Quick answer
ipapi.is - ipapi.is wins for most builders because its free tier is genuinely usable for production-style testing, includes full data parity, and has no card requirement, while ipapi’s free trial is more restrictive and aimed at evaluation rather than ongoing use.
How the free tiers compare
Both products give you an IP geolocation API with the same basic daily free cap of 1,000 requests, but they are aimed at different stages of the builder journey. ipapi is more of a trial lane: it is explicitly framed as testing and development use, includes limited bulk lookup capability, and stores IP queries in logs. Its free quota is larger in monthly terms, but the access is less production-friendly. ipapi.is is narrower on raw quota but stronger on trust and usefulness: it says the free tier has the same API data quality as paid plans and no credit card is required. Once you pay, both move to flat monthly plans, but ipapi starts cheaper at low volumes while ipapi.is scales by request volume and adds database products for teams that need offline data or self-hosting.
ipapi vs ipapi.is free tier, side by side
| ipapiFTV 41 | ipapi.isFTV 50 | |
|---|---|---|
| Free requestsipapi states an approximate monthly figure; ipapi.is gives only the daily cap. | Up to 1,000 IP lookups/day (~30,000/month) | 1,000 API requests/day |
| Starting paid quotaThese are the first meaningful paid API tiers. | 60,000 IP lookups/month | 20,000 requests/day |
| Next paid tierUseful if you are planning for moderate growth. | 150,000 IP lookups/month | 100,000 requests/day |
| Highest API tier listedipapi.is also lists separate database products with no request quota. | 6,000,000 IP lookups/month | 2,000,000 requests/day |
| Free card requirementOnly stated because the field is explicitly present for both. | No credit card required | No credit card required |
After you outgrow the free tier
Both products use flat monthly pricing for their main API plans, but ipapi starts cheaper and steps up in lookup bundles, while ipapi.is starts at a higher monthly floor and scales by daily request caps. ipapi’s first paid tier is $15 for 60,000 lookups per month, which is the lowest entry price here. ipapi.is starts at $20 for 20,000 requests/day, then rises to $50, $100, and $200 as volume grows. For small-team usage, ipapi is usually cheaper if you just want the API. ipapi.is becomes more interesting if you need its data parity, self-hosting, or database products.
Cost at real usage
| Usage | ipapi | ipapi.is |
|---|---|---|
| 30k lookups/moipapi’s free tier is described as testing and development use. | Free (within trial cap) | Free (within free tier) |
| 60k lookups/moipapi.is free tier is capped at 1,000/day, which is about 30k/month at a rough conversion. | $15/mo | Free (within free tier) |
| 100k lookups/moipapi’s 60K plan is not enough, so you would need the 150K tier. | $25/mo | $20/mo |
| 500k lookups/moipapi.is Large tier covers 500k requests/day; ipapi’s 500K monthly plan is lower-cost at this volume. | $49/mo | $100/mo |
Estimates, not quotes. Usage-based rates change - verify with the vendor's pricing page before committing.
When to pick each one
Pick ipapi when…
- You want the cheapest paid API path after free and expect to stay around 60,000 lookups per month.
- You need bulk IP lookup as soon as you leave the free tier.
- You are fine with a trial-oriented environment for testing and development.
- You want a lower entry price before moving up to higher monthly lookup bundles.
Pick ipapi.is when…
- You want to test with the same data quality you would get on paid plans.
- You do not want to enter a credit card to start.
- You are building a small project and want a free tier that feels usable beyond pure evaluation.
- You may later want database downloads or self-hosting options alongside the API.
Bottom line
For the most common builder use case, ipapi wins on cost once you move past free and need a straightforward lookup API with a cheap first paid tier. But if your main question is which free tier is easier to rely on while building, ipapi.is is the better fit: no card required, same data quality as paid, and a free tier that is not framed as a throwaway trial. Choose ipapi for the lower-priced paid ladder. Choose ipapi.is if you want a more usable free starting point.
Read the full listings: ipapi and ipapi.is. Scores use the FTV methodology at /ftv. Browse more head-to-heads on /compare, or see the top-ranked free tiers on /top.