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Data.parliament.uk vs Open Government, ACT

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

APIData.parliament.ukHEALTHY95Open Government, ACTHEALTHY56
Uptime · 30d
Uptime · 90d99.02%93.1%
Uptime · 30d100%90.0%
P50 · ms3623297
P95 · ms39544902
Authnonenone
CORSyesyes
HTTPSyesyes
Card requirednono
Commercial useyesunclear
Data licenseOpen Parliament LicencePer-dataset
Free tierFree / open dataFree — app token optional (raises limits)
Rate limitUnpublishedThrottled; higher limits with a free Socrata app token
In directory since2026-07-052026-07-05
operationalpartialdownno data

Data.parliament.uk vs Open Government, ACT: common questions

Which is more reliable, Data.parliament.uk or Open Government, ACT?

On our scheduled checks, Data.parliament.uk leads on measured uptime — Data.parliament.uk at 99.02% versus Open Government, ACT 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, Data.parliament.uk or Open Government, ACT?

Data.parliament.uk has the lower median latency in our checks — Data.parliament.uk responds in 362 ms versus Open Government, ACT at 3297 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 Data.parliament.uk and Open Government, ACT need an API key?

Neither needs a paid key — Data.parliament.uk is callable with no signup, and Open Government, ACT is callable with no signup. Both are quick to prototype with; rate limits still apply.

Can I call Data.parliament.uk and Open Government, ACT from the browser?

Yes — both Data.parliament.uk and Open Government, ACT send CORS headers over HTTPS, so front-end code can fetch either directly with no backend proxy. That makes them easy to swap in a client-side app while you compare responses.

Are Data.parliament.uk and Open Government, ACT free for commercial use?

Data.parliament.uk allows commercial use on its free tier, and Open Government, ACT 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.