API COMPARISON 2026

Best Free IP Geolocation APIs Compared

An honest, side-by-side comparison of the top IP geolocation APIs. Free tiers, pricing, data quality, and what actually matters for your project.

See Comparison Table Try Frostbyte Free

IP geolocation APIs let you convert an IP address into a physical location — country, city, coordinates, timezone, ISP, and more. They're used for content personalization, fraud detection, analytics, compliance, and ad targeting.

There are dozens of providers, ranging from free open-source databases to expensive enterprise APIs. Here's how the most popular options compare.

Feature Comparison

Feature MaxMind GeoLite2 IPinfo ipstack ip-api Frostbyte
Type Database download REST API REST API REST API REST API
Free tier Unlimited (self-hosted) 50,000 req/mo 100 req/mo 45 req/min (non-commercial) 200 credits (no expiry for paid)
Signup Account + license key Email signup Email signup No signup (free tier) One API call (no form)
Paid from $0.10/1K lookups $99/mo $9.99/mo $15 one-time $1 = 500 credits
Country accuracy 99.8% 99%+ 99%+ 99%+ 99%+
City accuracy ~85% ~85% ~80% ~80% ~80-90%
Batch lookup Yes (local) Yes (paid) Yes (paid) Yes (100 IPs) Yes (100 IPs, free)
HTTPS N/A (local) Yes Paid only Paid only Yes
Data fields Country, city, coords, ASN Country, city, coords, ISP, ASN, privacy Country, city, coords, timezone Country, city, coords, ISP, timezone Country, city, coords, ISP, ASN, timezone
Rate limit (free) Unlimited ~1K/day 100/mo total 45/min 120/min
Commercial use (free) Yes (attribution) Yes Yes No Yes
Other APIs included No No No No 40+ APIs (crypto, DNS, screenshot, etc.)

Provider Breakdown

MaxMind GeoLite2 — Best for accuracy & high volume

  • Most accurate geolocation database
  • Unlimited lookups (self-hosted)
  • No per-request cost
  • Industry standard, widely trusted
  • Not a REST API — must host database yourself
  • Database updates bi-weekly (data can be stale)
  • Requires server infrastructure
  • Account signup required for downloads

IPinfo — Best for enterprise features

  • Generous free tier (50K req/mo)
  • Privacy/VPN/proxy detection
  • Company/carrier/abuse data
  • Excellent documentation
  • Paid plans start at $99/mo
  • Free tier has limited data fields
  • Requires email signup and token
  • Single-purpose API (geo only)

ipstack — Easy to start, limited free tier

  • Simple REST API, good docs
  • Currency and language data
  • Security module (paid)
  • Only 100 free requests/month
  • HTTPS only on paid plans
  • Owned by Apilayer (frequent upsells)
  • Batch only on Business+ ($49.99/mo)

ip-api — Best for quick prototyping

  • No API key needed (free tier)
  • Fast responses
  • Batch endpoint (up to 100)
  • One-time $15 payment for pro
  • Free tier: non-commercial only
  • No HTTPS on free tier
  • 45 req/min rate limit
  • Limited data fields

Frostbyte Agent Gateway Our Pick

  • No signup form — get a key in one API call
  • 200 free credits, HTTPS included
  • Batch lookup (100 IPs) on free tier
  • 40+ APIs included (crypto, DNS, screenshot, scraping...)
  • Pay-as-you-go: $1 = 500 credits (USDC)
  • 120 req/min rate limit
  • Newer service (less established)
  • Payment via USDC on Base chain only
  • City accuracy slightly lower than MaxMind

Try It Right Now

Get a free API key and make your first geolocation lookup in under 30 seconds. No signup form, no credit card.

1. Get a free API key
curl -X POST https://api-catalog-three.vercel.app/api/keys/create
2. Look up any IP address
curl "https://api-catalog-three.vercel.app/v1/agent-geo/geo/8.8.8.8" \ -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_KEY"
Example response
{
  "ip": "8.8.8.8",
  "country": "United States",
  "countryCode": "US",
  "region": "California",
  "city": "Mountain View",
  "lat": 37.386,
  "lon": -122.0838,
  "timezone": "America/Los_Angeles",
  "isp": "Google LLC",
  "org": "Google Public DNS",
  "as": "AS15169 Google LLC"
}
Full IP Geolocation API Docs View Pricing

When to Use Each Provider

Choose MaxMind GeoLite2 if...

You need the highest accuracy, handle millions of lookups per day, and can manage a self-hosted database. Best for large-scale analytics and compliance.

Choose IPinfo if...

You need enterprise features like VPN detection, company data, or abuse contact info. Good for fraud prevention and security teams with budget.

Choose Frostbyte if...

You want a simple REST API with zero-friction signup, need multiple APIs (not just geolocation), and prefer pay-as-you-go pricing. Best for developers, side projects, and AI agents that need a Swiss Army knife of APIs.

Choose ip-api if...

You're building a non-commercial prototype and just need quick lookups without any API key setup.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best free IP geolocation API?
For most developers, Frostbyte and ip-api offer the best free tiers. Frostbyte gives 200 free credits with no signup form (just one API call to get a key), supports batch lookups, and includes 40+ other APIs. ip-api offers 45 req/min free for non-commercial use. MaxMind GeoLite2 is the most accurate but requires downloading and hosting databases yourself.
Is MaxMind GeoIP free?
MaxMind offers GeoLite2 for free, but it's a downloadable database, not a REST API. You need to host and query it yourself, which requires server infrastructure. Their commercial GeoIP2 web service starts at $0.10 per 1,000 lookups. For a free REST API alternative, consider Frostbyte or ip-api.
What is a free alternative to IPinfo?
Frostbyte Agent Gateway is a free alternative to IPinfo. It returns country, city, region, timezone, ISP, coordinates, and ASN data via a simple REST API. You get 200 free lookups with no credit card or signup form. Other alternatives include ip-api (free for non-commercial) and ipstack (100 free lookups/month).
How accurate are free IP geolocation APIs?
Most IP geolocation APIs achieve 99%+ accuracy at the country level and 80-90% at the city level. MaxMind GeoLite2 is generally considered the most accurate free option. REST APIs like Frostbyte, IPinfo, and ipstack use similar geolocation databases and offer comparable accuracy for most use cases.
Can I use IP geolocation APIs for free in production?
Yes. Frostbyte allows commercial use on the free tier (200 credits). ip-api's free tier is non-commercial only. IPinfo's free tier (50K/mo) allows commercial use. MaxMind GeoLite2 allows commercial use with attribution. Always check each provider's terms for your specific use case.