Giphy vs Imgur

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

Uptime · 30d
Uptime · 90d100%100%
Uptime · 30d100%100%
P50 · ms243863
P95 · ms10033846
AuthapiKeyapiKey
CORSyesno
HTTPSyesyes
Card requirednono
Commercial useunclearunclear
Data licenseUnverifiedUnverified
Free tierFree tier — API key requiredFree tier — API key required
Rate limitRetry-After: 0sUnpublished
In directory since2026-07-052026-07-05
operationalpartialdownno data

Giphy vs Imgur: common questions

Which is more reliable, Giphy or Imgur?

Both are neck-and-neck — Giphy and Imgur 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, Giphy or Imgur?

Giphy has the lower median latency in our checks — Giphy responds in 243 ms versus Imgur at 863 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 Giphy and Imgur need an API key?

Both ask you to authenticate — Giphy uses an API key and Imgur uses an API key. Each key is free to obtain; the Auth and Card-required rows above spell out the signup terms.

Can I call Giphy and Imgur from the browser?

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

Are Giphy and Imgur free for commercial use?

Giphy has unclear commercial terms, and Imgur 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.