Federal Register vs Open Government, ACT
Same instrument, two spec sheets — measured, not claimed.
Federal Register vs Open Government, ACT: common questions
Which is more reliable, Federal Register or Open Government, ACT?
On our scheduled checks, Federal Register leads on measured uptime — Federal Register at 98.0% 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, Federal Register or Open Government, ACT?
Federal Register has the lower median latency in our checks — Federal Register responds in 478 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 Federal Register and Open Government, ACT need an API key?
Neither needs a paid key — Federal Register 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 Federal Register and Open Government, ACT from the browser?
Yes — both Federal Register 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 Federal Register and Open Government, ACT free for commercial use?
Federal Register 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.