Public API Lists vs public-apis
Which should you use? A side-by-side look at what each one does, who it suits, what it costs, how hard it is to set up, and where each falls short.
Open source · MIT
A community-maintained list of free public APIs you can search or fetch as JSON.
Open source · MIT
A community-curated list of free public APIs you can use in your own projects.
The short answer
Choose Public API Lists if you need…
- Developers looking for a free data source for a side project
- Students learning how to call web APIs
- Beginners who want example APIs with no sign-up required
- People who want to check whether an API requires a key, supports HTTPS, or allows CORS
Choose public-apis if you need…
- Developers looking for a third-party API to add to a side project
- Students exploring what kinds of data services exist
- Teams comparing candidate APIs before choosing one
Side-by-side
| Public API Lists | public-apis | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Learning resource | Curated list |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 16.3k | 495k |
| Setup difficulty | Beginner | Beginner |
| How you get it | Use it in the browser (or self-host) | Read it online |
| Main language | — | Python |
| Last code update | 53 days ago | 4 days ago |
What each one is
Public API Lists
This is a curated, searchable list of free public APIs (web services that anyone can call to get data), organized into about 48 categories such as weather, animals, finance, and science. The README describes it as a hand-curated list of 730+ APIs, with a website for browsing and a JSON version of the list. It is useful when you need a data source for a side project or want to see what services exist.
public-apis
This is a curated directory of public APIs, which are services that let programs request data or features from outside sources. The README says it is manually maintained by community members and people working at APILayer, and it covers many domains. The top of the README mainly promotes the APILayer suite of paid-plus-free REST APIs and related Postman collections. Developers use it to find an API to build on rather than searching the web for one.
Best for
Public API Lists
- Developers looking for a free data source for a side project
- Students learning how to call web APIs
- Beginners who want example APIs with no sign-up required
- People who want to check whether an API requires a key, supports HTTPS, or allows CORS
public-apis
- Developers looking for a third-party API to add to a side project
- Students exploring what kinds of data services exist
- Teams comparing candidate APIs before choosing one
Strengths
Public API Lists
- Large collection of 730+ APIs in one place, according to the README
- Table columns show auth type, HTTPS support, and CORS status, which helps quick screening
- Free JSON endpoint and MIT license make the data easy to reuse
public-apis
- Large, widely-starred collection of many domains in one place
- Simple to browse and search as a plain Markdown file
- Released under the MIT license
Not ideal for
Public API Lists
- Anyone who needs guaranteed uptime or production SLAs, since the README does not make such promises for the listed APIs and the list itself is volunteer-maintained
- People expecting a single downloadable software package, because this is a directory, not a program to install
public-apis
- People who need a runnable tool or application, since this is a list and not software to install
- Anyone who needs guaranteed uptime or support, because listed APIs are maintained by different third parties
- Readers who want an unbiased comparison, since the README is heavily promotional toward APILayer products
Trade-offs
Public API Lists
- Many CORS and status entries are marked Unknown, so you must verify each API yourself
- Individual APIs can change or disappear, and the README does not describe how often entries are checked
- Some listed services are sponsors or promotional, so the list is not purely neutral
public-apis
- Many listed APIs have their own terms, limits, or paid tiers that the list itself does not spell out in this excerpt
- The README excerpt is dominated by APILayer promotion, which may bias what appears first
- No release tags are published, so there is no versioned snapshot to rely on
Getting started
Public API Lists
Open the website
https://public-api-lists.github.io/public-api-lists/public-apis
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/public-apis/public-apisFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between Public API Lists and public-apis?
Public API Lists: A community-maintained list of free public APIs you can search or fetch as JSON. public-apis: A community-curated list of free public APIs you can use in your own projects. Public API Lists suits developers looking for a free data source for a side project, while public-apis suits developers looking for a third-party api to add to a side project.
Are Public API Lists and public-apis free?
Public API Lists: Free and open source. public-apis: Free and open source.
Is Public API Lists or public-apis more popular?
public-apis has more GitHub stars (495k) than Public API Lists (16.3k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
Keep comparing
Built from our catalogue entries for both products: open-source details come from each project's README (AI-assisted, refreshed weekly) and GitHub data; AI-tool details are editorial. Spotted something wrong? Let us know from either product's page.