Nager.Date vs The Colony
Same instrument, two spec sheets — measured, not claimed.
Nager.Date vs The Colony: common questions
Which is more reliable, Nager.Date or The Colony?
Both are neck-and-neck — Nager.Date and The Colony 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, Nager.Date or The Colony?
Nager.Date has the lower median latency in our checks — Nager.Date responds in 56 ms versus The Colony at 567 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 Nager.Date and The Colony need an API key?
Nager.Date needs no key, while The Colony requires a free API key. If you want to start calling without signup, reach for Nager.Date first.
Can I call Nager.Date and The Colony from the browser?
Only Nager.Date is browser-friendly — it returns CORS headers over HTTPS. The Colony needs a server-side call or proxy, so factor that into which one fits a front-end project.
Are Nager.Date and The Colony free for commercial use?
Nager.Date has unclear commercial terms, and The Colony 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.