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Nominatim (OSM) vs Postcodes.io

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

APINominatim (OSM)HEALTHY96Postcodes.ioHEALTHY100
Uptime · 30d
Uptime · 90d100%100%
Uptime · 30d100%100%
P50 · ms33233
P95 · ms990328
AuthuserAgentnone
CORSyesyes
HTTPSyesyes
Card requirednono
Commercial usenounclear
Data licenseODbL (OpenStreetMap)Service MIT-licensed; postcode data license unverified
Free tier1 req/sec, identified UA requiredFree — no key required
Rate limit1/sec hard — per applicationUnpublished (no key; fair use)
In directory since2026-05-022026-07-05
operationalpartialdownno data

Nominatim (OSM) vs Postcodes.io: common questions

Which is more reliable, Nominatim (OSM) or Postcodes.io?

Both are neck-and-neck — Nominatim (OSM) and Postcodes.io 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, Nominatim (OSM) or Postcodes.io?

Postcodes.io has the lower median latency in our checks — Nominatim (OSM) responds in 332 ms versus Postcodes.io at 33 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 Nominatim (OSM) and Postcodes.io need an API key?

Neither needs a paid key — Nominatim (OSM) is keyless but wants an identifying User-Agent header, and Postcodes.io is callable with no signup. Both are quick to prototype with; rate limits still apply.

Can I call Nominatim (OSM) and Postcodes.io from the browser?

Yes — both Nominatim (OSM) and Postcodes.io 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 Nominatim (OSM) and Postcodes.io free for commercial use?

Nominatim (OSM) is personal/non-commercial only, and Postcodes.io 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.