tier for most text, speech and embedding models with a free API key and rate limits; content sent on the free tier may be used by Google to improve its products, so use the paid tier for private data. |
| Groq API | Artificial intelligence | JSON | Free plan with a free API key and rate limits per model; paid plans for higher limits. |
| ESV Bible API | Books and research | JSON | Free for non-commercial use with a free API key, with limits on how much of the text you may show and store. |
| InterFax | Communication | XML | Paid per page, with a free developer account for testing. |
| Alpha Vantage | Currency and finance | JSON, CSV | Free with a free API key and a small daily request limit; premium plans for more requests. |
| CoinGecko API | Currency and finance | JSON | The free Demo plan needs a free API key and has a monthly call limit; paid plans offer more calls and data. |
| Finnhub | Currency and finance | JSON | Free plan with a free API key and a per-minute limit; paid plans for more data and markets. |
| ipinfo.io | IP to location APIs | JSON | A free account with a token raises the limits; paid plans add details such as privacy detection (VPN, proxy, Tor) and company data. |
| IPInfoDB IP Location API | IP to location APIs | JSON, XML | Free with a free API key. |
| izi.TRAVEL API | Location Information | JSON | Free with an API key from izi.TRAVEL. |
| OpenRouteService | Location Information | JSON | Free plan with a free API key and daily limits per service; open source, so you can also host it yourself. |
| OpenAQ | Weather forecasts | JSON | Free, with a free API key from your OpenAQ account. |
| Flickr API | Image and photo | JSON, XML | Free for non-commercial use with a free API key; commercial use needs permission. |
| Pexels API | Image and photo | JSON | Free with an API key, limited to 200 requests per hour and 20,000 per month, and apps must show a link to Pexels and credit photographers where possible. |
| Pixabay API | Image and photo | JSON | Free with a free API key; results must be cached and hotlinking full images is not allowed. |
| TMDB API | Video | JSON | Free for non-commercial use with a free API key and attribution to TMDB; commercial use needs a licence. |
| DeepL API | Language and text | JSON | The DeepL API Free plan gives 500,000 characters per month with a free account (it uses its own server, api-free.deepl.com); DeepL API Pro is paid per character. |
| Currents API | News feeds and APIs | JSON | The free plan gives 250 requests per day with a free API key and may be used commercially, with attribution and a link to the original article. |
| GNews | News feeds and APIs | JSON | The free plan needs a free API key, has a daily request limit and is meant for development and non-commercial use. |
| NewsAPI.org | News feeds and APIs | JSON | The free Developer plan needs a free API key but is for development and testing only; using it in production needs a paid plan. |
| NewsData.io | News feeds and APIs | JSON | The free plan needs a free API key, gives a daily number of credits and may be used commercially. |
| The Guardian Open Platform | News feeds and APIs | JSON, XML | Free developer key for non-commercial use, with a daily limit; commercial use by agreement with the Guardian. |
| The New York Times APIs | News feeds and APIs | JSON | Free, with a free API key and a daily request limit. |
| numverify | Data validators | JSON | The free plan gives 100 requests per month with a free API key, without a time limit; paid plans give more requests. |
| Google Safe Browsing API | Security related services | JSON | Free for non-commercial use with a free API key; commercial use needs Google's Web Risk API. |
| urlscan.io API | Security related services | JSON | Free with a free API key and daily limits; paid plans for private scans and more volume. |
| VirusTotal API | Security related services | JSON | The free public API needs a free key, has a limit of a few requests per minute and a daily cap, and may not be used in commercial products. |
| Google PageSpeed Insights API | SEO and site checks | – | Free; a free API key raises the request limits. |
Questions
Is a free API key really free?
Yes: getting the key costs nothing, and the free plan keeps working without paying. The limits differ per service (requests per day or month, non-commercial use only); the "Free use" column quotes them.
Should I put an API key in my website's JavaScript?
Better not: anyone can read it there and use up your limits. Call the API from your own server, or use a service that offers keys that are restricted to your domain.