IP Geo API

ipstack Alternative — Why Developers Switch to IP Geo API

TL;DR: ipstack (by apilayer) is a widely-used IP geolocation service with global infrastructure, but its free tier is HTTP-only (no HTTPS), requires attribution, and the useful bits (threat detection via the “Security Module”) are paywalled. If you need HTTPS on every tier, EU-only hosting, EUR billing, or threat classification without a bolt-on add-on, IP Geo API is the faster path. Drop-in REST replacement, EU-hosted on Hetzner Frankfurt + Vercel fra1.

Try IP Geo API free → · 1.000 requests/day · HTTPS on every tier · no credit card

Quick comparison

Dimension ipstack IP Geo API
Free tier quota 100 req/month, attribution required 1.000 req/day, no attribution
HTTPS on free tier ❌ HTTP only ✅ HTTPS on every tier
Paid entry $9.99/mo (Basic) — USD, HTTPS unlocked EUR 29/mo for 100K req/mo
Threat detection (VPN/Proxy/Tor) Paid “Security Module” add-on Included on every tier
Hosting region Global (Anycast, US-headquartered — apilayer / Vienna + Delaware) EU-only (Frankfurt + Amsterdam)
GDPR data residency Global routing (mixed jurisdiction) 100% EU, no US transfer
Currency USD only EUR (no FX surprise)
Billing methods Credit card (Paddle) iDEAL, Bancontact, SEPA, credit card (Mollie)
Response formats JSON, XML JSON (REST + JSON:API)
Bulk endpoint Yes (up to 50 IPs) Yes (POST batch up to 100 IPs)
ASN data Paid tier only All tiers, free included
IPv6 support Yes Yes
SLA on free tier None None
SLA on paid 99.999% (marketing claim) 99.5% (Business plan) — honest commitment
Support response Email, 1-3 business days <24h (all plans), Slack on Business plan
Vendor size apilayer, part of a multi-API portfolio Focused single-product vendor

Honest note: ipstack has broader global edge presence than an EU-only provider can match for non-EU clients, and the apilayer multi-API dashboard is convenient if you already use their other APIs (currencylayer, weatherstack, etc.). If those outweigh EU residency or HTTPS-on-free for you, stay with ipstack.

When IP Geo API is the better fit

1. You need HTTPS on your free tier

ipstack’s free plan serves over HTTP only. For any modern browser-side code, that means mixed-content warnings, CSP headers blocking the request, and in many cases outright failure. The workaround (upgrade to Basic at $9.99/mo) is fine if you have revenue, but it’s a hard wall for side projects and proof-of-concepts. IP Geo API serves HTTPS on every plan — including the 1.000 req/day free tier.

2. You need VPN/proxy detection without a second invoice

ipstack’s “Security Module” (fraud flags, proxy/Tor/VPN detection) is a paid add-on, not included even in the Basic plan. That means fraud-prevention use cases force a jump to Professional ($49.99/mo) or beyond. IP Geo API ships is_vpn, is_proxy, is_tor, is_datacenter, is_residential on every response, every tier — no add-on, no quota multiplier.

3. You need EU data residency (GDPR Article 44+)

apilayer is a US/Austrian company operating global infrastructure. Your IP queries may transit US-based edge nodes. For regulated industries (fintech, healthtech, gov-tech, adtech under GDPR scrutiny), that’s a compliance liability. IP Geo API runs only on EU infrastructure (Hetzner Nuremberg + Vercel fra1) and contractually commits to no transfer to non-adequacy countries.

4. You’re tired of USD pricing

Paddle/USD invoicing + monthly FX volatility add 1-3% friction to every bill. Dutch, Belgian, German, and French accounting teams flag this as a recurring annoyance. IP Geo API bills in EUR. iDEAL, SEPA, and Bancontact are first-class payment methods. No FX, no currency-conversion fee, no surprises on the monthly close.

5. You outgrew ipstack’s free 100-request ceiling

100 requests per month is thin for anything beyond a single-page demo. IP Geo API’s free tier is 1.000 requests per day (~30× ipstack’s monthly quota), attribution-free.

6. Your team prefers a simple, single-vendor invoice in EUR

Especially relevant for Dutch/Belgian/German agencies where supplier invoicing is audited. Mollie is a Dutch BV, fully invoicable, BTW-compliant. One invoice, one vendor, no reseller pass-through.

Migration guide (15 minutes)

Step 1: Sign up

# 1. Create account
open https://ipgeo.10b.app/pricing

# 2. Get your API key from the dashboard
export IPGEO_API_KEY=sk_live_...

Step 2: Swap the URL

ipstack:

curl "http://api.ipstack.com/8.8.8.8?access_key=YOUR_KEY"
# ↑ note the http:// on free tier

IP Geo API:

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

Step 3: Map response fields

Most fields are 1:1 compatible. Key differences:

ipstack field IP Geo API field Notes
country_code country.iso_code Nested under country
country_name country.name
continent_code, continent_name country.continent.code, country.continent.name
region_code, region_name region.iso_code, region.name
city city.name
zip location.postal_code
latitude, longitude location.lat, location.lng
connection.asn, connection.isp network.asn, network.organization
security.is_proxy, is_tor, etc. (paid) threat.is_proxy, is_tor, is_vpn, is_datacenter Free, always on

A compatibility shim (?format=ipstack) is available that returns the legacy ipstack flat shape — useful if you don’t want to refactor consumer code:

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

Step 4: Verify rate limits

Free: 1.000 req/day, no burst. Starter (EUR 29/mo): 100K req/mo, 60 req/sec burst. Business (EUR 99/mo): 1M req/mo, 200 req/sec burst, dedicated IP.

Step 5: Cut over

Recommended: dual-write for 24-48h, compare results (especially threat.* flags, which will be richer), then switch DNS / config / env var. Most customers complete the cutover in <30 minutes including verification.

Pricing comparison (2026-04-23)

Plan ipstack IP Geo API Notes
Free 100 req/mo, HTTP only, attribution required 1.000 req/day, HTTPS, no attribution ~300× more quota + HTTPS
Entry paid ~$9.99/mo (Basic), HTTPS unlocked, no threat module EUR 29/mo, HTTPS + threat included Threat = free vs. paid add-on
Mid tier ~$49.99/mo (Professional), incl. Security Module EUR 99/mo, 1M req/mo Higher quota, EUR billing
Enterprise Custom (apilayer sales) Custom (contact us) Negotiable

Pricing accurate as of 2026-04-23 based on vendor public pages. Verify on ipstack.com/product and ipgeo.10b.app/pricing before purchase decisions — ipstack has changed quotas and prices historically.

What ipstack does better

Honest disclosure — these are real strengths of ipstack:

If those matter more than HTTPS-on-free-tier, EU data residency, or EUR billing — ipstack is still a fine choice. We won’t pretend otherwise.

FAQ

Is IP Geo API built on the same data as ipstack?

Both pull from broadly similar upstream sources (MaxMind-style databases). IP Geo API is built on MaxMind GeoLite2 + IP2Location LITE + custom ASN enrichment, with our own threat-scoring model trained on public abuse feeds. ipstack’s upstream composition is not publicly disclosed.

How accurate is the geolocation?

Country-level: ~99.5%. City-level: ~85% within 25km radius — consistent with industry benchmarks for IP-only resolution. This is not GPS-grade; no IP geolocation provider is.

Why is HTTPS-on-free such a big deal?

Modern browsers block mixed content (HTTPS page → HTTP API) by default. CSP headers block it more strictly. For any client-side JavaScript that looks up visitor geolocation from a production HTTPS site, ipstack free tier is effectively unusable without a paid upgrade. IP Geo API’s free tier ships HTTPS so side projects and MVPs can ship without an upfront invoice.

Do you offer batch lookups?

Yes — POST /v1/lookup/batch accepts up to 100 IPs per request, counted as 100 against your quota. ipstack’s bulk endpoint tops out at 50 per request.

What about IPv6?

Full IPv6 support on every tier. Same endpoint, same response shape.

Can I self-host?

Not at the moment. EU-managed SaaS is the current focus. If you have a self-hosted requirement (€10K+/year), contact us.

Do you log my queries?

Operational logs only (1 hour retention for debugging). No customer-IP-to-queried-IP mapping is retained for analytics. See our privacy policy for full disclosure.

What happens if I exceed my quota?

Hard cutoff at 100% (HTTP 429). Optional soft-burst (110% for 30 min) on Business plan. No surprise overage bills — a pattern some apilayer users have flagged on Paddle invoices.

I already pay for ipstack’s Security Module. How is IP Geo API’s threat data different?

Our threat classification (is_vpn, is_proxy, is_tor, is_datacenter, is_residential) uses an ensemble of public abuse feeds (Spamhaus DROP, FireHOL, AbuseIPDB-lite) + our own passive-probe data. It returns on every request at no extra charge. If you need signed, audit-trail reports for regulated fraud use cases, contact us for the Business-plus offer.

Read also

IP Geo API vs ipstack in 2026: HTTPS-on-Free, EU Hosting, and the Security Module Question → — 5-minute narrative companion to this comparison: why the HTTP-only free tier breaks browser-side calls, how the bundled threat-detection block compares to ipstack’s Security Module add-on, code-diff migration sketch, and 2026 pricing math at 100K / 1M / 10M req/mo.

How to Migrate from ipstack 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 HTTP→HTTPS scheme-flip and Security-Module-paywall 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 ipstack, the narrative deep-dives:

Try IP Geo API free

Start with 1.000 free requests/day →

HTTPS on every tier. No credit card. No attribution. EU-hosted. EUR billing. Cancel anytime.

Have a question? Reply to any onboarding email or open an issue at github.com/corem6/ip-geo-api.

Industry deep-dives

Last updated: 2026-04-23. Pricing and feature claims verified against vendor public pages on this date. Submit a correction → GitHub issue.

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