ipapi.co vs OpenStreetMap

ipapi.co geolocates an IP address and returns the result as JSON, XML, or YAML without requiring an API key for light use, though the no-key path is rate-limited and marketed by the vendor as a free trial rather than a permanent free tier. Paid subscriptions start at $15/month (or $12/month billed annually) for 60,000 lookups/month, scaling up to $399/month for 15 million/month.

The core OpenStreetMap API serves and edits the raw map database underlying OSM — nodes, ways, and relations — over HTTPS at api.openstreetmap.org. Reading map data requires no authentication at all, while creating or modifying data requires an OAuth 2.0 token tied to an OSM account (the older Basic Auth/OAuth 1.0a login methods were retired in June 2024). It's a general-purpose data API rather than a geocoding service specifically — OSM points address-lookup users to the separate Nominatim service, and bulk-read users to Overpass.