REST Countries vs Zenodo
Same instrument, two spec sheets — measured, not claimed.
REST Countries vs Zenodo: common questions
Which is more reliable, REST Countries or Zenodo?
On our scheduled checks, REST Countries leads on measured uptime — REST Countries at 100% versus Zenodo 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, REST Countries or Zenodo?
REST Countries has the lower median latency in our checks — REST Countries responds in 328 ms versus Zenodo at 1698 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 REST Countries and Zenodo need an API key?
Neither needs a paid key — REST Countries is callable with no signup, and Zenodo is callable with no signup. Both are quick to prototype with; rate limits still apply.
Can I call REST Countries and Zenodo from the browser?
Only Zenodo is browser-friendly — it returns CORS headers over HTTPS. REST Countries needs a server-side call or proxy, so factor that into which one fits a front-end project.
Are REST Countries and Zenodo free for commercial use?
REST Countries allows commercial use on its free tier, and Zenodo 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.