Best IP geolocation APIs, scored
APIs that return location, network and risk data for an IP address. 8 vendors ranked from pages read between 2026-10-18 and 2026-10-18.
How the scores work
Each product scores out of 100, from the vendor's own read record only: published terms 30, lowest price per 1,000 30, plans or packs priced 20, billing without a monthly minimum 20.
| Criterion | Weight | How it is computed |
|---|---|---|
| Published terms | 30 | Share of the 7 comparison terms (free option, free trial, credit expiry, contract minimum, API access, rate limits, support) that the vendor's own page states, times 30. |
| Lowest price per 1,000 | 30 | The lowest per-1,000 figure in US dollars in the vendor's price rows: printed on the page, or our arithmetic from a price per request. The cheapest on the list scores 30, the dearest scores 0, and the rest fall between them on a log scale. A vendor with no dollar per-1,000 figure, including one that prints its prices in another currency, scores 0 on this criterion. |
| Plans or packs priced | 20 | Price rows printed on the vendor's pages: three or more score 20, fewer score a proportional share. |
| Billing without a monthly minimum | 20 | Prepaid credits or per-request billing score 20, a mix of packs and subscriptions scores 10, and subscription, per-seat or quote-only billing scores 0. |
Ranked table
| Rank | Product | Score | Best for | Free result | How it bills | Cheapest per 1,000 | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ipgeolocation.io | 95.7 | Lowest price per 1,000 on this list | Free plan gives 1,000 credits per day with no card needed, meant for testing and small projects. Source | Prepaid credits | about $0.05 | ipgeolocation.io, ipgeolocation.io |
| 2 | MaxMind | 77.2 | Billed by credits or per request, with no monthly minimum | Per request | about $0.10 | maxmind.com, maxmind.com | |
| 3 | ipapi.com | 67.1 | Lowest price per 1,000 on this list | A free plan allows 100 lookups for non-commercial use. Source | Subscription | about $0.05 | ipapi.com, ipapi.com |
| 4 | ipstack | 67.1 | Lowest price per 1,000 on this list | A free key allows 100 lookups a month with location fields only and no card. Source | Subscription | about $0.05 | ipstack.com, ipstack.com, ipstack.com, ipstack.com |
| 5 | ipinfo | 61.5 | Buyers who want a plan with a set volume | A free tier gives country-level data with unlimited API use and 50 web lookups a month. Source | Subscription | about $0.17 | ipinfo.io, ipinfo.io |
| 6 | Abstract API | 58.5 | Most plans or packs priced on its own page | Free tier of 100 requests a month for email and phone, 1,000 for IP, with the full response and no card. Source | Subscription | $0.085 | abstractapi.com, abstractapi.com |
| 7 | IP2Location | 51.8 | Buyers who want a plan with a set volume | A permanent free plan covers 50K geolocation lookups a month with a basic field set and a credit line required. Source | Subscription | about $0.33 | ip2location.io, ip2location.io |
| 8 | LookValid IP Intelligence | 50 | Most comparison terms stated on its own page | Free tools run the same data without an account, up to 25 lookups a day per visitor. | Monthly credit plans | $2.00 to $4.95 | LookValid pricing |
| 9 | IPQualityScore | 4.3 | The page advertises 1,000 free lookups to start. Source | no dollar per-1,000 figure (read 2026-10-18) | ipqualityscore.com |
Figures marked "about" are arithmetic or a reading of the page layout, not a number the vendor prints.
Why each vendor is on this list
- ipgeolocation.io: ipgeolocation.io sells IP lookup APIs (location, network, security and abuse contact data) on monthly credit plans with a small daily free allowance. Paid tiers differ mainly by included credits and overage rate. Source
- MaxMind: MaxMind sells IP geolocation lookups and a fraud scoring service. The GeoIP web service is billed per query from prepaid credit with three data levels, and larger volumes are negotiated. Source
- ipapi.com: ipapi.com sells an IP lookup API with location, currency, time zone, connection and security data, priced as monthly subscriptions by request volume with a small per-request overage. Source
- ipstack: ipstack sells an IP geolocation API on monthly subscriptions sized by request count, with currency, time zone, connection and security data on higher tiers. Usage past the quota is billed per extra call. Source
- ipinfo: ipinfo sells IP geolocation, network and privacy-detection data through tiered monthly plans with a request quota and a per-thousand overage rate. Source
- Abstract API: Abstract API prices each API (email, phone and IP) on its own subscription meter, with every plan returning a different depth of data and annual billing 10 percent cheaper than monthly. Each API has a small free tier. Source
- IP2Location: IP2Location.io sells an IP geolocation API with domain WHOIS and hosted-domain lookups, on monthly plans from free to a security tier with proxy and fraud data. Paid plans bill overage in blocks once the monthly quota is used. Source
- IPQualityScore: IPQualityScore sells fraud scoring for IP addresses, email, phone and devices, with a starting allowance of free lookups. Source
LookValid
LookValid is scored here with its IP lookup, on the same weights.
- LookValid IP Intelligence: 1 credit per lookup. Locates an IP address and reads its network and risk flags.
More lists
Spot something wrong or out of date? Write to hello@meralume.com and we will review it.