In a rush? Here are the top APIs:

There is a reason why so many apps are tracking your location. It pays to know where your customers are. Choosing the right IP geolocation API is about more than just getting the geographic location of a user. It’s about understanding their context, optimizing user experience, delivering location-based content, and providing quality localized service.

IP Geolocation is also critical in helping detect and prevent fraud as online global fraud is on the way to costing 60 billion dollars a year.

In this article, I will break down IP Geolocation, why it’s so essential for businesses and app developers, and explore the best IP geolocation APIs for developers.

What is IP Geolocation?

IP geolocation is the ability to determine a location based on a user’s IP Address. IP geolocation works by correlating IP addresses with geographic locations. This process doesn’t rely on any intrinsic geographic information within the IP address. Instead of depending on an inherent location within the IP itself, the association between IP addresses and locations is derived from various resources and methods.

Here’s how it typically works:

• Allocation: Global and regional authorities allocate IP addresses to regions and ISPs.
• Data Collection: Information on IP address locations is gathered from ISPs, traffic analysis, user data, and active scanning.
• Databases: This data is compiled into databases that map IP addresses to approximate geographical locations.
• API Queries: Services query these databases using APIs to determine a user’s estimated location based on their IP address.
• Accuracy: The precision varies, being more accurate at broader levels (e.g., country) and less so at finer levels (e.g., city or street).

The IP Geolocation API Request Cycle

An IP Geolocation API works similarly to any other API – by making a request and returning specific location information.

1. Request: When a user accesses a service (like website visitors), the system captures the user’s IP address and sends a request to the geolocation API endpoint. This request typically includes the IP address in question and the API key for authentication.
2. Processing: The geolocation service processes the request by looking up the IP address in its database to find the associated geographical information
3. Response: The service then sends a JSON response back to the requesting system. This response contains geographical information, such as country, state, city, latitude, longitude, time zone, ISP, etc.

Top 8 Best Geolocation APIs for Developers

When it comes to the best geolocation API, DevGold recommends the following:

1. Ipstack: Best suited for enterprise needs, trusted by notable brands like Microsoft and Airbnb.
2. AbstractAPI: Ideal for Development and integrations, offering a generous free plan and flexible requests.
3. MaxMind: Offers precise data and is used by many large companies. It provides city, country, and continent data, along with traits for the IP.
4. ipdata: This API offers detailed geolocation data, including threat data and carrier information.
5. Ipgeolocation.io: API delivers accurate device and browser information through a precise geolocation REST API.
6. IP-API: A popular choice for its simplicity and extensive data, including ISP and mobile data.
7. IP2Location: Provides a wide range of data, including timezone, net speed, and area code.
8. IPinfo: Offers extensive data, including hosting information and ASN details.

These APIs are chosen based on their accuracy, data range, and reliability, making them the top choices for IP geolocation.

1. Ipstack

Best for enterprise needs

IPstack is trusted by brands like Microsoft and Airbnb to provide leading IP APIs and database services. IPstack covers over 200,000 cities around the world. One of the things that makes IPstack unique, is its IP APIs do more than just provide location information, but also time zone and currency.

Sample Response:

{

    "ip": "xxxxxxx",

    "type": "ipv6",

    "continent_code": "NA",

    "continent_name": "North America",

    "country_code": "US",

    "country_name": "United States",

    "region_code": "AZ",

    "region_name": "Arizona",

    "city": "Peoria",

    "zip": "85383",

    "latitude": 33.77518844604492,

    "longitude": -112.33098602294922,

    "location": {

        "geoname_id": 5308480,

        "capital": "Washington D.C.",

        "languages": [

            {

                "code": "en",

                "name": "English",

                "native": "English"

            }

        ],

        "country_flag": "https://assets.ipstack.com/flags/us.svg",

        "country_flag_emoji": "🇺🇸",

        "country_flag_emoji_unicode": "U+1F1FA U+1F1F8",

        "calling_code": "1",

        "is_eu": false

    }

}

Great Features

• Robust API response. The API response for IPstack is loaded with relevant location information like city, state, zip code, longitude, and latitude data. You can also query connection and security information. Here’s an example.
• Security Module. Premium subscribers get access to the security module, which can be used to assess if an IP poses a threat, proxy information, and whether the IP is a crawler.
• Simple and flexible. Using the API is super simple. Once you have the API key, you include the IP in the base URL to get a response in the browser. You can also use PHP Curl or Javascript.
• Quickstart Tool. The quickstart tool is a great way to get started. It lets you instantly test out API calls, review API documentation, and work access integration guides.

Drawbacks

• One downside is that the security module is only included in the more expensive plans, which excludes a significant use case.

Pricing

• Free – 1k requests per month
• Basic ($11.99/mo) – 50krequests per month
• Professional ($50.99/mo) – 500k requests per month plus a bulk endpoint
• Professional Plus ($79.99/mo) – 2m requests per month, bulk endpoint, and security module.
• Enterprise (Volume Pricing) – consultative, working with as many requests as you need.

2. AbstractAPI

Best for flexible development and integration

It’s no surprise Abstract is on this list. AbstractAPI is known for providing a host of quality APIs, including email verification, address verification, and geolocation. Their IP Geolocation API is easy to use, and their web app allows developers to see responses in real-time. I really like how their APIs are all integrated into one easy-to-use platform.

Sample Response: Here is what an example response looks like. It’s really easy to get using their “live response’ feature.

I like how it provides all of the geolocation metadata I’m looking for, like region, state, and postal code. I did notice that it didn’t provide an accurate zip code (although it is close).

{

    "ip_address": "xxxxxxxxx",

    "city": "Peoria",

    "city_geoname_id": 5308480,

    "region": "Arizona",

    "region_iso_code": "AZ",

    "region_geoname_id": 5551752,

    "postal_code": "85380",

    "country": "United States",

    "country_code": "US",

    "country_geoname_id": 6252001,

    "country_is_eu": false,

    "continent": "North America",

    "continent_code": "NA",

    "continent_geoname_id": 6255149,

    "longitude": -112.2384,

    "latitude": 33.5812,

    "security": {

        "is_vpn": false

    },

    "timezone": {

        "name": "America/Phoenix",

        "abbreviation": "MST",

        "gmt_offset": -7,

        "current_time": "08:10:03",

        "is_dst": false

    },

    "flag": {

        "emoji": "🇺🇸",

        "unicode": "U+1F1FA U+1F1F8",

        "png": "https://static.abstractapi.com/country-flags/US_flag.png",

        "svg": "https://static.abstractapi.com/country-flags/US_flag.svg"

    },

    "currency": {

        "currency_name": "USD",

        "currency_code": "USD"

    },

    "connection": {

        "autonomous_system_number": 22773,

        "autonomous_system_organization": "ASN-CXA-ALL-CCI-22773-RDC",

        "connection_type": "Corporate",

        "isp_name": "Cox Communications Inc.",

        "organization_name": "Cox Communications"

    }

}

Best Features

• Integrations. With a premium plan, you can unlock one of many pre-built integrations like Salesforce, Zapier, Shopify, and Marketo.
• Generous Free Plan. With AbstractAPI, the free plan gets you 20,000 requests, which gives you plenty of time to test it out.
• Flexible Requests. One of my favorite things about this API is that you can limit the response by including the field values in the query parameter. For example, if you only want to include country and city, your request will look something like this.

https://ipgeolocation.abstractapi.com/v1/

    ? api_key = YOUR_API_KEY

    & ip_address = 166.171.248.255

    & fields = country,city

Drawbacks

• No Bulk Endpoint. I didn’t see that AbstractAPI offered a bulk endpoint for multiple requests at once, but they do offer CSV upload for bulk email validation.

Pricing

• Free – 20k requests
• Starter ($9/mo) – 200k requests per month
• Basic ($19/mo) – 500k requests per month
• Standard ($49/mo) – 1.5m requests per month
• Business ($99/mo) – 3.5m requests per month
• Pro ($199/mo) – 7.5m requests per month
• Growth ($499/mo) – 20m requests per month

3. Maxmind

Best for fraud detection

MaxMind is one of the most accurate and trusted IP geolocation providers around. They’ve been around since 2002 and cover 99.9999 of IP addresses in use. Maxmind was a little challenging to get started but they do offer a Rest API.

Sample Response

Because authorization requires an authorization header, I didn’t provide a response for this service. I would’ve liked there to be a way to sample responses.

• GeoIP databases. With Maxmind, you can access locally maintained databases so you can query more effectively with less latency. Each database is an additional subscription cost.
  • Country
  • City
  • State
  • Domain
  • ISP
  • Connection Type
• Versatility: For those on a budget or just starting out, the GeoLite2 database is a commendable free alternative to the more detailed GeoIP2. It’s a testament to MaxMind’s commitment to serving a diverse user base.
• Fraud Detection: Many users appreciate the added security layer MaxMind brings with its ability to detect potentially fraudulent activities based on geographical discrepancies. It’s not just about knowing where users are, but also ensuring they are who they say they are.

Drawbacks

• Primarily used for fraud protection rather than geolocation for marketing purposes.
• To test it, you must download a database locally to query it. They don’t offer a free trial for their web service unless you reach out to them. 

Pricing

Maxmind’s pricing is based on individual database access.

• GeoIP Country Database ($34/mo)
• GeoIP City Database. ($134/mo)
• GeoIP ISP Database. ($44/mo)
• GeoIP Domain Name Database. ($34/mo)
• GeoIP Connection Type Database. ($124/mo)

4. Ipdata

Best for engaging mobile users

Ipdata offers a powerful geolocation API with lots of interesting features that help set it apart from its competitors – like threat intelligence data and mobile carrier information. Signing up and running some requests was simple, and the documentation was crisp and clear.

Sample Response:

{

    "ip": "xxxxxx",

    "is_eu": false,

    "city": "Chandler",

    "region": "Arizona",

    "region_code": "AZ",

    "region_type": "state",

    "country_name": "United States",

    "country_code": "US",

    "continent_name": "North America",

    "continent_code": "NA",

    "latitude": 33.312400817871094,

    "longitude": -111.91950225830078,

    "postal": "85226",

    "calling_code": "1",

    "flag": "https://ipdata.co/flags/us.png",

    "emoji_flag": "🇺🇸",

    "emoji_unicode": "U+1F1FA U+1F1F8",

    "asn": {

        "asn": "AS22773",

        "name": "Cox Communications Inc",

        "domain": "cox.net",

        "route": "72.208.0.0/16",

        "type": "business"

    },

    "carrier": {

        "name": "Softcom Internet Communications, Inc",

        "mcc": "313",

        "mnc": "850"

    },

    "languages": [

        {

            "name": "English",

            "native": "English",

            "code": "en"

        }

    ],

    "currency": {

        "name": "US Dollar",

        "code": "USD",

        "symbol": "$",

        "native": "$",

        "plural": "US dollars"

    },

    "time_zone": {

        "name": "America/Phoenix",

        "abbr": "MST",

        "offset": "-0700",

        "is_dst": false,

        "current_time": "2023-09-07T21:33:54-07:00"

    },

    "threat": {

        "is_tor": false,

        "is_icloud_relay": false,

        "is_proxy": false,

        "is_datacenter": false,

        "is_anonymous": false,

        "is_known_attacker": false,

        "is_known_abuser": false,

        "is_threat": false,

        "is_bogon": false,

        "blocklists": []

    },

    "count": "0"

}

Best Features

• Carrier Detection: Ipdata can provide details about the mobile carrier for mobile IPs, which can be especially useful for businesses that want to tailor services or offerings based on carrier-specific data. You can see that it was able to return my carrier in the sample response.
• ASN Information: “Autonomous System Numbers” (ASNs) are unique numbers associated with individual networks on the internet. By identifying the ASN, you can determine which organization’s network the IP is associated with.
• Blocklists: The blocklist object returns where an IP has been reported. So far, I have yet to see this returned in any of the other APIs. 

Drawbacks

• Pricing. If you’re analyzing IPs from thousands of visitors a day, pricing can add up pretty quickly. At the entry price point, you only get 2,500 calls a day, which is low compared to competitors.

Pricing

• Free – Up to 1,500 requests per day
• Personal ($10/Mo) – Up to 2,500 requests a day
• Lite ($30/Mo) – Up to 10,000 requests per day.
• Startup ($50/Mo) – Up to 50,000 requests per day. In addition to geolocation, OSINT Blocklists, and ASN – you get to use the company data API which returns domain, network, and usage type.
• Business ($120/Mo) – 100,000 requests daily with VPN detection and IP reputation Score
• Enterprise (Consultative) – Comes with high volume discounts and custom datasets.

5. Ipgeolocation.io

Best for: getting accurate device and browser information.

Ipgeolocation.io provides an accurate geolocation REST API that can look up IPv4 or IPv6 addresses to detect location, threats, and more. They also have a robust Time Zone and Astronomy API to return sunset, sunrise, and moonrise times.

One of the things that sets IPgeolocation apart is its IP Geolocation Database – a downloadable CSV database that’s updated multiple times a week. 

Sample Response:

{

    "ip": "xxxxxx",

    "continent_code": "NA",

    "continent_name": "North America",

    "country_code2": "US",

    "country_code3": "USA",

    "country_name": "United States",

    "country_capital": "Washington, D.C.",

    "state_prov": "Georgia",

    "state_code": "US-GA",

    "district": "",

    "city": "Atlanta",

    "zipcode": "30319-1418",

    "latitude": "33.91396",

    "longitude": "-84.34648",

    "is_eu": false,

    "calling_code": "+1",

    "country_tld": ".us",

    "languages": "en-US,es-US,haw,fr",

    "country_flag": "https://ipgeolocation.io/static/flags/us_64.png",

    "geoname_id": "9948307",

    "isp": "Cox Communications Inc.",

    "connection_type": "",

    "organization": "Cox Communications Inc.",

    "currency": {

        "code": "USD",

        "name": "US Dollar",

        "symbol": "$"

    },

    "time_zone": {

        "name": "America/New_York",

        "offset": -5,

        "offset_with_dst": -4,

        "current_time": "2023-09-07 18:24:32.977-0400",

        "current_time_unix": 1694125472.977,

        "is_dst": true,

        "dst_savings": 1

    }

}

Benefits

• API Plans or Database Plans. Choose whatever works for you. Use their web-based API, or call a country-specific database that you can download and store locally. Databases are maintained and updated multiple times a week.
• Fast Responses. Ipgeolocation rates itself as the fastest IP geolocation service, with an average response of 40ms or less.
• User Agent Parser API. One of the interesting APIs leveraged by ipgeolocation is the user agent parser, which allows you to get browser, device, and system details.

Drawbacks

• Accuracy. I noticed in my response test it pinged my location in Georgia, which is inaccurate. My carrier is headquartered in Georgia, but my device is in Arizona.

Pricing 

• Developer (Free) – 30k requests per month
• Bronze ($15/mo) – 150k requests per month
• Silver ($65/mo) – 1m requests per month
• Silver+ ($130/mo) – 3m requests per month
• Gold ($200/mo) – 6m requests per month
• Platinum ($500/mo) – 20m requests per month

6. Ip-api

Best for: Batch IP Processing

IP-API is a beacon for those navigating the vastness of digital interactions. Providing granular details about IP addresses, it offers businesses and developers a window into geolocation specifics with a precision that distinguishes it from many competitors.

Sample Response:

{

    "query": "xxxxxx",

    "status": "success",

    "continent": "North America",

    "continentCode": "NA",

    "country": "United States",

    "countryCode": "US",

    "region": "AZ",

    "regionName": "Arizona",

    "city": "Chandler",

    "district": "",

    "zip": "85226",

    "lat": 33.3124,

    "lon": -111.9195,

    "timezone": "America/Phoenix",

    "offset": -25200,

    "currency": "USD",

    "isp": "Cox Communications Inc.",

    "org": "Cox Communications",

    "as": "AS22773 Cox Communications Inc.",

    "asname": "ASN-CXA-ALL-CCI-22773-RDC",

    "mobile": false,

    "proxy": false,

    "hosting": false

}

Best Features

• Comprehensive Data Points: One of IP-API’s standout features is its ability to offer a wide array of data points for each IP lookup. Beyond just a city or country, users can also retrieve information about the timezone, ISP, organization, AS number, and even mobile detection.
• Batch IP Processing: Like some other providers on this list, IP-API provides batch IP processing. This not only reduces the time and effort involved in individual queries but also ensures faster responses for applications requiring large-scale lookups.
• Generous Free Tier: While many services offer limited free lookups, IP-API’s free tier is particularly notable for allowing a substantial number of queries per day. This makes it an excellent starting point for small businesses or individual developers who are just beginning to explore IP geolocation needs.

Drawbacks

• Request speed. Some reviewers cite slow request speed compared to competitors.

Pricing

• Free. Get frequently updated databases but no access to the API
• Pro. (13.3 Euros). Comes with unlimited requests, API keys, and commercial use access.
• Enterprise (Consultative). The only difference with this plan is that you get to negotiate custom terms and agreements

7. Ip2location

Best for proxy detection

IP2Location is not just another IP geolocation service; it has carved out its niche in the industry by providing robust and comprehensive datasets with unique features. Catering to businesses and developers, its offerings are tailored to meet the nuanced needs of various applications, from content customization to security.

Sample Response: 

{

    "ip": "xxxxxxxxxx",

    "country_code": "US",

    "country_name": "United States of America",

    "region_name": "Arizona",

    "city_name": "Phoenix",

    "latitude": 33.448232,

    "longitude": -112.074054,

    "zip_code": "85030",

    "time_zone": "-07:00",

    "asn": "22773",

    "as": "Cox Communications Inc.",

    "isp": "Cox Communications LLC",

    "domain": "cox.com",

    "net_speed": "DSL",

    "idd_code": "1",

    "area_code": "480\/602\/623",

    "weather_station_code": "USAZ0166",

    "weather_station_name": "Phoenix",

    "mcc": "-",

    "mnc": "-",

    "mobile_brand": "-",

    "elevation": 345,

    "usage_type": "ISP",

    "address_type": "Unicast",

    "continent": {

        "name": "North America",

        "code": "NA",

        "hemisphere": [

            "north",

            "west"

        ],

        "translation": {

            "lang": null,

            "value": null

        }

    },

    "district": "Maricopa County",

    "country": {

        "name": "United States of America",

        "alpha3_code": "USA",

        "numeric_code": 840,

        "demonym": "Americans",

        "flag": "https:\/\/cdn.ip2location.io\/assets\/img\/flags\/us.png",

        "capital": "Washington, D.C.",

        "total_area": 9826675,

        "population": 331002651,

        "currency": {

            "code": "USD",

            "name": "United States Dollar",

            "symbol": "$"

        },

        "language": {

            "code": "EN",

            "name": "English"

        },

        "tld": "us",

        "translation": {

            "lang": null,

            "value": null

        }

    },

    "region": {

        "name": "Arizona",

        "code": "US-AZ",

        "translation": {

            "lang": "",

            "value": ""

        }

    },

    "city": {

        "name": "Phoenix",

        "translation": {

            "lang": null,

            "value": null

        }

    },

    "time_zone_info": {

        "olson": "America\/Phoenix",

        "current_time": "2023-09-08T10:11:30-07:00",

        "gmt_offset": -25200,

        "is_dst": false,

        "sunrise": "06:07",

        "sunset": "18:44"

    },

    "geotargeting": {

        "metro": "753"

    },

    "ads_category": "IAB19-18",

    "ads_category_name": "Internet Technology",

    "is_proxy": false,

    "proxy": {

        "last_seen": 0,

        "proxy_type": "-",

        "threat": "-",

        "provider": "-",

        "is_vpn": false,

        "is_tor": false,

        "is_data_center": false,

        "is_public_proxy": false,

        "is_web_proxy": false,

        "is_web_crawler": false,

        "is_residential_proxy": false,

        "is_spammer": false,

        "is_scanner": false,

        "is_botnet": false

    }

}

Best Features:

• Binaries & Databases: IP2Location doesn’t just offer an online querying service; it provides actual downloadable databases and binaries, allowing for offline usage and integration into local systems without the need for constant online queries.
• Proxy Detection: In an age where VPNs and proxies are rampant, IP2Location’s ability to detect proxy servers can be invaluable for businesses keen on understanding their real audience or preventing fraud.
• Elevation Data: A less common feature, IP2Location also provides elevation data (height above sea level) for given IP addresses. This can be crucial for specific applications, especially in logistics and geospatial analytics.

Drawbacks

• No API Key access for a free account. The free version doesn’t provide an API Key.

Pricing

For Ip2Location pricing, you pay for each database use instead of a flat monthly price. For example, the IP Country Database is $49 a year but you can pay over $1,000 a year for more attributes like city, region, longitude, latitude, domain, ISP, elevation, and timezone.

8. Ipinfo

Ipinfo is a flexible and strong geolocation IP with plenty of pricing options for getting the datasets you need. Established as one of the industry’s reliable sources, it facilitates both developers and businesses in understanding and interpreting internet traffic for varied applications, ranging from content personalization to cybersecurity.

Response Sample:

{

    "ip": "xxxxxxxx",

    "city": "Phoenix",

    "region": "Arizona",

    "country": "US",

    "loc": "33.4484,-112.0740",

    "postal": "85001",

    "timezone": "America/Phoenix",

    "asn": {

        "asn": "AS22773",

        "name": "Cox Communications Inc.",

        "domain": "cox.com",

        "route": "2600:8800::/32",

        "type": "isp"

    },

    "company": {

        "name": "Cox Communications Inc.",

        "domain": "cox.com",

        "type": "isp"

    },

    "privacy": {

        "vpn": false,

        "proxy": false,

        "tor": false,

        "relay": false,

        "hosting": false,

        "service": ""

    },

    "abuse": {

        "address": "US, GA, Atlanta, 1400 Lake Hearn Drive, 30319",

        "country": "US",

        "email": "[email protected]",

        "name": "Cox Communications Inc",

        "network": "2600:8800::/32",

        "phone": "+1-866-272-5111"

    },

    "domains": {

        "page": 0,

        "total": 0,

        "domains": []

    }

}

Best Features

• ASN & Carrier Data: Beyond traditional geolocation, ipinfo.io provides details about the Autonomous System Number (ASN) associated with an IP, which can be invaluable for network analysis. Additionally, their carrier detection helps in understanding which mobile network an IP is associated with.
• IP Ranges & Hosting Data: For businesses trying to understand more about specific entities, ipinfo.io offers details about IP ranges associated with a company and even information about hosting providers. This can be pivotal for cybersecurity professionals and marketers alike.
• Bulk IP Geolocation: The Bulk IP Geolocation feature on IPInfo is awesome. They even provide sample downloadable CSVs so I was able to test it out. I was blown away by how quickly the results came back.

Drawbacks

• IPInfo’s reviews speak for themselves. There is very little to complain about. One of the most common complaints is the price. IpInfo is more expensive than some competitors.

Pricing

IpInfo offers pricing for API access, Data Download, and Snowflake integration. Here is the pricing information for API access.

• Basic ($99/mo). You get 150k requests per month for geolocation and asn.
• Standard ($249/mo). 250k requests and includes privacy detection and priority support
• Business ($499/mo). 500k requests per month and includes abuse, carrier, company, and hosted domain info

Conclusion

Geolocation APIs are a must-have for any enterprise working at scale. Its purpose isn’t just to provide user demographic and marketing information, but to protect companies from fraud, and malicious users, and help them stay compliant with local laws.

When making your decision, it’s always important to compare your in-house capabilities and requirements.

• What is your specific use case?
• What are your volume requirements?
• Do you need to store data locally to improve speeds?
• Are your users covered geographically by the service?

FAQs

Grant Ongstad

Grant is a Solution Architect and SaaS product reviewer. His work concentrates solely on SaaS and technology, collaborating with clients in DevOps, Testing, Endpoint management, and cloud hosting.

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