Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

PlacesAPI UK VS ZIP Code API

Compare PlacesAPI UK VS ZIP Code API and see what are their differences

PlacesAPI UK logo PlacesAPI UK

Turn any HTML container into a high-performance, instant location lookup. Use it standalone or enjoy native support for Algolia InstantSearch.

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
  • PlacesAPI UK Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-27

PlacesAPI is a geocoding service that provides a fast and easy way to add location search autocomplete to your websites and apps. We also provide a REST API for back-end search and reverse geocoding.

PlacesAPI is built on top of the excellent Algolia platform. This allows us to offer exceptional performance and scalability and opens up the complete Algolia ecosystem to developers. Within the limits of your API keys, you can use our Algolia indexes as though they were your own, integrating in whatever way you wish.

  • 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

PlacesAPI UK

$ Details
paid ยฃ5.0 / Monthly (ยฃ5 + ยฃ0.0035 / search / month)
Platforms
Web iOS Android Google Chrome Safari REST API Wordpress JavaScript PHP Node JS ReactJS
Release Date
2022 January

ZIP Code API

Pricing URL
-
$ Details
-
Platforms
-
Release Date
2026 April
Startup details
Country
United States
State
NY

PlacesAPI UK features and specs

  • Comprehensive Coverage
    PlacesAPI UK offers detailed data on a wide range of locations across the UK, making it a valuable tool for businesses seeking geographic data.
  • Ease of Integration
    The API provides straightforward, easy-to-follow documentation that simplifies integration for developers.
  • Real-time Data
    The API supplies up-to-date information, ensuring users have access to the latest location data.
  • Customizability
    Users can tailor the API calls to retrieve specific data fields, allowing for flexible usage.

Possible disadvantages of PlacesAPI UK

  • Cost
    Accessing comprehensive data sets through PlacesAPI UK may require a subscription or incur costs, which could be a barrier for small businesses.
  • Limited to UK
    The API focuses only on locations within the UK, which may not be suitable for businesses needing international data.
  • Learning Curve
    While the API is generally user-friendly, new users may experience a learning curve in understanding all available features and optimizing their usage.
  • Rate Limiting
    The API may impose limits on the number of requests within a certain time frame, potentially restricting high-volume usage.

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 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

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to PlacesAPI UK and ZIP Code API)
Geolocation
100 100%
0% 0
APIs
0 0%
100% 100
Maps
100 100%
0% 0
Zip Lookup
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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What are some alternatives?

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

Algolia Places - Intelligent address autocomplete for any <input>

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

PlaceKit - Worldwide geocoding API and address autocomplete, store locator, and two-way geocoding for your apps.

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

Mapbox - An open source mapping platform for custom designed maps. Our APIs and SDKs are the building blocks to integrate location into any mobile or web app.

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