Free XML APIs
35 services, checked weekly
These free APIs and web services answer in XML (some also in JSON). XML is still common in enterprise software, in RSS and Atom feeds and in older SOAP services, and every programming language can read it.
| Service | Category | API key | Formats | Free use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| arXiv API | Books and research | Not needed | XML | Free, no key needed; the provider asks for at most one request every three seconds. |
| Internet Archive Advanced Search | Books and research | Not needed | JSON, XML | Free, no key needed. |
| Wikidata Query Service | Books and research | Not needed | JSON, XML | Free, no key needed; data is CC0. |
| InterFax | Communication | Needed, free | XML | Paid per page, with a free developer account for testing. |
| Dlvr.it API | Social media | – | JSON, XML | Free plan with limits; paid plans for more accounts and feeds. |
| geoPlugin Currency Converter | Currency and finance | – | JSON, XML | – |
| World Bank Indicators API | Currency and finance | Not needed | JSON, XML | Free, open data, no key needed. |
| ipapi.co | IP to location APIs | Not needed | JSON, XML, CSV | Free without a key up to about 1,000 requests per day; paid plans for more. |
| IPInfoDB IP Location API | IP to location APIs | Needed, free | JSON, XML | Free with a free API key. |
| GeoNames | Location Information | – | JSON, XML | Free with a free GeoNames account (username) and a daily credit limit; paid premium service for heavy use. |
| Overpass API | Location Information | – | JSON, XML | Free on the public servers with fair use; heavy users should run their own instance. |
| timeanddate.com APIs | Location Information | – | XML, CSV | Paid plans with a free trial. |
| Zipwise Free ZIP code web services | Location Information | – | JSON, XML | – |
| 7Timer! | Weather forecasts | Not needed | JSON, XML | Free, no key needed; a simple, long-running service without uptime guarantee. |
| Aviation Weather Center Data API | Weather forecasts | Not needed | JSON, XML | Free, no key needed; keep the number of requests reasonable. |
| NOAA Tides and Currents API | Weather forecasts | Not needed | JSON, XML, CSV | Free, public domain, no key needed. |
| OpenWeatherMap | Weather forecasts | – | JSON, XML | Free plan with a limit per minute and per month; paid plans for more calls and features. |
| World Weather Online Local Weather API | Weather forecasts | – | JSON, XML, CSV | Paid plans with a free trial. |
| World Weather Online Marine Weather API | Weather forecasts | – | JSON, XML | Paid plans with a free trial. |
| Free Thumbnail API | Graphics | – | XML | Free and Paid API. |
| GXChart WebChart | Chart APIs | – | XML | – |
| DiceBear avatars | Image and photo | Not needed | XML | Free and open source, no key needed. |
| Flickr API | Image and photo | Needed, free | JSON, XML | Free for non-commercial use with a free API key; commercial use needs permission. |
| Gravatar API | Image and photo | Not needed | JSON, XML | Free; avatars need no key, the profile API uses a free API key. |
| WebPurify | Language and text | – | JSON, XML | Free to try, paid service. |
| The Guardian Open Platform | News feeds and APIs | Needed, free | JSON, XML | Free developer key for non-commercial use, with a daily limit; commercial use by agreement with the Guardian. |
| CBS Open Data (Statistics Netherlands) | Other | Not needed | JSON, XML | Free, no key needed. |
| JokeAPI | Other | Not needed | JSON, XML | Free, no key needed, with a limit of about 120 requests per minute. |
| Wufoo Form Builder API | Web development services | – | JSON, XML | Free with a Wufoo account; the limits depend on your Wufoo plan. |
| Name API | Data validators | – | XML | Free and paid plans. |
| VIES VAT number validation | Data validators | Not needed | JSON, XML | Free, no key needed. |
| Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) | Hosting and storage | – | XML | Paid, with a 12-month free tier for new AWS accounts. |
| Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3) | Hosting and storage | – | XML | Paid, with a 12-month free tier for new AWS accounts. |
| Uploadcare | Hosting and storage | Needed | JSON, XML | – |
| Learn web services | Testing and mock data | Not needed | XML | Free, no key needed. |