USGS Water Services vs USPTO
Same instrument, two spec sheets — measured, not claimed.
USGS Water Services vs USPTO: common questions
Which is more reliable, USGS Water Services or USPTO?
On our scheduled checks, USPTO leads on measured uptime — USGS Water Services at 87.3% versus USPTO 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, USGS Water Services or USPTO?
USGS Water Services has the lower median latency in our checks — USGS Water Services responds in 828 ms versus USPTO at 1141 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 USGS Water Services and USPTO need an API key?
Neither needs a paid key — USGS Water Services is callable with no signup, and USPTO is callable with no signup. Both are quick to prototype with; rate limits still apply.
Can I call USGS Water Services and USPTO from the browser?
Only USGS Water Services is browser-friendly — it returns CORS headers over HTTPS. USPTO needs a server-side call or proxy, so factor that into which one fits a front-end project.
Are USGS Water Services and USPTO free for commercial use?
USGS Water Services allows commercial use on its free tier, and USPTO 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.