I'm looking for some insights on the accuracy of ip-api.com as I've been exploring cost-effective solutions to enrich millions of IP addresses daily, specifically for country, city, and ASN data. I've stumbled upon ip-api.com, which comes up in a few discussions as a potential option, but I'm struggling to find any detailed conversation about the reliability of their data. How would one go about checking and verifying their accuracy?
3 Answers
From what I've seen, ip-api.com is fairly accurate for country and city details, especially at the country level. The ASN data is usually good too, but it can get a bit unreliable with mobile networks or ISPs. A practical way to verify accuracy is to take an IP from your hosting provider or a VPN service and see what data you receive back.
You might want to consider the free lite version of the MaxMind database instead. It may require some setup on your end, but with monthly updates and more accuracy, it could be worth it over time. Their paid version is definitely pricier, but users report it to be much more reliable.
They mention using a variety of sources like BGP, RIR, ISP data, and even latency tracking, but they don't provide much detail on how they compile this information. Just keep in mind that if you’re not paying, you're limited to 45 requests per minute, which adds up to about 64,800 requests a day. You might want to check their member page for more specifics on pricing and use cases.
That approach sounds solid! I guess cross-referencing data will help establish credibility. Just be careful about their rate limits if you're planning on doing tons of lookups.