Minor Planet Center vs OpenAlex
Same instrument, two spec sheets — measured, not claimed.
Minor Planet Center vs OpenAlex: common questions
Which is more reliable, Minor Planet Center or OpenAlex?
On our scheduled checks, Minor Planet Center leads on measured uptime — Minor Planet Center at 99.02% versus OpenAlex at 1.0% over 90 days. These are our own probe results, not provider claims; the uptime bars above show the day-by-day record for both.
Which is faster, Minor Planet Center or OpenAlex?
Minor Planet Center has the lower median latency in our checks — Minor Planet Center responds in 217 ms versus OpenAlex at 3167 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 Minor Planet Center and OpenAlex need an API key?
Neither needs a paid key — Minor Planet Center is callable with no signup, and OpenAlex is callable with no signup. Both are quick to prototype with; rate limits still apply.
Can I call Minor Planet Center and OpenAlex from the browser?
Only OpenAlex is browser-friendly — it returns CORS headers over HTTPS. Minor Planet Center needs a server-side call or proxy, so factor that into which one fits a front-end project.
Are Minor Planet Center and OpenAlex free for commercial use?
Minor Planet Center has unclear commercial terms, and OpenAlex 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.