Quick answer
IPWho - IPWho wins for most builders because its free tier is more generous for everyday API use and its cheapest paid plan is far cheaper, while IPGeolocation.io only pulls ahead if you need monthly credit buckets and more granular paid-plan quota scaling.
How the free tiers compare
These two free tiers serve similar geolocation use cases, but they are optimized for different kinds of growth. IPGeolocation.io gives you a perpetual free plan with 1,000 API credits per day, no card, and a clear ladder of monthly credit bundles that scale from small projects to very large usage. Its paid plans are more expensive, but the structure is straightforward if you think in API credits and want overage options. IPWho is cheaper and looser at the low end: 2,000 requests per day on free, then a $2.50/mo Launch plan and a $10/mo Startup plan, both with much higher daily caps than IPGeolocation.io’s starter tier in practical terms. The main tradeoff is that IPWho’s free plan forbids commercial use and offers no support or SLA, while IPGeolocation.io’s free tier is positioned more as a small-project API allowance without those restrictions stated in the input.
IPGeolocation.io vs IPWho free tier, side by side
| IPGeolocation.ioFTV 51 | IPWhoFTV 49 | |
|---|---|---|
| Free limitIPGeolocation.io uses credits; IPWho uses requests. | 1,000 API credits/day | 2,000 requests/day |
| Free card requiredBoth inputs explicitly say no credit card required. | No | No |
| Free overagesIPWho does not describe overages; it says the free tier hard-stops. | No overages on the free plan | Hard limit at 2,000 requests/day with payment prompt by email |
| Starter paid capacityIPGeolocation.io’s first paid plan is monthly; IPWho’s Launch plan is daily. | 150,000 API credits/month | 5,000 requests/day |
| Mid-tier paid capacityIPWho’s Startup tier is much more generous on daily volume. | 500,000 API credits/month | 250,000 requests/day |
| Enterprise top endBoth require contact or are enterprise-style at the top end, but the inputs only give a price for IPWho Enterprise. | Unlimited API credits/month | Unlimited requests |
After you outgrow the free tier
IPGeolocation.io uses flat monthly tiers with usage overage fees on paid plans, then contact sales at Enterprise. IPWho is also flat-priced, but its ladder is dramatically cheaper at the low end: Launch at $2.50/mo, Startup at $10/mo, then Enterprise at $69/mo. For small builders, IPWho is the cheaper path once you outgrow free. IPGeolocation.io becomes more compelling only if you value its monthly credit model and overage structure, or if your usage sits comfortably inside its higher credit bundles.
Cost at real usage
| Usage | IPGeolocation.io | IPWho |
|---|---|---|
| ~2,000 free requests/dayComparable only at the free level; IPWho’s free cap is higher. | Free (within tier) | Free (within tier) |
| ~5,000 requests/dayIPWho Launch includes 5,000 requests/day; no equivalent daily plan is given for IPGeolocation.io. | Not enough detail to map cleanly to IPGeolocation.io's monthly credit bucket from the input | $2.50/mo |
| ~150,000 requests/monthIPGeolocation.io Starter is explicitly 150,000 credits/month; IPWho pricing is daily and the input does not provide a monthly conversion. | $19/mo | Likely free on some days, but no exact monthly plan mapping is provided |
Estimates, not quotes. Usage-based rates change - verify with the vendor's pricing page before committing.
When to pick each one
Pick IPGeolocation.io when…
- You want a perpetual free API tier for testing or a small non-production project, with no credit card required.
- You are planning around monthly credit buckets and overage pricing rather than daily request caps.
- You expect to grow into higher-volume API usage and want a clear progression from 150k to 5M credits per month.
- You need the option to buy larger paid capacity without jumping straight to enterprise or sales contact.
Pick IPWho when…
- You want the most generous free daily request allowance for a builder project: 2,000 requests/day instead of 1,000 credits/day.
- You want the cheapest paid entry point after free, especially for a side project or early build.
- You need commercial use allowed on the paid starter path.
- You want a simple pricing ladder with low-cost paid plans before enterprise.
- You care more about getting to a $10/mo plan with a very large daily limit than about monthly credit accounting.
Bottom line
For the most common builder use case, IPWho is the better free-tier choice because it gives you more free daily volume and a much cheaper on-ramp after free. If you are building a small app, side project, or prototype, the $2.50 Launch plan is hard to ignore. IPGeolocation.io is the better fit when you prefer monthly credit accounting, need larger paid quotas, or expect to scale into a more traditional usage ladder with overages and higher-cap plans.
Read the full listings: IPGeolocation.io and IPWho. Scores use the FTV methodology at /ftv. Browse more head-to-heads on /compare, or see the top-ranked free tiers on /top.