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Last.fm vs MusicBrainz

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

APILast.fmREACHABLE—MusicBrainzNEW—
Uptime · 30d
Uptime · 90d—%—%
Uptime · 30d—%—%
P50 · ms——
P95 · ms——
AuthapiKeynone
CORSyesyes
HTTPSyesyes
Card requirednono
Commercial useunclearyes
Data licenseLast.fm terms — attribution requiredCore data CC0; some supplementary data CC BY-NC-SA 3.0
Free tierFree personal API keyFree — no key required
Rate limitUnpublished~1 request/second per IP; descriptive User-Agent required
In directory since2026-07-052026-07-05
operationalpartialdownno data

Last.fm vs MusicBrainz: common questions

Which is more reliable, Last.fm or MusicBrainz?

On our scheduled checks, MusicBrainz leads on measured uptime — Last.fm at —% versus MusicBrainz 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 Last.fm and MusicBrainz need an API key?

MusicBrainz needs no key, while Last.fm requires a free API key. If you want to start calling without signup, reach for MusicBrainz first.

Can I call Last.fm and MusicBrainz from the browser?

Yes — both Last.fm and MusicBrainz send CORS headers over HTTPS, so front-end code can fetch either directly with no backend proxy. That makes them easy to swap in a client-side app while you compare responses.

Are Last.fm and MusicBrainz free for commercial use?

Last.fm has unclear commercial terms, and MusicBrainz 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.