Cataas vs MeowFacts

Cataas ("Cat as a Service") is a free, open-source REST API that returns random cat images and animated GIFs, filterable by tag, with options to overlay custom text or crop a specific position. A JSON mode (?json=true) returns the image's metadata — id, tags, and direct URL — instead of the binary file itself. It's maintained on GitHub under the cataas org with no signup or pricing tier; a Donate link is the site's only monetization.

meowfacts is a free, keyless REST API that returns one or more random cat facts as JSON, with count and id query parameters for multiple or specific facts. A lang parameter serves community-translated fact sets in around 15 languages (English, Spanish, French, German, Korean, Russian, and others, by browser-style ISO 639 code). It's an open-source (GPL) side project hosted on a free Heroku dyno and documented via SwaggerHub, with no signup, key, or pricing tier.