AQICN vs AviationWeather

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

Uptime · 30d
Uptime · 90d100%93.1%
Uptime · 30d100%91.7%
P50 · ms224450
P95 · ms6654734
AuthapiKeynone
CORSyesno
HTTPSnoyes
Card requirednono
Commercial useunclearyes
Data licenseUnverifiedPublic domain (U.S. Government / NOAA)
Free tierFree tier — API key requiredFree, no key
Rate limitUnpublishedUnpublished (NWS requests reasonable use)
In directory since2026-07-052026-07-05
operationalpartialdownno data

AQICN vs AviationWeather: common questions

Which is more reliable, AQICN or AviationWeather?

On our scheduled checks, AQICN leads on measured uptime — AQICN at 100% versus AviationWeather at 93.1% over 90 days. These are our own probe results, not provider claims; the uptime bars above show the day-by-day record for both.

Which is faster, AQICN or AviationWeather?

AQICN has the lower median latency in our checks — AQICN responds in 224 ms versus AviationWeather at 450 ms (P50). Tail latency (P95) is in the table above; for most workloads the median is the number that shapes how the API feels.

Do AQICN and AviationWeather need an API key?

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

Can I call AQICN and AviationWeather from the browser?

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

Are AQICN and AviationWeather free for commercial use?

AQICN has unclear commercial terms, and AviationWeather 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.