Open Food Facts vs TheMealDB
Same instrument, two spec sheets — measured, not claimed.
Open Food Facts vs TheMealDB: common questions
Which is more reliable, Open Food Facts or TheMealDB?
On our scheduled checks, TheMealDB leads on measured uptime — Open Food Facts at 39.2% versus TheMealDB at 100% over 90 days. These are our own probe results, not provider claims; the uptime bars above show the day-by-day record for both.
Which is faster, Open Food Facts or TheMealDB?
TheMealDB has the lower median latency in our checks — Open Food Facts responds in 1556 ms versus TheMealDB at 198 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 Open Food Facts and TheMealDB need an API key?
Neither needs a paid key — Open Food Facts is callable with no signup, and TheMealDB is callable with no signup. Both are quick to prototype with; rate limits still apply.
Can I call Open Food Facts and TheMealDB from the browser?
Only TheMealDB is browser-friendly — it returns CORS headers over HTTPS. Open Food Facts needs a server-side call or proxy, so factor that into which one fits a front-end project.
Are Open Food Facts and TheMealDB free for commercial use?
Open Food Facts has unclear commercial terms, and TheMealDB 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.