shouldiuse.io

VERDICT

Should I use Free IP API?

Free, Fast and Reliable IP Geolocation, Countries, Timezones and Phone codes API for commercial and non-commercial usage, Available in JSON and XML formats. - freeipapi.com

Worth it. A low-risk pick for prototypes, hobby tools, and small sites needing basic country/city lookups. Not for production systems needing SLAs, VPN or fraud signals, or documented security.

Confidence

Medium. Based on 8 usable public sources; independent user reviews are thin and several sources conflate this product with ip-api.com.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support qualityNo evidence in sources
  • Security posture

Pricing

$0

Free

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes
PaidFrom $8.25/mo (third-party reported)

Best for

  • Solo developers
  • Prototypes and hobby projects
  • Small sites needing country/city lookup
  • Non-commercial tools

Not for

  • Fraud or VPN-detection workflows — no ISP/VPN signals here
  • Enterprise apps needing SLAs or compliance documentation
  • High-traffic production APIs without your own caching
  • Buyers requiring vendor security audits or certifications

Gotchas - check before you buy

medium

Vendor says free; third parties report $8.25/month paid entry — verify current pricing before budgeting.

medium

No security or trust page; assume no SLA, uptime promise, or compliance documentation.

medium

Often confused with and its 45 requests/minute limit — confirm which service you integrated.

low

Recent Show HN launch; long-term free-tier limits and availability unproven.

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Free tier requires no account
  • Explicitly allows commercial and non-commercial use
  • JSON and XML output formats
  • Paid tier reportedly starts at just $8.25/month
  • Named among top free GeoIP services

Cons

  • No security page found on vendor site
  • Feature set trails ipstack, which adds ISP and currency data
  • Little independent user review evidence surfaced

Sources & method

Analyzed 9/24/2026 - 8 sources - No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

official x1review x5security x1news x1

Key stats

  • Value for money: 5/5

    Rating

  • $0

    Starting price

  • 8

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 5/5. Free tier; paid reportedly just $8.25/mo
  • Ease of use: 4/5. No account or signup required to start
  • Feature depth: 3/5. Country/city/timezone basics; rivals add ISP, VPN
  • Support quality. No evidence in sources
  • Security posture: 2/5. No public security page found
  • $8.25/mo Paid entry Third-party reported, May 2026
  • Yes Free tier No account required per vendor
  • JSON & XML Output formats Per vendor site
  • Not found Security page Vendor /security URL returned nothing

Pricing

Free

$0

  • No account required
  • JSON & XML responses

Paid

From $8.25/mo (third-party reported)

  • Higher request limits (details unverified)
  • Reported by Spotsaas, May 2026

Security

No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

What users say

User feedback is sparse; the product appears mainly in directories and a Show HN launch, with no substantial independent reviews found.

Alternatives

Compare Free IP API with each alternative.

  • ip-api.com

    Free for non-commercial use; 45 req/min, no key

  • Ipstack

    Free tier adds timezone, currency, and ISP fields

    Free IP API vs Ipstack
  • IPGeolocation.io

    API plus downloadable databases, timezone focus

  • Abstract API

    Commercial-grade alternative with a free tier

Full analysis

Based on 8 usable public sources; independent user reviews are thin and several sources conflate this product with ip-api.com.

Free no-account IP geo API, great for prototypes and small sites; thin reviews, no security page — not for critical infra.

Methodology

Based on 8 usable public sources; independent user reviews are thin and several sources conflate this product with ip-api.com.

Sources

  1. official
  2. review
  3. review
  4. Security pagefreeipapi.com
    security
  5. Show HN: Free IP APInews.ycombinator.com
    news
  6. review
  7. review
  8. review

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