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Currents vs FIRST News API

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

APICurrentsHEALTHY93FIRST News APIHEALTHY85
Uptime · 30d
Uptime · 90d100%100%
Uptime · 30d100%100%
P50 · ms586780
P95 · ms11651595
AuthapiKeynone
CORSnoyes
HTTPSyesyes
Card requirednono
Commercial useunclearunclear
Data licenseUnverifiedUnverified
Free tierFree tier — key may be requiredFree — limits not published
Rate limitUnpublishedUnpublished
In directory since2026-07-052026-07-05
operationalpartialdownno data

Currents vs FIRST News API: common questions

Which is more reliable, Currents or FIRST News API?

Both are neck-and-neck — Currents and FIRST News API each measure 100% uptime over 90 days on our probe schedule. Reliability here is verified from our own scheduled checks; use the 30-day bars above to see which has been steadier lately.

Which is faster, Currents or FIRST News API?

Currents has the lower median latency in our checks — Currents responds in 586 ms versus FIRST News API at 780 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 Currents and FIRST News API need an API key?

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

Can I call Currents and FIRST News API from the browser?

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

Are Currents and FIRST News API free for commercial use?

Currents has unclear commercial terms, and FIRST News API 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.