Quick answer
The IP API - For most builders, The IP API wins because its free tier keeps more of the paid-plan core features and is easier to grow into without hitting feature gaps as early.
How the free tiers compare
These are close on the free tier basics: both give you 1,000 daily lookups, require no credit card, and allow commercial use. The difference is what happens when you try to keep the same integration as your app grows. IPGeolocation.io’s free plan is a lower-volume sampling tier, but its paid ladder is more granular and adds more fields as you move up, including hostname, network, company, abuse contact, security, and user-agent data. The IP API’s free tier is more generous in feature parity, especially for builders who only need geolocation, ASN, company data, and daily updates, and its first paid tier is a straightforward jump to 600,000 requests/month for the same $19 price. If you care about keeping the same API shape from free into paid, The IP API is the cleaner path. If you want more enrichment fields and a deeper enterprise ladder, IPGeolocation.io is broader.
IPGeolocation.io vs The IP API free tier, side by side
| IPGeolocation.ioFTV 51 | The IP APIFTV 58 | |
|---|---|---|
| Free allowanceBoth are perpetual free tiers with no credit card required. | 1,000 API credits/day | 1,000 requests/day |
| Commercial use on free tierOnly The IP API explicitly lists commercial use on free. | Not stated in the free-tier items | Included |
| Core geolocation data on free tierBoth cover basic IP geolocation lookups. | Included | Included |
| ASN / company data on free tierThe IP API states company info explicitly; IPGeolocation.io phrases it as organization data. | ASN basics and organization data | ASN and company information |
| Daily data updatesOnly The IP API explicitly lists daily data updates on free. | Not stated | Included |
| Email support on free tierThe IP API explicitly excludes email support on free. | Not stated | No email support |
| Starter paid quotaBoth first paid tiers are $19/month. | 150,000 API credits/month | 600,000 requests/month |
| Top public paid tierIPGeolocation.io also offers Enterprise with contact sales and unlimited credits. | Premium: 5,000,000 API credits/month at $249/month | Premium: 15,000,000 requests/month at $99/month |
After you outgrow the free tier
Both products use flat monthly pricing for the published paid tiers, but they diverge fast in included volume and in how far the ladder goes. IPGeolocation.io starts at $19/month for 150,000 credits and adds overage pricing on every tier, then climbs to an enterprise plan with contact sales and custom pricing. The IP API also starts at $19/month, but gives 600,000 requests on that tier and then jumps to 3M and 15M request plans at $49 and $99. For small teams watching spend, The IP API is cheaper at the first upgrade; for users who need richer enrichment fields, IPGeolocation.io offers more intermediate steps and an unlimited enterprise option.
Cost at real usage
| Usage | IPGeolocation.io | The IP API |
|---|---|---|
| 150k requests/moThe IP API free tier cannot cover 150k/mo; IPGeolocation.io Starter matches this volume exactly. | $19/mo | Free (within 1,000/day cap is ~30,000/mo; above that, $19/mo Beginner) |
| 600k requests/moIPGeolocation.io needs at least Plus for this volume. | $49/mo Plus or higher, plus possible overage if above 500k | $19/mo Beginner |
| 1M requests/moThe IP API Beginner still covers this volume within its 600k tier only partially, so at 1M you need Standard at $49/mo. | $79/mo Pro or higher, plus possible overage if above 1M | $19/mo Beginner |
| 3M requests/moThe IP API Standard lands exactly at 3M/mo. | $129/mo Business or higher, plus possible overage if above 2M | $49/mo Standard |
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 free tier for a small project and do not mind a lower-feature entry point.
- You expect to upgrade into richer IP intelligence fields like hostname, network, abuse contact, security, or user-agent data.
- You want more paid-plan steps before enterprise, so you can match spend more closely to traffic growth.
- You are building a product that may need very high-volume API credits later, including an unlimited custom enterprise arrangement.
Pick The IP API when…
- You want the free plan to resemble the paid plan as closely as possible for geolocation, ASN, company data, and commercial use.
- You are building a consumer app or internal tool and mainly need predictable lookup responses, not extra enrichment fields.
- You want a simple first paid step with 600,000 requests/month at $19 and a clean flat-price ladder after that.
- You care about edge PoP choice at the standard and premium paid levels.
Bottom line
For the most common builder use case, The IP API is the better free-tier choice because it keeps the core geolocation workflow intact as you scale and its first paid step is much more generous at the same $19 price. IPGeolocation.io is the better pick if you expect to buy richer IP intelligence fields later or want a wider enterprise ladder with overages and an unlimited custom plan. If you only need basic lookup data and a clean upgrade path, The IP API is easier to live with.
Read the full listings: IPGeolocation.io and The IP API. Scores use the FTV methodology at /ftv. Browse more head-to-heads on /compare, or see the top-ranked free tiers on /top.