Quick answer
Free IP API - Free IP API wins for most builders who want a no-card, commercial-friendly free tier with room to experiment, while ipdata wins only if you need a larger daily allowance and can live with non-commercial use on free.
How the free tiers compare
These products look similar on the surface because both are IP intelligence APIs, but their free tiers are aimed at different builders. Free IP API is the more usable general-purpose starter: it allows commercial use, does not require a credit card, includes email support, supports IPv4 and IPv6, and gives you 60 requests per minute with bulk lookups up to 50 IPs per request. The tradeoff is that its free tier is capped by rate, and servers are Europe-only. ipdata gives you 1,500 free requests per day, which is more total volume, but the free tier is non-commercial and blocks all requests once the quota is used up. Its paid plans also open a much broader feature set, including company data, VPN detection, and ML reputation scores. In practice, Free IP API is better for building and shipping something real on the free tier, while ipdata is better for evaluation, internal tools, or non-commercial experiments that need more daily requests.
Free IP API vs ipdata free tier, side by side
| Free IP API FTV 54 | ipdata FTV 42 | |
|---|---|---|
| Free request limit A is rate-based, B is daily quota-based. | 60 requests per minute | 1,500 free requests daily |
| Commercial use on free tier This is the biggest practical split for builders. | Allowed | Not allowed |
| IPv4 and IPv6 support Both support core IP lookup. | Included | Included |
| Bulk lookup A explicitly includes bulk lookup in the free tier. | Up to 50 IPs per request | Not stated |
| Support on free tier A includes support in the free offering. | Email support included | Not stated |
| After quota is hit B is explicit about hard blocking after exhaustion. | Not stated beyond rate cap | All further requests are blocked |
After you outgrow the free tier
Free IP API uses flat pricing: the first paid tier is Unlimited at €9.90/month, or €99/year for the yearly option, with unlimited requests per minute. ipdata also uses flat tiers, starting at $10/month for Personal with 2,500 requests daily. The big divergence is that Free IP API jumps from a limited but commercial free tier to unlimited throughput for under $10/month, while ipdata sells access by higher daily quotas and unlocks broader data fields as you move up. For small commercial builders, Free IP API is cheaper and simpler; ipdata gets expensive faster if you need both scale and the richer threat data.
Cost at real usage
| Usage | Free IP API | ipdata |
|---|---|---|
| ~1,000 requests/day for a commercial app ipdata free tier is non-commercial. | Free (within tier, if under 60 rpm) | Not allowed on free tier; $10/mo minimum |
| ~2,500 requests/day A is still free if the request rate stays under 60 per minute. | Free (within tier, if under 60 rpm) | $10/mo |
| ~10,000 requests/day A's paid tier removes the rpm cap; B needs LITE for this daily volume. | €9.90/mo if you need to exceed 60 rpm | $30/mo |
| ~50,000 requests/day B's Startup tier reaches this quota; A stays flat-priced unless enterprise needs custom terms. | €9.90/mo | $50/mo |
Estimates, not quotes. Usage-based rates change - verify with the vendor's pricing page before committing.
When to pick each one
Pick Free IP API when…
- You need to use the API in a commercial project without paying yet.
- You want to prototype with GET, POST, bulk lookups, and API keys without a credit card.
- You care more about requests per minute than daily batch volume.
- You need IPv4 and IPv6 lookup plus supporting data like country, timezone, proxy detection, or language data.
- You are okay with Europe-only servers for the free tier.
Pick ipdata when…
- You need a larger free request allowance for short bursts across a day, up to 1,500 requests daily.
- Your use case is non-commercial, such as a personal project or internal learning tool.
- You want a path into threat and enrichment data like ASN, company data, VPN detection, or ML reputation scoring.
- You are fine with requests being blocked once the free quota is exhausted.
- You expect to move quickly from free to a paid plan with clearly stepped daily quotas.
Bottom line
For the most common builder case, Free IP API is the better free tier because it is commercial-friendly, does not require a card, and is useful enough to build against without immediately forcing a purchase. ipdata is the better choice only if you specifically need more daily free requests and your use is non-commercial, or if you already know you want its higher-end enrichment and threat features. Once paid, both are flat-priced, but Free IP API stays cheaper for basic IP lookup needs.
Read the full listings: Free IP API and ipdata. Scores use the FTV methodology at /ftv. Browse more head-to-heads on /compare, or see the top-ranked free tiers on /top.