APIXU Pricing: Plans, Tiers, & Real-World Costs (2026)

Pricing overview

APIXU, now operating under the Weatherstack brand following its acquisition, provides weather data through a subscription-based pricing model. The service includes various tiers designed to accommodate different usage volumes, ranging from a free plan for low-volume applications to enterprise solutions for high-demand integrations. The core offering across all tiers involves access to current, historical, and forecast weather data via a REST API.

The pricing structure is primarily determined by the number of API requests allowed per month. Higher tiers offer increased request limits, along with additional features such as HTTPS encryption, historical data access, and greater data granularity. This approach enables users to select a plan that aligns with their specific application requirements and budget constraints, scaling their access as their needs evolve, similar to how many API providers structure their services, like the Google Maps Platform pricing model.

Plans and tiers

Weatherstack, the successor to APIXU, offers several subscription plans, each designed for a particular scale of use. These plans are differentiated by their monthly request limits, access to specific data types (e.g., historical data, weather forecasts), and support for secure connections (HTTPS). Users can choose to pay monthly or annually, with annual payments typically offering a discount.

The following table outlines the key plans available, their pricing, and features as of 2026-05-29:

For detailed and up-to-date information on each plan, including specific feature breakdowns and terms of service, refer to the official Weatherstack pricing page.

Free tier and limits

Weatherstack offers a free tier, designated as the 'Free Plan', which allows users to access basic current weather data without any monetary cost. This plan is designed to enable developers to test the API, integrate it into small personal projects, or build proof-of-concept applications before committing to a paid subscription.

The primary limitation of the free tier is its monthly request allowance of 250 API calls. This limit resets at the beginning of each billing cycle. Additionally, the free plan typically restricts access to certain advanced features, such as historical weather data, weather forecasts beyond the current conditions, and HTTPS encryption for secure data transmission. Users on the free plan must connect via HTTP. While sufficient for initial exploration, applications requiring higher security, more extensive data, or greater throughput will need to upgrade to a paid plan. Details on the capabilities of the free tier are available within the Weatherstack API documentation.

Real-world cost examples

To illustrate the practical implications of Weatherstack's pricing structure, consider the following real-world scenarios:

• Scenario 1: Small Personal Weather Widget (Hobbyist)
  A developer creating a simple weather widget for a personal blog expects about 10 unique visitors per day. If each visitor triggers one API call, this amounts to roughly 300 requests per month. With the Free Plan's 250-request limit, this scenario would likely exceed the free tier. To remain within limits, the developer could implement aggressive caching or upgrade to the Standard Plan. If they upgrade to the Standard Plan at $9.99/month, they gain 50,000 requests, significantly more than needed, but also access to HTTPS for secure data.

• Scenario 2: Mobile Application with 5-Day Forecast (Startup)
  A startup launches a mobile application that displays current weather and a 5-day forecast for user-selected locations. They anticipate approximately 5,000 active users, with each user making an average of 3 requests per day (e.g., current, 5-day forecast, and a specific location search). This totals 5,000 users * 3 requests/day * 30 days/month = 450,000 requests per month. This usage level fits within the Professional Plan, which offers 250,000 requests for $49.99/month. However, for 450,000 requests, they would need to consider the Business Plan at $99.99/month for 1,000,000 requests, as the Professional tier's 250,000 limit would be exceeded. This example highlights the importance of accurately estimating usage to avoid overage charges or service interruptions.

• Scenario 3: E-commerce Site with Localized Offers (Medium Business)
  An e-commerce platform wants to display localized weather conditions to tailor product recommendations. They expect 50,000 unique visitors daily, with each visitor triggering one weather API call. This amounts to 50,000 visitors * 30 days/month = 1,500,000 requests per month. This volume clearly exceeds the Business Plan's 1,000,000 requests. In this case, the business would need to contact Weatherstack for an Enterprise Plan, which provides custom pricing and infrastructure to handle such high request volumes, guaranteeing service level agreements (SLAs) and dedicated support.

• Scenario 4: Data Analysis Project (Researcher)
  A researcher needs historical weather data for 100 cities over the past year, querying daily conditions. This would be 100 cities * 365 days = 36,500 requests for historical data. This specific type of request falls under the Professional Plan ($49.99/month) or higher, as historical data access is not available on the Free or Standard plans. If this is a one-off project, they might subscribe for a single month, retrieve the data, and then cancel or revert to a free plan, managing their subscription actively.

These examples demonstrate that careful planning and estimation of API usage are crucial for selecting the most cost-effective plan and avoiding unexpected expenses when utilizing the Weatherstack API for historical weather data or other data types.

How the pricing compares

When evaluating Weatherstack's (formerly APIXU) pricing, it's beneficial to compare it against alternative weather API providers. The market for weather data APIs includes various offerings, each with slightly different pricing models, feature sets, and data coverage. Key competitors include OpenWeatherMap, Tomorrow.io, and AccuWeather API.

• OpenWeatherMap: Offers a robust free tier with 1,000,000 calls/month for current weather, 5-day forecast, and some historical data. Paid plans start at $40/month for 1,000,000 calls with more features. OpenWeatherMap often provides a more generous free tier and competitive entry-level pricing for high request volumes compared to Weatherstack's Standard plan, which offers 50,000 requests for $9.99, but without forecast or historical data at that tier. Developers often find OpenWeatherMap's free access to 5-day forecasts appealing for general applications, as detailed in their OpenWeatherMap pricing details. However, Weatherstack's data sources and update frequency might differ.

• Tomorrow.io: Focuses on hyper-local, minute-by-minute forecasts and real-time insights, often at a higher price point due to its advanced data resolution. Tomorrow.io's pricing typically involves a free tier for basic usage, followed by paid plans that can be significantly more expensive than Weatherstack or OpenWeatherMap, reflecting its specialized capabilities and higher data granularity. Its target audience often includes businesses requiring critical, precise weather intelligence rather than general forecasts. More information can be found on Tomorrow.io's API pricing page.

• AccuWeather API: Often caters to enterprise-level clients with extensive data needs and high-quality, branded weather content. AccuWeather's pricing is typically custom-quoted and can be substantially higher than that of other providers, reflecting its long-standing reputation and comprehensive data services. While they offer a free trial, their paid plans are generally positioned for commercial applications with significant budgets and specific requirements for accuracy and brand integration. Their developer portal provides an overview of their AccuWeather API plans.

In summary, Weatherstack provides a balanced offering with a clear progression from a free tier to various paid plans, making it suitable for a wide range of developers and businesses. Its pricing is generally competitive, especially for access to historical and forecast data on mid-tier plans. However, for extremely high-volume free access to basic data, OpenWeatherMap might offer a more cost-effective starting point, while Tomorrow.io and AccuWeather target the premium and enterprise segments with specialized data and services.