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MusicBrainz vs Radio Browser

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

APIMusicBrainzHEALTHY82Radio BrowserHEALTHY90
Uptime · 30d
Uptime · 90d90.2%95.1%
Uptime · 30d86.7%98.3%
P50 · ms660556
P95 · ms47702431
Authnonenone
CORSyesyes
HTTPSyesyes
Card requirednono
Commercial useyesunclear
Data licenseCore data CC0; some supplementary data CC BY-NC-SA 3.0Unverified
Free tierFree — no key requiredFree and open source — no key
Rate limit~1 request/second per IP; descriptive User-Agent requiredUnpublished (clients asked to send a descriptive User-Agent)
In directory since2026-07-052026-07-05
operationalpartialdownno data

MusicBrainz vs Radio Browser: common questions

Which is more reliable, MusicBrainz or Radio Browser?

On our scheduled checks, Radio Browser leads on measured uptime — MusicBrainz at 90.2% versus Radio Browser at 95.1% 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, MusicBrainz or Radio Browser?

Radio Browser has the lower median latency in our checks — MusicBrainz responds in 660 ms versus Radio Browser at 556 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 MusicBrainz and Radio Browser need an API key?

Neither needs a paid key — MusicBrainz is callable with no signup, and Radio Browser is callable with no signup. Both are quick to prototype with; rate limits still apply.

Can I call MusicBrainz and Radio Browser from the browser?

Yes — both MusicBrainz and Radio Browser 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 MusicBrainz and Radio Browser free for commercial use?

MusicBrainz allows commercial use on its free tier, and Radio Browser 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.