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Open Notify vs USGS Earthquake Hazards Program

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

APIOpen NotifyHEALTHY73USGS Earthquake Hazards ProgramHEALTHY91
Uptime · 30d
Uptime · 90d71.6%99.02%
Uptime · 30d65.0%100%
P50 · ms241549
P95 · ms42981638
Authnonenone
CORSyesyes
HTTPSnoyes
Card requirednono
Commercial useunclearyes
Data licensen/aPublic domain (U.S. Government work)
Free tierUnlimited (volunteer-run)Free — no API key required
Rate limitPlease be gentleUnpublished
In directory since2026-05-022026-07-05
operationalpartialdownno data

Open Notify vs USGS Earthquake Hazards Program: common questions

Which is more reliable, Open Notify or USGS Earthquake Hazards Program?

On our scheduled checks, USGS Earthquake Hazards Program leads on measured uptime — Open Notify at 71.6% versus USGS Earthquake Hazards Program at 99.02% 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 Notify or USGS Earthquake Hazards Program?

Open Notify has the lower median latency in our checks — Open Notify responds in 241 ms versus USGS Earthquake Hazards Program at 549 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 Notify and USGS Earthquake Hazards Program need an API key?

Neither needs a paid key — Open Notify is callable with no signup, and USGS Earthquake Hazards Program is callable with no signup. Both are quick to prototype with; rate limits still apply.

Can I call Open Notify and USGS Earthquake Hazards Program from the browser?

Only USGS Earthquake Hazards Program is browser-friendly — it returns CORS headers over HTTPS. Open Notify needs a server-side call or proxy, so factor that into which one fits a front-end project.

Are Open Notify and USGS Earthquake Hazards Program free for commercial use?

Open Notify has unclear commercial terms, and USGS Earthquake Hazards Program 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.