IP2Location vs IPWhois
Same instrument, two spec sheets — measured, not claimed.
IP2Location vs IPWhois: common questions
Which is more reliable, IP2Location or IPWhois?
Both are neck-and-neck — IP2Location and IPWhois 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, IP2Location or IPWhois?
IPWhois has the lower median latency in our checks — IP2Location responds in 131 ms versus IPWhois at 23 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 IP2Location and IPWhois need an API key?
Both ask you to authenticate — IP2Location uses an API key and IPWhois 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 IP2Location and IPWhois from the browser?
Neither sends browser-friendly CORS headers reliably, so call IP2Location and IPWhois from a server or proxy rather than client-side. The CORS and HTTPS rows above show exactly what we detected for each.
Are IP2Location and IPWhois free for commercial use?
IP2Location has unclear commercial terms, and IPWhois 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.