Geocoding · head-to-head
API Découpage Administratif (API Geo) vs PostalCodes
Etalab's Découpage Administratif API looks up and cross-references France's administrative hierarchy — communes, EPCIs, départements, and régions — by name, postcode, SIREN, or geographic coordinates, with no API key required. The stored api.gouv.fr/api/geoapi.html link had gone stale, 301-redirecting to a generic data.gouv.fr listing page instead of the live docs; the real service and interactive documentation are hosted at geo.api.gouv.fr. A live Origin-header probe against the real /communes endpoint confirms open CORS, reflecting back whatever Origin is sent.
Postalcodes.info is a free postal-code reference for 123 countries and more than 1.8 million records. No key is needed. The JSON endpoint /api/v1/postal-code/{country}/{code} returns the place name, region and coordinates for one code. Per-country exports come as CSV, JSON or XLSX. The JSON API sends Access-Control-Allow-Origin: *, so a browser can call it directly. The /search autocomplete endpoint does not send that header.
| API Découpage Administratif (API Geo) | PostalCodes | |
|---|---|---|
| Authentication | None | None |
| Pricing | free | free |
| Formats | JSON, GeoJSON | JSON, CSV, XLSX |
| CORS | yes | yes |
| HTTPS | Yes | Yes |
PostalCodes supports 3 response formats, while API Découpage Administratif (API Geo) offers fewer — pick PostalCodes for more integration flexibility.