HOL Registry Broker vs REST Countries

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

Uptime · 30d
Uptime · 90d99.44%100%
Uptime · 30d100%100%
P50 · ms222274
P95 · ms8811520
AuthapiKeynone
CORSnoyes
HTTPSyesyes
Card requirednono
Commercial useunclearyes
Data licenseUnverifiedMPL-2.0
Free tierFree tier — API key requiredUnlimited
Rate limitUnpublishedNone published
In directory since2026-07-052026-05-02
operationalpartialdownno data

HOL Registry Broker vs REST Countries: common questions

Which is more reliable, HOL Registry Broker or REST Countries?

On our scheduled checks, REST Countries leads on measured uptime — HOL Registry Broker at 99.44% versus REST Countries at 100% 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, HOL Registry Broker or REST Countries?

HOL Registry Broker has the lower median latency in our checks — HOL Registry Broker responds in 222 ms versus REST Countries at 274 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 HOL Registry Broker and REST Countries need an API key?

REST Countries needs no key, while HOL Registry Broker requires a free API key. If you want to start calling without signup, reach for REST Countries first.

Can I call HOL Registry Broker and REST Countries from the browser?

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

Are HOL Registry Broker and REST Countries free for commercial use?

HOL Registry Broker 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.