APITube vs Chronicling America

Same instrument, two spec sheets — measured, not claimed.

Uptime · 30d
Uptime · 90d—%—%
Uptime · 30d—%—%
P50 · ms
P95 · ms
AuthapiKeynone
CORSnono
HTTPSyesyes
Card requirednono
Commercial useunclearyes
Data licenseUnverifiedPublic domain / no known copyright (Library of Congress)
Free tierTrial — API key requiredFree — public-domain collection data
Rate limitPlan-dependentLoC throttles heavy crawling (see LoC API policy)
In directory since2026-07-052026-07-05
operationalpartialdownno data

APITube vs Chronicling America: common questions

Which is more reliable, APITube or Chronicling America?

On our scheduled checks, Chronicling America leads on measured uptime — APITube at —% versus Chronicling America at —% over 90 days. These are our own probe results, not provider claims; the uptime bars above show the day-by-day record for both.

Do APITube and Chronicling America need an API key?

Chronicling America needs no key, while APITube requires a free API key. If you want to start calling without signup, reach for Chronicling America first.

Can I call APITube and Chronicling America from the browser?

Neither sends browser-friendly CORS headers reliably, so call APITube and Chronicling America from a server or proxy rather than client-side. The CORS and HTTPS rows above show exactly what we detected for each.

Are APITube and Chronicling America free for commercial use?

APITube has unclear commercial terms, and Chronicling America allows commercial use on its free tier. We track service terms and the data license as separate fields — see the Commercial use and Data license rows above, and confirm both before shipping either in a paid product.