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ZIP Code API VS PostalCodes.info

Compare ZIP Code API VS PostalCodes.info and see what are their differences

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

PostalCodes.info logo PostalCodes.info

Postal code lookup API and downloadable country datasets for address validation, checkout, logistics and geocoding workflows.
  • 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

  • PostalCodes.info Landing page
    Landing page //
    2026-05-09

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.

PostalCodes.info features and specs

  • Global Coverage
    PostalCodes.info provides postal code data for a wide range of countries worldwide, making it useful for international applications that need to validate or look up postal codes across multiple regions.
  • Simple REST API
    The API follows a straightforward RESTful design, making it easy for developers to integrate into their applications without a steep learning curve or complex authentication flows.
  • Geolocation Data
    The service provides geographic coordinates (latitude and longitude) associated with postal codes, which is useful for mapping, distance calculations, and location-based features.
  • Lightweight Responses
    The API returns concise, structured data that is easy to parse and doesn't require heavy bandwidth, making it suitable for applications where performance matters.
  • Useful for Address Validation
    The service can be used to validate and auto-complete address information based on postal codes, improving user experience in forms and checkout processes.

Possible disadvantages of PostalCodes.info

  • Limited Documentation
    The API documentation can be sparse and lacks comprehensive examples, detailed error code explanations, and thorough guides, making it harder for developers to troubleshoot issues or understand all available features.
  • Data Accuracy Concerns
    Some postal code databases may contain outdated or incomplete data for certain countries, as postal codes change over time and keeping a global database fully up-to-date is challenging.
  • Rate Limiting and Usage Restrictions
    The API may impose rate limits or usage caps that could be restrictive for high-traffic applications, potentially requiring paid plans to accommodate larger volumes of requests.
  • Limited Additional Features
    Compared to more established geocoding and postal code services (like Google Maps API or SmartyStreets), PostalCodes.info may lack advanced features such as address parsing, fuzzy matching, or detailed administrative boundary data.
  • Uncertain Reliability and Support
    As a smaller, less well-known service, there may be concerns about long-term availability, uptime guarantees, and the quality of customer support compared to major established providers.

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

Analysis of PostalCodes.info

Overall verdict

  • PostalCodes.info appears to be a functional reference tool for looking up postal/ZIP codes and administrative boundaries across countries, useful for quick lookups but likely limited compared to official postal authority databases or premium geocoding APIs for bulk/commercial use.

Why this product is good

  • Provides free access to postal code information for multiple countries
  • Simple interface for quick individual lookups
  • No registration typically required for basic searches
  • Covers international postal code systems beyond just one country

Recommended for

  • Individuals needing a quick one-off postal code lookup
  • Students or researchers studying geographic/administrative divisions
  • Small personal projects requiring occasional postal code verification
  • Users who don't need bulk data or API integration

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to ZIP Code API and PostalCodes.info)
APIs
70 70%
30% 30
Zip Lookup
86 86%
14% 14
Data Validation
0 0%
100% 100
Developer Tools
100 100%
0% 0

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What are some alternatives?

When comparing ZIP Code API and PostalCodes.info, you can also consider the following products

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

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

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

getAddress.io - A simple API for finding UK postal addresses

Geoco.io - ridiculously cheap bulk geocoding turn US street addresses into map coordinates and map coordinates into street addresses using our straightforward REST API