Lobsters vs mailboxlayer
Same instrument, two spec sheets — measured, not claimed.
Lobsters vs mailboxlayer: common questions
Which is more reliable, Lobsters or mailboxlayer?
Both are neck-and-neck — Lobsters and mailboxlayer 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, Lobsters or mailboxlayer?
Lobsters has the lower median latency in our checks — Lobsters responds in 243 ms versus mailboxlayer at 316 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 Lobsters and mailboxlayer need an API key?
Lobsters needs no key, while mailboxlayer requires a free API key. If you want to start calling without signup, reach for Lobsters first.
Can I call Lobsters and mailboxlayer from the browser?
Neither sends browser-friendly CORS headers reliably, so call Lobsters and mailboxlayer from a server or proxy rather than client-side. The CORS and HTTPS rows above show exactly what we detected for each.
Are Lobsters and mailboxlayer free for commercial use?
Lobsters has unclear commercial terms, and mailboxlayer 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.