Free IP Geolocation API in 2026 — Top 5 Compared

Every app eventually needs to know where its users are coming from. IP geolocation is the quickest way — but picking the wrong API can mean surprise bills or broken production apps. Here's an honest comparison of the top 5 free options in 2026.

What to Look for in an IP Geolocation API

• Accuracy: Country-level accuracy matters most; city-level varies widely.
• Free tier limits: How many requests per month or per minute?
• HTTPS on free tier: Some APIs lock HTTPS behind paid plans.
• IPv6 support: Increasingly important as IPv4 exhaustion continues.
• Extra data returned: Currency, timezone, region — does it give you what you need?

The Top 5 Free IP Geolocation APIs in 2026

1. ip-api.com — Truly Free (with limits)

ip-api.com is the go-to for hobby projects. It's completely free for non-commercial use, returns country, region, city, timezone, ISP, and coordinates. The main catch: no HTTPS on the free endpoint, and it's limited to 45 requests per minute. Commercial use requires a paid plan.

const res = await fetch('http://ip-api.com/json/8.8.8.8');
const data = await res.json();
// { country: 'United States', countryCode: 'US', city: 'Ashburn', timezone: 'America/New_York' }

2. ipinfo.io — 50K/month Free

ipinfo.io offers 50,000 free requests per month with HTTPS. It returns country, region, city, timezone, and org (ISP). Clean API, great documentation. Paid plans start at $99/month for higher volume.

3. ipstack — Limited Free Plan

ipstack's free plan is very limited: 100 requests/month and HTTP only (no HTTPS). For any real usage, you need a paid plan starting at $9.99/month. The data quality is good, but the free tier is essentially just for testing.

4. Abstract API — 100 Requests/Month Free

Abstract API's IP geolocation is part of their suite of small APIs. The free tier gives you 100 requests/month — barely enough for development. Paid starts at $14/month for 20,000 requests.

5. ApogeoAPI — 14-Day Full Trial, Then Bundled with Geo Data

ApogeoAPI includes IP geolocation as part of a larger geographic data suite. The 14-day trial gives full access including IP geo. After the trial, IP geolocation is available on the Basic plan ($19/month) — which also includes countries, states, cities, and exchange rates.

const res = await fetch('https://api.apogeoapi.com/v1/geolocate/8.8.8.8', {
  headers: { 'X-API-Key': 'your_api_key' }
});
const data = await res.json();
// { country_code: 'US', country_name: 'United States', city: 'Ashburn',
//   timezone: 'America/New_York', currency: 'USD', latitude: 39.03, longitude: -77.5 }

Which Should You Choose?

For hobby or non-commercial projects: ip-api.com is the best purely free option. For production apps that also need geographic data (countries, states, cities) or currency information: ApogeoAPI makes the most sense — one subscription covers everything instead of juggling multiple APIs.