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Helium vs News Plugin

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

APIHeliumNEW—News PluginNEW—
Uptime · 30d
Uptime · 90d—%—%
Uptime · 30d—%—%
P50 · ms——
P95 · ms——
Authnonenone
CORSnono
HTTPSyesyes
Card requirednono
Commercial useunclearunclear
Data licenseUnverifiedUnverified
Free tierFirst 50 queries per IP free, no key (paid API key beyond, ~$0.02/query)Free — limits not published
Rate limit50 free queries per IP subnetUnpublished
In directory since2026-07-052026-07-05
operationalpartialdownno data

Helium vs News Plugin: common questions

Which is more reliable, Helium or News Plugin?

On our scheduled checks, News Plugin leads on measured uptime — Helium at —% versus News Plugin 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 Helium and News Plugin need an API key?

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

Can I call Helium and News Plugin from the browser?

Neither sends browser-friendly CORS headers reliably, so call Helium and News Plugin from a server or proxy rather than client-side. The CORS and HTTPS rows above show exactly what we detected for each.

Are Helium and News Plugin free for commercial use?

Helium has unclear commercial terms, and News Plugin 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.