IP Geo API

ipinfo.io Alternative — Why Developers Switch to IP Geo API

TL;DR: ipinfo.io is an industry leader with deep enterprise features (privacy detection, mobile carrier data, hosted databases). It is also US-headquartered, USD-billed, and pricier per request than EU-focused alternatives. IP Geo API offers a direct REST replacement, free VPN/Proxy/Tor detection on every plan, EU-only data residency, and EUR billing.

Try IP Geo API free → · 1.000 requests/day · no credit card

At a glance

Dimension ipinfo.io IP Geo API
Free tier 50K req/mo (basic data) 30K req/mo (1K/day) — full data including threat
Entry paid $99/mo (250K req/mo) EUR 29/mo (100K req/mo)
Mid paid $249/mo (1M req/mo) EUR 99/mo (1M req/mo)
Privacy detection $$$ — separate “Privacy Detection” add-on Included on all plans
Mobile carrier data $$$ — separate “Carrier Detection” add-on Roadmap Q3 2026 (currently: ASN-based heuristic)
Hosted database (offline use) Yes (large file, monthly snapshot) Roadmap — current API is real-time only
Hosting Global (US-headquartered) EU-only (Frankfurt + Amsterdam)
Currency USD EUR
Data residency commitment Standard cloud terms Contractual EU-only, no US transfer
Threat data Add-on Included: VPN, proxy, Tor, datacenter, residential
API rate limit (free) 50K/mo, smoothed 1K/day (no burst smoothing)
Support response (paid) Tiered SLA <24h all plans, Slack on Business
Customer-base Enterprise + indie EU SMB + indie

Honest: ipinfo.io has the deepest IP intelligence dataset in market, especially for mobile carrier and ASN abuse signals. If you have $5K+/mo budget and need carrier-level data, ipinfo.io is the right choice.

When IP Geo API beats ipinfo.io

1. Threat detection should not be a paid add-on

ipinfo.io charges separately for “Privacy Detection” (proxy/VPN/Tor) — the add-on doubles your bill at scale. IP Geo API includes it free on every plan including the free 1K/day tier. This is the most common reason developers switch.

2. Your customers/auditors want EU-only data

ipinfo.io is a US Delaware corporation. Even with EU sub-processors, contracts route through US jurisdiction (CCPA/CLOUD Act exposure). IP Geo API is EU-only at the infra, contract, and corporate level (operating BV in oprichting, target Q2 2026).

3. You’re an indie / small SaaS / EU agency

$99/mo entry is steep for early-stage products. EUR 29/mo is friendlier on a CAC budget. If you grow to 1M req/mo, IP Geo API is EUR 99 vs ipinfo.io $249. ~60% cheaper at the same quota tier.

4. iDEAL / SEPA / Bancontact billing

Mollie-powered checkout. Pay with iDEAL, SEPA, Bancontact — not just credit cards. Important for EU companies whose accounting workflows expect SEPA invoicing.

5. Real-time API is enough (no offline DB needed)

If you don’t need ipinfo.io’s downloadable database (multi-GB snapshot), the API-only model is leaner and cheaper. IP Geo API is API-only by design.

When ipinfo.io is the better choice

Real strengths — be honest with yourself:

If you’re an enterprise security team needing compliance evidence today — ipinfo.io. If you’re a developer or EU SMB optimizing for cost + EU residency — IP Geo API.

Migration guide

Step 1: Sign up

open https://ipgeo.10b.app/pricing
export IPGEO_API_KEY=sk_live_...

Step 2: Swap endpoint

ipinfo.io:

curl https://ipinfo.io/8.8.8.8?token=$TOKEN

IP Geo API:

curl https://ipgeo.10b.app/v1/lookup/8.8.8.8 \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $IPGEO_API_KEY"

Step 3: Field mapping

ipinfo.io IP Geo API Notes
ip ip Identical
city location.city Nested
region location.region Nested
country country.iso_code Renamed for clarity
loc (“lat,lng”) location.lat, location.lng Split into two fields
org (e.g., “AS15169 Google LLC”) network.asn + network.organization Split
postal location.postal_code Renamed
timezone location.timezone Nested
privacy.vpn, proxy, tor, relay, hosting threat.is_vpn, is_proxy, is_tor, is_datacenter Free, included

Compatibility shim available: ?format=ipinfo returns flat ipinfo.io-style response.

Step 4: Quota & burst

Step 5: Cutover

Dual-write for 24-48h, diff sample, then flip env var or DNS.

Pricing snapshot (2026-04-16)

Volume ipinfo.io IP Geo API Savings
50K/mo Free (basic only) Free (full data) Threat-detection included
100K/mo $99 (Basic) + $99 (Privacy add-on) = $198 EUR 29 ~85% lower
250K/mo $99 (Basic 250K) + $99 (Privacy) = $198 EUR 29 (still in Starter) ~85% lower
1M/mo $249 (Standard 1M) + $249 (Privacy) = $498 EUR 99 (Business) ~80% lower
5M/mo Custom (~$1.500+) Custom (EUR 350-500 range) ~70% lower

Add-on bundling differs per ipinfo plan. We took the most-common config: Standard + Privacy Detection. Verify on ipinfo.io/pricing.

FAQ

Why is IP Geo API so much cheaper?

Three reasons: (1) we don’t sell add-ons — threat detection is bundled. (2) EU hosting on Hetzner is structurally cheaper than US AWS-equivalent. (3) we’re a smaller/newer player and price aggressively for adoption. We can do this sustainably because our infra costs are <EUR 200/mo at current scale.

Is the data quality comparable?

For country/region/city: yes (both use MaxMind + IP2Location as primary sources). For ASN/org: yes. For threat detection: comparable accuracy but different model — we score on combined signals (ASN reputation, port-scan data, residential IP signals); ipinfo.io uses their proprietary classifier.

What about privacy and ePrivacy compliance?

Logging is operational only (1h retention). We do not retain a mapping of customer-IP -> queried-IP. Full disclosure: privacy policy.

Can I get a SLA above 99.5%?

Business plan SLA is 99.5%. Custom 99.9% available on annual contracts (EUR 10K+/year).

Do you support webhook-based bulk processing?

Not currently. POST batch (up to 100 IPs/req) is the recommended pattern. Webhook delivery on roadmap for Q4 2026.

Are you GDPR-compliant?

Yes — EU-only infrastructure, EU-only operating entity (in oprichting), no transfer to non-adequacy countries, standard EU DPA available. Contact legal@10b.app for the DPA template.

Read also

IP Geo API vs ipinfo.io in 2026: When the EU Alternative Wins (and When It Doesn’t) → — 5-minute narrative companion to this comparison: honest take on when ipinfo.io is still the right call, code-level migration sketch, and 2026 pricing math at 100K / 1M / 10M req/mo.

How to Migrate from ipinfo.io to IP Geo API in 2026: A Step-by-Step Drop-In Guide → — practical 7-step migration guide: field-by-field map, drop-in code diffs (Python / Node / Go), the loc-string and ASN-org gotchas, shadow-mode validation, gradual cutover, rollback plan.

Six sibling migration walkthroughs — same field-map + code-diff format, different incumbent gotchas:

If you’re also comparing IP Geo API against the other providers most often shortlisted next to ipinfo.io, the narrative deep-dives:

Try IP Geo API free

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No add-ons. No USD-EUR FX. Threat detection included. EU-hosted. Cancel anytime.

Industry deep-dives

Last updated: 2026-04-16. Pricing verified against vendor public pages on this date. Submit a correction →

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