The Guardian vs Universities List
Same instrument, two spec sheets — measured, not claimed.
The Guardian vs Universities List: common questions
Which is more reliable, The Guardian or Universities List?
On our scheduled checks, Universities List leads on measured uptime — The Guardian at 50.6% versus Universities List 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, The Guardian or Universities List?
Universities List has the lower median latency in our checks — The Guardian responds in 517 ms versus Universities List at 222 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 The Guardian and Universities List need an API key?
Universities List needs no key, while The Guardian requires a free API key. If you want to start calling without signup, reach for Universities List first.
Can I call The Guardian and Universities List from the browser?
Neither sends browser-friendly CORS headers reliably, so call The Guardian and Universities List from a server or proxy rather than client-side. The CORS and HTTPS rows above show exactly what we detected for each.
Are The Guardian and Universities List free for commercial use?
The Guardian has unclear commercial terms, and Universities List 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.