Pricing overview
API Grátis primarily operates on a subscription-based pricing model, differentiated by the volume of API requests an application makes per month. This structure is designed to accommodate various user needs, from individual developers utilizing a free tier to enterprises requiring high-volume data lookups. The pricing model includes a no-cost entry point, followed by several escalating paid tiers, and options for custom enterprise solutions. All plans offer access to the same suite of APIs for consulting Brazilian public and commercial data, such as CPF, CNPJ, and CEP information, with the primary differentiator being the monthly request allowance.
The cost is directly tied to the number of successful API calls. Users select a plan that aligns with their anticipated monthly usage, providing predictability in budgeting. Overages or exceeding plan limits typically require an upgrade to a higher tier, as detailed on the API Grátis plans page. This consumption-based approach is common among API providers, enabling services to scale their infrastructure costs with user demand. For instance, services like Cloudflare's Workers AI also employ a usage-based billing model, where costs correlate with the number of inferences executed, demonstrating a broader industry trend towards flexible, volume-driven pricing.
Plans and tiers
API Grátis provides a structured set of plans, each designed to meet different levels of demand for its public Brazilian data APIs. These plans are categorized primarily by the maximum number of API requests allowed per month.
The available plans are:
- Free: Offers up to 300 requests per month at no cost.
- Basic: Provides 5,000 requests per month for R$ 49.90.
- Pro: Expands to 15,000 requests per month for R$ 99.90.
- Premium: Allows 50,000 requests per month for R$ 249.90.
- Enterprise: Custom plans for volumes exceeding 50,000 requests, with pricing negotiated directly with API Grátis.
Here is a detailed comparison of the standard plans:
| Plan | Price (R$/month) | Monthly Requests | Key Features | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | 0 | 300 | Access to all APIs, basic support | Testing, personal projects, very low-volume use |
| Basic | 49.90 | 5,000 | All API access, standard support | Small applications, startups, developers needing moderate volume |
| Pro | 99.90 | 15,000 | All API access, priority support | Growing applications, small businesses, moderate-to-high volume needs |
| Premium | 249.90 | 50,000 | All API access, enhanced priority support | Larger applications, businesses with significant data lookup requirements |
| Enterprise | Custom | > 50,000 | Custom features, dedicated account management, SLA options | Large organizations, high-volume integrators, specific compliance needs |
Each paid plan includes access to the full range of API Grátis's core products, such as consulting CPF, CNPJ, CEP, license plates (placas), FIPE table data, NCM product codes, and holiday schedules. The differentiation lies solely in the volume of requests permitted, which directly impacts the operational cost for users.
Free tier and limits
API Grátis offers a free tier that allows users to make up to 300 API requests per month without any charge. This free tier is designed to enable developers to test the API's functionality, integrate it into proofs-of-concept, and support very low-volume personal projects or applications. It provides full access to all available APIs, including CPF, CNPJ, and CEP consultations, ensuring that users can evaluate the API's capabilities before committing to a paid plan.
The 300-request limit resets monthly. If an application exceeds this limit within a billing cycle, subsequent requests will typically either be throttled, denied, or prompt the user to upgrade to a paid plan. The precise behavior upon exceeding the free tier limit is generally communicated through API error responses or within the user's dashboard. This approach is consistent with many API providers that offer a free usage quota, such as Google Maps Platform's free tier, which allows a certain number of requests before billing commences, providing a practical entry point for new users.
The free tier is particularly useful for:
- Initial development and prototyping.
- Small, non-commercial projects with minimal data lookup needs.
- Educational purposes or learning how to integrate the API.
- Evaluating the accuracy and performance of the Brazilian public data endpoints.
Users who anticipate exceeding 300 requests per month for ongoing operations will need to consider one of the paid subscription plans to ensure uninterrupted service.
Real-world cost examples
To illustrate the practical application of API Grátis's pricing, consider the following real-world scenarios:
-
Small E-commerce Store (Basic Plan):
An online store in Brazil integrates API Grátis to validate customer CEP (postal code) during checkout and perform occasional CNPJ (company registration number) lookups for B2B orders. They estimate an average of 150 CEP validations and 50 CNPJ lookups per day. Over a month (30 days), this totals approximately (150 + 50) * 30 = 6,000 requests. Since the Basic plan offers 5,000 requests for R$ 49.90, this usage would exceed the Basic plan. The store would need the Pro plan (15,000 requests for R$ 99.90/month) to accommodate their actual usage with a comfortable buffer, incurring a cost of R$ 99.90 per month. -
Fintech Startup (Premium Plan):
A financial technology startup uses API Grátis to perform real-time CPF (individual taxpayer ID) consultations for identity verification during customer onboarding and credit assessments. They process around 1,500 new applications daily, each requiring one CPF lookup. This amounts to 1,500 * 30 = 45,000 requests per month. This volume fits within the Premium plan (50,000 requests for R$ 249.90/month), making their monthly cost R$ 249.90. -
Logistics Company (Enterprise Plan):
A large logistics company integrates API Grátis to validate thousands of license plates (placas) daily for fleet management and route optimization, alongside frequent CEP lookups for delivery addresses. They project 3,000 license plate lookups and 2,000 CEP lookups daily, totaling 5,000 requests per day. Over a month, this is 5,000 * 30 = 150,000 requests. This significantly exceeds the Premium plan's 50,000 limit. The logistics company would require an Enterprise plan, with custom pricing negotiated directly with API Grátis based on their projected 150,000 monthly requests. -
Freelance Developer (Free Tier):
A freelance developer building a portfolio project that displays details about Brazilian holidays uses API Grátis to fetch holiday dates. They might make a few requests per day during development and occasional requests once deployed. If their total usage remains under 300 requests per month, they can operate entirely within the Free tier (R$ 0/month).
These examples highlight how the tiered pricing model scales with usage, encouraging users to select a plan that best matches their operational requirements and budget.
How the pricing compares
When evaluating API Grátis's pricing, it is useful to compare it against alternative providers of Brazilian public data APIs, such as BrasilAPI and ViaCEP. Often, these services offer different pricing models or have varying free tier allowances and paid plan structures.
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API Grátis (Tiered Subscription): API Grátis offers a clear tiered subscription model. It features a free tier of 300 requests/month, with paid plans starting at R$ 49.90 for 5,000 requests. This model provides predictable monthly costs based on volume, which can be advantageous for budgeting. The inclusion of a robust free tier allows for extensive testing before commitment, as detailed on the API Grátis pricing page.
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BrasilAPI (Open Source / Community-driven): BrasilAPI, an open-source project, typically does not have direct commercial pricing for its core services, as it is often hosted and maintained by the community or individual contributors. While this eliminates direct costs, users are responsible for hosting their own instances or relying on community-provided endpoints, which may come with their own uptime, rate limit, and support considerations. For example, while the BrasilAPI GitHub repository provides the code, deploying and maintaining it requires technical resources. This makes it a cost-free option in terms of licensing but potentially costly in terms of development and operational overhead.
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ViaCEP (Free with Usage Considerations): ViaCEP specializes in CEP (postal code) lookups and is primarily known as a free service. It allows a high volume of requests without direct payment. While seemingly free, users often need to implement their own rate limiting and error handling to ensure fair use and prevent IP blocking due to excessive requests. Its focus is narrower (primarily CEP), whereas API Grátis offers a broader suite of Brazilian public data APIs. The lack of guaranteed service level agreements (SLAs) and dedicated support, common for free services, might be a consideration for commercial applications.
In summary, API Grátis provides a commercial, managed solution with clear pricing and potentially better support and reliability for businesses. BrasilAPI offers a no-direct-cost open-source alternative but shifts operational responsibilities to the user. ViaCEP is a strong free option for CEP-specific needs but may lack the breadth and enterprise-grade features of a paid service like API Grátis. The choice between these options often depends on factors such as required API breadth, budget, internal development resources, and the need for guaranteed service levels.