Mediastack vs REST Countries
Same instrument, two spec sheets — measured, not claimed.
Mediastack vs REST Countries: common questions
Which is more reliable, Mediastack or REST Countries?
Both are neck-and-neck — Mediastack and REST Countries 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, Mediastack or REST Countries?
REST Countries has the lower median latency in our checks — Mediastack responds in 293 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 Mediastack and REST Countries need an API key?
REST Countries needs no key, while Mediastack requires a free API key. If you want to start calling without signup, reach for REST Countries first.
Can I call Mediastack and REST Countries from the browser?
Only REST Countries is browser-friendly — it returns CORS headers over HTTPS. Mediastack needs a server-side call or proxy, so factor that into which one fits a front-end project.
Are Mediastack and REST Countries free for commercial use?
Mediastack 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.