Coffee vs OpenF1

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

Uptime · 30d
Uptime · 90d99.02%47.1%
Uptime · 30d98.3%41.7%
P50 · ms698747
P95 · ms28263525
Authnonenone
CORSnoyes
HTTPSyesyes
Card requirednono
Commercial useunclearunclear
Data licenseUnverifiedUnverified
Free tierFree — no API keyFree & open (historical); real-time may require a free account
Rate limitUnpublishedRetry-After: 60s
In directory since2026-07-052026-07-05
operationalpartialdownno data

Coffee vs OpenF1: common questions

Which is more reliable, Coffee or OpenF1?

On our scheduled checks, Coffee leads on measured uptime — Coffee at 99.02% versus OpenF1 at 47.1% 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, Coffee or OpenF1?

Coffee has the lower median latency in our checks — Coffee responds in 698 ms versus OpenF1 at 747 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 Coffee and OpenF1 need an API key?

Neither needs a paid key — Coffee is callable with no signup, and OpenF1 is callable with no signup. Both are quick to prototype with; rate limits still apply.

Can I call Coffee and OpenF1 from the browser?

Only OpenF1 is browser-friendly — it returns CORS headers over HTTPS. Coffee needs a server-side call or proxy, so factor that into which one fits a front-end project.

Are Coffee and OpenF1 free for commercial use?

Coffee has unclear commercial terms, and OpenF1 has unclear commercial terms. 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.