IP2Location Alternative

IP2Location alternative —
REST API, no BIN files

IP2Location distributes binary database files that need monthly updates and a local SDK to read. ApogeoAPI is a hosted REST API — call it from any language or platform, always accurate, zero maintenance.

Why developers choose ApogeoAPI over IP2Location

☁️

Cloud-hosted, always fresh

IP2Location BIN databases are updated monthly. You have to download and redeploy. ApogeoAPI keeps geolocation data current without any action from you.

💱

Currency + exchange rates included

ApogeoAPI returns the visitor's currency code, symbol, and live exchange rate. IP2Location databases only cover IP geolocation — no currency data at any tier.

🌐

Serverless-friendly

AWS Lambda, Vercel Edge, Cloudflare Workers — none of these can bundle a 50MB BIN file. ApogeoAPI is a plain HTTPS request that works in any execution environment.

ApogeoAPI vs IP2Location — feature comparison

FeatureApogeoAPIIP2Location
Delivery modelCloud REST APIBIN database file + SDK, or REST API (paid)
IntegrationSingle HTTP GETDownload BIN file + SDK + update script
Database updatesAutomatic (cloud)Monthly manual download
Country + region✅ Included✅ DB1+ databases
City✅ Included free✅ DB5+ databases (paid tier)
Coordinates✅ Lat/lon✅ DB6+ databases
Timezone✅ IANA timezone✅ DB11+ databases
Currency data✅ Currency code + live FX rates❌ Not included in geo DBs
Countries API✅ Flag, dial code, native name, etc.❌ Not included
Serverless compatible✅ REST call works everywhere⚠️ BIN file deployment awkward
Free tier1,000 req/mo, full city dataIP2Location Lite DB (CC-BY-SA, country + city only)
IPv6 support✅ Full IPv6✅ With IPv6 databases

Migrate from IP2Location to ApogeoAPI

Before — IP2Location Python SDK
import IP2Location

database = IP2Location.IP2Location("IP2LOCATION-DB11.BIN")

def get_geo(ip: str) -> dict:
    rec = database.get_all(ip)
    return {
        "country": rec.country_short,   # "US"
        "region": rec.region,           # "California"
        "city": rec.city,               # "Mountain View"
        "latitude": rec.latitude,
        "longitude": rec.longitude,
        "timezone": rec.timezone,
    }
After — ApogeoAPI (Python)
import httpx, functools

APOGEO_KEY = "your_api_key"

@functools.lru_cache(maxsize=4096)
def get_geo(ip: str) -> dict:
    r = httpx.get(
        f"https://api.apogeoapi.com/v1/geo/{ip}",
        params={"apikey": APOGEO_KEY},
        timeout=3,
    )
    r.raise_for_status()
    d = r.json()
    return {
        "country":   d["countryCode"],     # "US"
        "region":    d["regionName"],      # "California"
        "city":      d["city"],            # "Mountain View"
        "latitude":  d["latitude"],
        "longitude": d["longitude"],
        "timezone":  d["timezone"],
        # Bonus — not in IP2Location:
        "currency":  d["currencyCode"],    # "USD"
        "fx_rate":   d.get("currencyRate"), # 1.0 (relative to USD)
    }
After — ApogeoAPI (PHP)
// Before: $record = $database->lookup($_SERVER['REMOTE_ADDR'], IP2LOCATION_ALL);
// After:

function getGeo(string $ip): array {
    $url = "https://api.apogeoapi.com/v1/geo/{$ip}?apikey=" . $_ENV['APOGEO_KEY'];
    $data = json_decode(file_get_contents($url), true);
    return [
        'country'   => $data['countryCode'],
        'region'    => $data['regionName'],
        'city'      => $data['city'],
        'latitude'  => $data['latitude'],
        'longitude' => $data['longitude'],
        'timezone'  => $data['timezone'],
    ];
}

Frequently asked questions

Does ApogeoAPI need a BIN database file like IP2Location?▼

No. ApogeoAPI is fully cloud-hosted. You pass an IP address in a URL and receive JSON back. There are no files to download, no SDKs to install, and nothing to update monthly.

What is the free tier compared to IP2Location Lite?▼

ApogeoAPI's free tier gives 1,000 requests/month with full city, region, timezone, and currency data — no attribution requirement. IP2Location Lite is a CC-BY-SA database covering country and city that you must host yourself.

Which IP2Location database product does ApogeoAPI replace?▼

ApogeoAPI covers the data equivalent of IP2Location DB11 (IP-COUNTRY-REGION-CITY-LATITUDE-LONGITUDE-ZIPCODE-TIMEZONE) plus currency data. It does not cover ISP, proxy detection, or mobile carrier fields.

How do I handle high-volume lookups without overage fees?▼

Cache at the /24 subnet level: strip the last octet (e.g. 8.8.8.0 for 8.8.8.8). IPs in the same subnet almost always resolve to the same location, reducing unique lookups by 50–90% for most traffic patterns.

Other geolocation API comparisons

Switch from IP2Location today

Free tier • No database files • No monthly updates • Currency data included

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