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ONS vs USAspending.gov

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

APIONSNEW—USAspending.govNEW—
Uptime · 30d
Uptime · 90d—%—%
Uptime · 30d—%—%
P50 · ms——
P95 · ms——
Authnonenone
CORSyesno
HTTPSyesyes
Card requirednono
Commercial useunclearyes
Data licenseUnverifiedU.S. Government Work (public domain)
Free tierFree — limits not publishedFree — no key required
Rate limitUnpublishedUnpublished
In directory since2026-07-052026-07-05
operationalpartialdownno data

ONS vs USAspending.gov: common questions

Which is more reliable, ONS or USAspending.gov?

On our scheduled checks, USAspending.gov leads on measured uptime — ONS at —% versus USAspending.gov 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 ONS and USAspending.gov need an API key?

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

Can I call ONS and USAspending.gov from the browser?

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

Are ONS and USAspending.gov free for commercial use?

ONS has unclear commercial terms, and USAspending.gov allows commercial use on its free tier. 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.