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FIRST News API vs REST Countries

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

APIFIRST News APINEW—REST CountriesHEALTHY—
Uptime · 30d
Uptime · 90d—%—%
Uptime · 30d—%—%
P50 · ms——
P95 · ms——
Authnonenone
CORSyesyes
HTTPSyesyes
Card requirednono
Commercial useunclearyes
Data licenseUnverifiedMPL-2.0
Free tierFree — limits not publishedUnlimited
Rate limitUnpublishedNone published
In directory since2026-07-052026-05-02
operationalpartialdownno data

FIRST News API vs REST Countries: common questions

Which is more reliable, FIRST News API or REST Countries?

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

Do FIRST News API and REST Countries need an API key?

Neither needs a paid key — FIRST News API is callable with no signup, and REST Countries is callable with no signup. Both are quick to prototype with; rate limits still apply.

Can I call FIRST News API and REST Countries from the browser?

Yes — both FIRST News API and REST Countries 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 FIRST News API and REST Countries free for commercial use?

FIRST News API has unclear commercial terms, and REST Countries 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.