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NPPES vs OpenF1

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

APINPPESNEW—OpenF1NEW—
Uptime · 30d
Uptime · 90d—%—%
Uptime · 30d—%—%
P50 · ms——
P95 · ms——
Authnonenone
CORSnoyes
HTTPSyesyes
Card requirednono
Commercial useyesunclear
Data licenseU.S. Government (public NPI data)Unverified
Free tierFree — no key requiredFree & open (historical); real-time may require a free account
Rate limitUnpublishedRetry-After: 60s
In directory since2026-07-052026-07-05
operationalpartialdownno data

NPPES vs OpenF1: common questions

Which is more reliable, NPPES or OpenF1?

On our scheduled checks, OpenF1 leads on measured uptime — NPPES at —% versus OpenF1 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 NPPES and OpenF1 need an API key?

Neither needs a paid key — NPPES is callable with no signup, and OpenF1 is callable with no signup. Both are quick to prototype with; rate limits still apply.

Can I call NPPES and OpenF1 from the browser?

Only OpenF1 is browser-friendly — it returns CORS headers over HTTPS. NPPES needs a server-side call or proxy, so factor that into which one fits a front-end project.

Are NPPES and OpenF1 free for commercial use?

NPPES allows commercial use on its free tier, and OpenF1 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.