Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Akamai VS ZIP Code API

Compare Akamai VS ZIP Code API and see what are their differences

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Akamai logo Akamai

Akamai is the leading content delivery network (CDN) services provider for media and software delivery, and cloud security solutions.

ZIP Code API logo ZIP Code API

REST API for US ZIP, ZIP+4, and Canadian postal codes. Single unified endpoint covers address validation and standardization, radius search (centroid haversine and true spatial polygon intersection), point-to-point distance, autocomplete/typeah
  • Akamai Landing page
    Landing page //
    2018-10-10
  • ZIP Code API Landing page
    Landing page //
    2026-05-21

API for US ZIP, ZIP+4, and Canadian postal code data. One unified endpoint set covers North America โ€” no separate APIs by country or data type.

What it does

  • Address validation and standardization โ€” production-grade parser with ZIP+4 append, refreshed monthly
  • Radius search โ€” centroid haversine and true spatial polygon intersection. Returns ZIPs/FSAs within range, with per-result pct_inside overlap percentage for spatial queries
  • Unified lookup endpoint โ€” accepts US ZIP, ZIP+4, Canadian FSA, full Canadian postal codes, or latitude/longitude inputs
  • Autocomplete/typeahead โ€” cities, counties, metros, states, FSAs, ZIPs
  • Point-to-point distance โ€” between any two postal points
  • Census ACS demographics โ€” 2011โ€“2024, 542 fields per ZIP across income, education, housing, social, and economic profiles
  • Boundary lookups โ€” Census tracts, congressional districts, state legislative areas, school districts โ€” with computed intersection percentages per ZIP

What makes it different

  • Licensed commercial data โ€” not commodity or scraped sources
  • Canadian postal coverage โ€” most peers in this space are US-only
  • True spatial radius โ€” not just centroid haversine
  • 14 years of historical ACS depth via API โ€” unusual outside of raw Census downloads
  • One endpoint for all of North America โ€” no country-detection or input-routing logic to maintain on the client side

Pricing

  • Free โ€” 2,500 lookups/day, no credit card required, no expiry
  • Developer โ€” $49/mo, 100K credits, 300/min
  • Professional โ€” $149/mo, 350K credits, 300/min
  • Business โ€” $499/mo, 1.5M credits, 600/min
  • Credit packs โ€” one-time, from 25K ($19) up to 2M ($799)

Resources

Akamai features and specs

  • Global Reach
    Akamai has a vast network of servers distributed globally, ensuring low-latency and high-speed content delivery anywhere in the world.
  • Performance Optimization
    Through advanced caching and robust infrastructure, Akamai enhances website and application performance, making them load faster and work more efficiently.
  • Security Features
    Akamai provides extensive security solutions including Web Application Firewalls (WAF), DDoS protection, and bot management to keep online properties secure.
  • Scalability
    Akamai can handle large amounts of traffic, making it ideal for businesses that experience high seasonal surges or rapid growth in user activity.
  • Comprehensive Analytics
    Akamai offers detailed analytics and reporting tools to track performance, user interactions, and security threats, helping businesses make data-driven decisions.

Possible disadvantages of Akamai

  • Cost
    Services from Akamai can be expensive, particularly for small to medium-sized businesses or startups with limited budgets.
  • Complexity
    Implementing and managing Akamai's solutions can be complex and may require specialized knowledge or trained personnel.
  • Vendor Lock-In
    Once integrated deeply into Akamai's ecosystem, switching to another service provider can be challenging and resource-intensive.
  • Support
    While Akamai does offer support, some customers have reported that the response times and level of assistance provided can be inconsistent.
  • Initial Setup Time
    The initial setup and configuration process can be time-consuming, requiring a significant investment of time and resources before fully realizing the benefits.

ZIP Code API features and specs

  • Comprehensive ZIP Code Data
    The ZIP Code API from zip-codes.com provides extensive data including ZIP code details, city information, state data, and geographic coordinates, making it a thorough resource for location-based lookups.
  • Multiple Lookup Options
    The API supports various types of lookups including ZIP code to city/state, city/state to ZIP code, distance calculations between ZIP codes, and radius searches, offering flexible querying capabilities.
  • Easy Integration
    The API uses standard REST-based HTTP requests and returns data in commonly used formats like JSON and XML, making it straightforward to integrate into most applications and programming languages.
  • Distance and Radius Calculations
    The API includes built-in functionality for calculating distances between ZIP codes and finding ZIP codes within a specified radius, which is valuable for store locators, shipping estimates, and proximity-based features.
  • Well-Documented Endpoints
    The API provides clear documentation for its various endpoints and parameters, helping developers understand available features and implement them correctly without extensive trial and error.

Analysis of Akamai

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Akamai is generally considered a good choice, especially for businesses seeking robust and reliable CDN and cybersecurity solutions.

Why this product is good

  • Akamai is one of the largest and most established Content Delivery Network (CDN) providers, with a vast global presence and a strong reputation for performance and reliability.
  • In addition to CDN services, Akamai offers comprehensive cloud security solutions, including DDoS protection, web application firewalls, and bot management, making it a popular choice for businesses concerned about cybersecurity.
  • Akamai's advanced analytics and optimization tools help businesses enhance their content delivery and improve user experiences.
  • The company's infrastructure is designed to provide fast and consistent performance, reducing latency and ensuring quick load times for websites and applications.
  • Akamai is known for its customer service and technical support, which can be crucial for businesses that require dependable assistance and personalized solutions.

Recommended for

  • Large enterprises and e-commerce platforms that require scalable and reliable content delivery solutions.
  • Businesses facing frequent security threats and in need of robust cloud security services.
  • Global companies looking to improve website and application performance for their users worldwide.
  • Organizations that need detailed analytics to optimize their content distribution and digital experiences.

Analysis of ZIP Code API

Overall verdict

  • ZIP Code API from zip-codes.com is a solid, reliable choice for developers and businesses needing accurate US and Canadian postal code data, offering a straightforward RESTful interface with regularly updated databases.

Why this product is good

  • Provides accurate and frequently updated ZIP code, city, state, and geographic data
  • Offers a simple RESTful API that is easy to integrate into web and mobile applications
  • Supports features like ZIP code lookup, radius search, and distance calculations
  • Includes both US ZIP codes and Canadian postal codes for broader coverage
  • Backed by an established data provider with a long track record in postal data

Recommended for

  • Developers building address validation or autofill features
  • E-commerce platforms needing shipping and location-based calculations
  • Businesses performing geographic or radius-based store locators
  • Applications requiring reliable US and Canadian postal data
  • Marketing and logistics teams that need regional or demographic targeting

Akamai videos

The Brew Gentlemen Akamai (Best PA DIPA!) Review Ep. #870

More videos:

  • Review - EBBB: Brew Gentlemen Akamai (Best IPA out of PA?!) - Review #343
  • Review - Akamai Year in Review

ZIP Code API videos

No ZIP Code API videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Akamai and ZIP Code API)
CDN
100 100%
0% 0
Zip Lookup
0 0%
100% 100
Cloud Computing
100 100%
0% 0
APIs
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Akamai and ZIP Code API

Akamai Reviews

8 Best Cloudflare Alternatives (Free + Premium)
However, being a large CDN provider, Akamai may be somewhat restrictive and less flexible than smaller ones. Unlike Cloudflare, Akamai does not have a free plan, and their pricing is given only upon consultation. That said, if you have ample money in your pockets, Akamai could be the best Cloudflare alternative.
Source: hostscore.net
The 7 Best Content-Delivery-Network Providers
At Akamai product safety, web performance, media delivery, network operator and services are the focus. The globally distributed Intelligent Edge platform provides servers in over 130 countries. The tool keeps attacks and threats at bay and according to the company, particularly offers decisions, applications and experiences close to the user.
Source: omr.com
Top 15 Cloudflare Alternatives: A Complete Guide
Akamai is one of the oldest and largest CDN providers in the world, with over 300,000 servers in 130 countries. Akamai offers a comprehensive suite of CDN solutions, including web and mobile performance, media delivery, cloud security, edge computing, and enterprise networking. Let's explore its pros and cons:
Introduction to Cloudflare Alternatives In 2021
Akamai is among the biggest and rather popular CDN (material shipment networks) and cloud service providers around the world. It serves throughout 20-30 percent of network traffics. A lot of persuading services provides resemble stopping DDoS attacks and content delivery speeds that makes it better than any other alternatives & makes it a leading concern after Cloudflare....
10 Top Cloudflare Alternatives for Your Website
Akamai is one of the largest and best-known CDNs and cloud services provider in the world, and is believed to be responsible for serving between 15 to 30-percent of all web-traffic. If stopping DDoS attacks and optimizing content delivery speed are at the top of your list of priorities, this is the service that youโ€™ll need to seriously look at. Thatโ€™s because the companyโ€™s...
Source: beebom.com

ZIP Code API Reviews

We have no reviews of ZIP Code API yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Akamai seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 2 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Akamai mentions (2)

ZIP Code API mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of ZIP Code API yet. Tracking of ZIP Code API recommendations started around May 2026.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Akamai and ZIP Code API, you can also consider the following products

CloudFlare - Cloudflare is a global network designed to make everything you connect to the Internet secure, private, fast, and reliable.

Smarty - Smarty provides address validation, autocomplete, geocoding and reverse geocoding services covering addresses in over 240+ countries.

Amazon CloudFront - Amazon CloudFront is a content delivery web service.

Zipcodestack - Free Zip Code API - Free Postal Code Validation | Zipcodestack

KeyCDN - KeyCDN is a high-performance Content Delivery Network (CDN). Lowest price globally at $0.04/GB with HTTP/2 Support and free Origin Shield.

PostalDataPI - The most affordable postal code API. 240+ countries, sub-5 ms responses. Simple, elegant, transparent.