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OpenSanctions vs REST Countries

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

APIOpenSanctionsNEW—REST CountriesHEALTHY—
Uptime · 30d
Uptime · 90d—%—%
Uptime · 30d—%—%
P50 · ms——
P95 · ms——
Authnonenone
CORSyesyes
HTTPSyesyes
Card requirednono
Commercial useunclearyes
Data licenseUnverifiedMPL-2.0
Free tierFree — limits not publishedUnlimited
Rate limitUnpublishedNone published
In directory since2026-07-052026-05-02
operationalpartialdownno data

OpenSanctions vs REST Countries: common questions

Which is more reliable, OpenSanctions or REST Countries?

On our scheduled checks, REST Countries leads on measured uptime — OpenSanctions at —% versus REST Countries 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 OpenSanctions and REST Countries need an API key?

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

Can I call OpenSanctions and REST Countries from the browser?

Yes — both OpenSanctions and REST Countries 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 OpenSanctions and REST Countries free for commercial use?

OpenSanctions has unclear commercial terms, and REST Countries 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.