- IP geolocation APIs side by side
- Eleven IP geolocation APIs to look at
- Where to start for your project
- Why an IP address can be personal data
- Country-level lookups versus city-level detail
- Questions to ask before you choose an IP geolocation API
- Signs your site needs location data
- My plain advice on choosing an IP geolocation API
- Frequently asked questions
The best IP geolocation APIs tell your website or app roughly where a visitor is connecting from, usually the country and often the city, network and time zone. Some offer free tiers for small projects, while others add VPN, proxy and threat detection. Eleven options follow in no particular order.
Showing the right language, the right offer or the right shipping message to a first-time visitor makes a site feel local before they've clicked anything. An IP lookup is the quiet bit of plumbing that makes that possible.
The eleven APIs below are listed alphabetically and in no particular order, and every description comes from the provider's own website, read this week. If you'd like to use location to sell more, my guide on how to increase conversions with on-site geotargeting shows what works.
IP geolocation APIs side by side
I checked the free plan column on each tool's own website, as of Oct 2026. Yes means the site names a free plan, a free version, a free tier or an open source version. Trial only means a time-limited trial. Not stated means the pages I read named neither, even where there's a button inviting you to start for free, so check the vendor's page before you sign up.
| Tool | Type | Good for | Free plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| BigDataCloud | IP geolocation and reverse geocoding APIs | Free tiers on every package | Yes |
| DB-IP | Geolocation API and free address database | Downloadable databases and an API | Yes |
| ip-api | Geolocation API, free for non-commercial use | Hobby projects with no API key | Yes |
| IP2Location | IP location and proxy data provider | Location plus proxy detection | Yes |
| ipapi | IP address lookup and geolocation API | Lookups without signing up | Not stated |
| ipdata | IP geolocation and threat data API | Fraud checks with carrier data | Yes |
| ipgeolocation.io | IP geolocation API and database | Location with time zone and user agent | Yes |
| IPinfo | IP data for developers and enterprises | Accurate data at enterprise scale | Not stated |
| IPLocate | IP geolocation and privacy detection API | Spotting VPNs and abuse | Yes |
| ipregistry | IP geolocation and threat intelligence data | Threat data with official libraries | Not stated |
| MaxMind GeoIP | IP location databases and web services | The long-standing GeoIP databases | Yes |
Eleven IP geolocation APIs to look at
BigDataCloud
Best for: Developers who want IP geolocation and reverse geocoding with a free tier on each package and every endpoint included.
DB-IP
Best for: Teams who want an API plus downloadable IP databases, including a free database to start with.
ip-api
Best for: Hobbyists and students who want a quick geolocation API that needs no key for non-commercial projects.
IP2Location
Best for: Businesses that want IP location data with proxy, VPN and bot detection, starting from a free account.
ipapi
Best for: Testers who want a simple REST API they can try straight away with a single command, with no sign-up.
ipdata
Best for: Fraud and security teams who want geolocation with carrier and threat data, plus a free daily allowance.
ipgeolocation.io
Best for: Developers who want location, time zone and user agent context from one endpoint, with a free plan for testing.
IPinfo
Best for: Larger companies that want accurate IP data built to scale, with a straightforward API and many integrations.
IPLocate
Best for: Sign-up and checkout teams who want to catch fake accounts and abuse with privacy detection, plus free country-level data.
ipregistry
Best for: Engineering teams who want geolocation and threat intelligence with official open source libraries for many programming languages.
MaxMind GeoIP
Best for: Teams who want long-established GeoIP databases for local lookups, with free GeoLite data to begin with.
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Where to start for your project
- Hobby projects with no API key: ip-api.
- Downloadable databases for local lookups: MaxMind GeoIP or DB-IP.
- Fraud checks with carrier and threat data: ipdata.
- Catching VPNs and fake sign-ups: IPLocate.
- Enterprise-scale IP data: IPinfo.
Why an IP address can be personal data
The Information Commissioner's Office says the UK GDPR names online identifiers in its definition of personal data, and lists internet protocol (IP) addresses and cookie identifiers among them.
So looking up a visitor's location from their IP address isn't a purely technical step. Mention it in your privacy notice, keep only what you need, and think about whether you need to store the result at all.
Country-level lookups versus city-level detail
Country lookups are the most reliable and cover most everyday needs, such as choosing a language, a region or which shipping message to show.
City and postcode-level results are less precise, especially on mobile networks and for people using a VPN. Treat them as a helpful guess rather than an exact address, and never use them to make important decisions on their own.
Questions to ask before you choose an IP geolocation API
- How accurate is it in the countries I care about?
- Does it detect VPNs, proxies and hosting networks?
- Does it support both IPv4 and IPv6?
- Can I download a database for local lookups?
- How quickly does it respond?
- Is the free allowance enough for my traffic?
Signs your site needs location data
- Overseas visitors see the wrong shipping message. Localise it.
- Fake accounts keep signing up. Check network details.
- Every visitor sees the same language. Suggest a local one.
- Your analytics can't explain regional sales. Add country data.
Do you make an IP geolocation or IP data API? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
My plain advice on choosing an IP geolocation API
Use location to help visitors, not to box them in. Suggest the local version of your site and let people switch, because travellers, VPN users and people on mobile networks will sometimes look like they're somewhere they're not.
And if you're using lookups to stop fraud, combine them with other signals rather than relying on location alone. My article on the types of ecommerce fraud and how to prevent them covers the other checks worth adding.
Frequently asked questions
What is an IP geolocation API?
An IP geolocation API is a service that looks up an IP address and returns its likely location, such as country, region and city, plus network details.
How accurate is IP geolocation?
Country results are usually reliable. City-level results are less precise and can be wrong for mobile networks and VPN users.
Are there free IP geolocation APIs?
Yes. Several providers offer free plans, free allowances or free databases. The free plan column above shows what each provider's own site says.
Is an IP address personal data?
It can be. The ICO lists IP addresses among the online identifiers the UK GDPR mentions in its definition of personal data.
Can IP geolocation detect a VPN?
Some providers flag VPNs, proxies and hosting networks, which helps with fraud checks and sign-up abuse.
Should I redirect visitors based on their location?
It's usually better to suggest the local version and let people choose, because location guesses are sometimes wrong.
