ipapi.co Alternative — Why Developers Switch to IP Geo API

TL;DR: ipapi.co is a solid product with global edge servers, but if you need EU-only hosting, transparent EUR billing, or hit the free-tier rate limit (1.000 req/day on ipapi.co’s free plan), IP Geo API is a faster path. Drop-in REST replacement, response shape compatible, EU-hosted on Hetzner Frankfurt + Vercel fra1.

Try IP Geo API free → · 1.000 requests/day · no credit card

Quick comparison

Dimension	ipapi.co	IP Geo API
Free tier	1.000 req/day, attribution required	1.000 req/day, no attribution
Paid entry	$35/mo (~EUR 32) for 50K req/mo	EUR 29/mo for 100K req/mo
Hosting region	Global (Anycast, US-headquartered)	EU-only (Frankfurt + Amsterdam)
GDPR data residency	Global routing (mixed jurisdiction)	100% EU, no US transfer
Currency	USD only	EUR (no FX surprise)
Response format	JSON, JSONP, XML, CSV	JSON (REST + JSON:API)
Bulk endpoint	Yes (CSV upload)	Yes (POST batch up to 100 IPs)
Threat detection	Basic (proxy/Tor flag)	VPN/Proxy/Tor/Datacenter classification
ASN data	Yes	Yes
SLA on free tier	None	None
SLA on paid	99.9%	99.5% (Business plan) — building toward 99.9%
Open source client libs	Multiple community SDKs	Official TS + Python SDK (MIT)
Support response	1-3 business days (paid only)	<24h (all plans), Slack on Business plan
Payment methods	Credit card (Stripe)	iDEAL, Bancontact, SEPA, credit card (Mollie)

Honest note: ipapi.co has a longer track record, more SDKs, and global edge presence. If you need US-headquartered support contracts, Anycast routing, or Excel-style bulk CSV exports, ipapi.co may still be the right call.

When IP Geo API is the better fit

1. You need EU data residency (GDPR Article 44+)

ipapi.co’s privacy page does not commit to EU-only data flow. Your IP queries may transit US-based edge nodes. For regulated industries (fintech, healthtech, gov-tech) this is a compliance issue. IP Geo API runs only on EU infrastructure (Hetzner Nuremberg + Vercel fra1 region) and contractually commits to no transfer to non-adequacy countries.

2. You’re tired of USD pricing

Currency-conversion fees + monthly FX volatility add 1-3% friction to every invoice. IP Geo API bills in EUR. iDEAL, SEPA, and Bancontact are first-class payment methods. No FX, no Stripe currency-conversion fee, no surprises.

3. You hit the free tier on a side project

The free 1K req/day on ipapi.co requires attribution backlink (“Powered by ipapi”). If you’re building a paid product, that’s not acceptable. IP Geo API’s 1K req/day is attribution-free — even on the free plan.

4. You want VPN/proxy detection in one call

ipapi.co’s free tier doesn’t include threat classification. IP Geo API includes is_vpn, is_proxy, is_tor, is_datacenter, is_residential on every response — no separate endpoint, no quota multiplier.

5. Your team prefers a simple, single-vendor invoice in EUR

Especially relevant for Dutch/Belgian/German agencies where supplier invoicing is audited. Mollie is a Dutch BV, fully invoicable, BTW-compliant.

Migration guide (15 minutes)

Step 1: Sign up

# 1. Create account
open https://ipgeo.10b.app/pricing

# 2. Get your API key from the dashboard
export IPGEO_API_KEY=sk_live_...

Step 2: Swap the URL

ipapi.co:

curl https://ipapi.co/8.8.8.8/json/

IP Geo API:

curl https://ipgeo.10b.app/v1/lookup/8.8.8.8 \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $IPGEO_API_KEY"

Step 3: Map response fields

Most fields are 1:1 compatible. The differences:

ipapi.co field	IP Geo API field	Notes
`country`	`country.iso_code`	Renamed for clarity
`country_name`	`country.name`
`country_calling_code`	`country.calling_code`
`currency`	`country.currency.iso`	Nested under country
`latitude`, `longitude`	`location.lat`, `location.lng`	Nested under location
`org`	`network.organization`	Renamed
`asn`	`network.asn`
`in_eu`	`country.in_eu`
(none)	`threat.is_vpn`, `is_proxy`, `is_tor`, `is_datacenter`	New, included free

A compatibility shim (?format=ipapi) is available that returns the legacy ipapi.co flat shape — useful if you don’t want to refactor the consumer code:

curl "https://ipgeo.10b.app/v1/lookup/8.8.8.8?format=ipapi" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $IPGEO_API_KEY"

Step 4: Verify rate limits

Free: 1.000 req/day, no burst. Starter (EUR 29/mo): 100K req/mo, 60 req/sec burst. Business (EUR 99/mo): 1M req/mo, 200 req/sec burst, dedicated IP.

Step 5: Cut over

Recommended: dual-write for 24-48h, compare results, then switch DNS / config / env var. Most customers complete the cutover in <30 minutes including verification.

Pricing comparison (2026-04-16)

Plan	ipapi.co	IP Geo API	Difference
Free	1K/day, attribution required	1K/day, no attribution	Equivalent quota, fewer strings
Entry paid	$35/mo, 50K req/mo (~$0.70/1K)	EUR 29/mo, 100K req/mo (EUR 0.29/1K)	~58% cheaper per request
Mid tier	$135/mo, 250K req/mo	EUR 99/mo, 1M req/mo	~75% cheaper per request
Enterprise	Custom	Custom (contact us)	Negotiable

Pricing accurate as of 2026-04-16. Verify on ipapi.co/#pricing and ipgeo.10b.app/pricing before purchase decisions.

What ipapi.co does better

Honest disclosure — these are real strengths of ipapi.co:

Global Anycast edge: if your users are in 50+ countries, ipapi.co’s edge network has lower median latency than EU-hosted IP Geo API for non-EU clients.
Longer track record: ipapi.co has been operating since 2017. IP Geo API launched in 2026.
More SDKs: ipapi.co has community libraries in 15+ languages. IP Geo API ships TypeScript and Python; other languages via OpenAPI codegen.
Larger response format ecosystem: XML, CSV, JSONP supported. IP Geo API is JSON-only by design.

If those matter more to you than EU data residency or EUR billing — stay with ipapi.co. We won’t pretend otherwise.

FAQ

Is IP Geo API a fork of ipapi.co?

No. IP Geo API is built from scratch on top of MaxMind GeoLite2 + IP2Location LITE + custom ASN enrichment. Threat classification uses our own scoring model trained on public abuse feeds.

How accurate is the geolocation?

Country-level: ~99.5%. City-level: ~85% within 25km radius (consistent with industry benchmarks for IP-only resolution; not GPS-grade).

Do you offer batch lookups?

Yes — POST /v1/lookup/batch accepts up to 100 IPs per request, counted as 100 against your quota.

What about IPv6?

Full IPv6 support. Same endpoint, same response shape.

Can I self-host?

Not at the moment. EU-managed SaaS is the current focus. If you have a self-hosted requirement (€10K+/year), contact us.

Do you log my queries?

Operational logs only (1 hour retention for debugging). No customer-IP-to-queried-IP mapping is retained for analytics. See our privacy policy for full disclosure.

What happens if I exceed my quota?

Hard cutoff at 100% (HTTP 429). Optional soft-burst (110% for 30 min) on Business plan. No surprise overage bills.

Try IP Geo API free

Start with 1.000 free requests/day →

No credit card. No attribution. EU-hosted. EUR billing. Cancel anytime.

Have a question? Reply to any onboarding email or open an issue at github.com/corem6/ip-geo-api.

Last updated: 2026-04-16. Pricing and feature claims verified against vendor public pages on this date. Submit a correction → GitHub issue.

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