Three-way comparison · 2026

Best Country API in 2026: RestCountries vs GeoDB Cities vs ApogeoAPI

Three of the most-used APIs for country, state, and city data — compared side-by-side. Pricing, SLA, free tiers, and the data each one actually returns.

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Feature comparison

Twelve dimensions across the three providers. Picking the wrong one means stitching together 3-4 APIs later.

Feature
RestCountries
GeoDB Cities
ApogeoAPI
Countries (250+)
✓250 countries
~Limited metadata
✓250+ countries
States / provinces
✗Not available
✓~5,000 regions
✓5,000+ states
Cities (150K+)
✗None
✓~150K cities
✓150K+ cities
IP Geolocation
✗
✗
✓IPv4 + IPv6
Live exchange rates
✗
✗
✓161 currencies
Direct API (no marketplace)
✓
✗RapidAPI only
✓
Free tier
✓Unlimited (no SLA)
~1,000 / day
✓1,000 / mo + 14-day full trial
Paid plans starting at
✗No paid tier
✓$10 / mo (RapidAPI)
✓$19 / mo direct
SLA / uptime guarantee
✗Best effort
~Via RapidAPI SLA
✓99% (Basic+)
API key authentication
✗
✓RapidAPI key
✓Per-key rate limits
Analytics dashboard
✗
~Via RapidAPI
✓First-party
Commercial support
✗
~RapidAPI support
✓Email (paid plans)

When to pick each

RestCountries

Free-forever, no key, basic country data only. Built and maintained by the open-source community.

  • —Side projects or learning apps
  • —Country dropdowns + flags
  • —No cities, FX, or IP needs
  • —No SLA required

GeoDB Cities

Cities-first specialist (150K+) with lat/long. Distributed only via RapidAPI marketplace.

  • —City autocomplete UIs
  • —Distance calculations
  • —OK with RapidAPI sign-up
  • —No FX or IP needs

ApogeoAPI

All-in-one: countries + states + cities + IP geo + live FX. Direct API, paid SLA, first-party dashboard.

  • ✓Production B2C / B2B apps
  • ✓Localized pricing in user currency
  • ✓Auto-detect visitor country
  • ✓Need 99%+ SLA

Frequently asked

Which country API is best in 2026?

It depends on your needs. RestCountries is best for free-forever country data with no SLA. GeoDB Cities is best if you only need cities and lat/long. ApogeoAPI is best if you need countries + cities + IP geo + live exchange rates in one product with a paid SLA.

Is RestCountries still maintained?

Yes — community-maintained open-source project, still active. It runs on community infrastructure with best-effort availability and no formal SLA.

Why is GeoDB Cities only on RapidAPI?

GeoDB is distributed exclusively through the RapidAPI marketplace. RapidAPI takes a 20% commission and adds latency vs a direct API. ApogeoAPI is a direct API with no marketplace middleman.

Can I use multiple of these APIs together?

Yes. Many teams use RestCountries for country metadata, GeoDB for cities, a third API for IP geolocation, and a fourth for exchange rates. ApogeoAPI exists to consolidate all four into one subscription.

Is ApogeoAPI a fork of RestCountries?

No — ApogeoAPI is an independent product. The country dataset is built from public-domain sources (ISO 3166, UN data) and our own scrapers, not from the RestCountries dataset.

One API instead of three. Try ApogeoAPI free.

Countries, states, cities, exchange rates, and IP geolocation — bundled. 1,000 req/mo free + 14-day full trial. No credit card.

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