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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