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MusicBrainz vs Radio Browser

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

APIMusicBrainzNEW—Radio BrowserNEW—
Uptime · 30d
Uptime · 90d—%—%
Uptime · 30d—%—%
P50 · ms——
P95 · ms——
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 —% versus Radio Browser 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 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.