IPWhois vs positionstack
Same instrument, two spec sheets — measured, not claimed.
IPWhois vs positionstack: common questions
Which is more reliable, IPWhois or positionstack?
Both are neck-and-neck — IPWhois and positionstack 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, IPWhois or positionstack?
IPWhois has the lower median latency in our checks — IPWhois responds in 23 ms versus positionstack at 455 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 IPWhois and positionstack need an API key?
Both ask you to authenticate — IPWhois uses an API key and positionstack 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 IPWhois and positionstack from the browser?
Neither sends browser-friendly CORS headers reliably, so call IPWhois and positionstack from a server or proxy rather than client-side. The CORS and HTTPS rows above show exactly what we detected for each.
Are IPWhois and positionstack free for commercial use?
IPWhois has unclear commercial terms, and positionstack 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.