Pricing overview

MY IP provides an API for IP geolocation and Whois data, operating on a tiered subscription model that includes a free tier for low-volume usage. The pricing structure is primarily based on the number of API requests made per month. This model is designed to be straightforward, allowing users to select a plan that aligns with their anticipated monthly request volume for services such as displaying a user's IP address, performing basic IP geolocation lookups, or supporting website personalization and fraud detection efforts. Each tier offers a defined number of requests, with higher tiers providing more requests at a lower per-request cost.

Users can access the MY IP API for free up to 1,000 requests per month, which is suitable for testing or very low-traffic applications. For applications requiring more substantial usage, paid plans are available, starting with a 'Basic' tier that includes 25,000 requests monthly. The official MY IP API pricing page provides detailed information on each plan's inclusions and costs. The service has been available since 2007, establishing itself as a provider of IP-related data.

Plans and tiers

MY IP's pricing is structured into several tiers, each offering a specific number of API requests per month. This allows users to scale their usage according to application needs, from individual developers to larger businesses. The core offerings, the IP Geolocation API and the Whois API, are typically covered under these unified request limits. The following table summarizes the key plans:

Plan Name Monthly Price Monthly Requests Key Limits / Features Best For
Free $0 1,000 Rate limits apply Testing, personal projects, very low-volume applications
Basic $15 25,000 Standard rate limits Small websites, individual developers, basic geolocation needs
Pro $49 100,000 Increased rate limits Growing applications, small businesses, enhanced personalization
Business $99 250,000 Higher rate limits, priority support Medium-sized businesses, fraud detection systems, content localization
Enterprise Custom Custom Dedicated infrastructure, custom rate limits, SLA Large-scale applications, high-volume data needs, mission-critical services

Each paid plan includes access to both the IP Geolocation API and the Whois API, with the request count aggregated across both services. The MY IP API documentation details the specific endpoints and data fields available through each API, ensuring users understand what they are paying for. Overage charges may apply if monthly request limits are exceeded on paid plans, typically billed on a per-1,000 request basis, though specific overage rates are best confirmed on the official MY IP pricing page.

Free tier and limits

MY IP offers a free tier that provides access to its API for up to 1,000 requests per month. This tier is designed to allow developers to test the API's functionality, integrate it into small personal projects, or support very low-traffic applications without incurring any cost. The free tier includes access to both the IP Geolocation API and the Whois API, enabling basic lookups for an IP address's country, region, city, and ISP, as well as domain registration details.

Key limits and considerations for the free tier include:

  • Monthly Request Volume: Limited to 1,000 requests. Once this limit is reached, subsequent requests will typically return an error until the next billing cycle begins or the user upgrades to a paid plan.
  • Rate Limiting: Free tier users may experience more aggressive rate limiting compared to paid plans, meaning fewer requests can be made within a short timeframe. This helps ensure fair usage across all users.
  • Feature Access: While core functionality is available, certain advanced features or higher accuracy data points might be reserved for paid tiers. For instance, some providers differentiate between basic and premium geolocation data quality.
  • Support: Support for free tier users is generally limited to community forums or basic documentation, without priority access to technical support teams.

For applications that require consistent uptime, higher request volumes, or more granular data, upgrading from the free tier to a paid plan is necessary. The free tier serves as an effective entry point for evaluating the API's suitability for specific use cases before committing to a subscription.

Real-world cost examples

To illustrate MY IP's pricing, consider various usage scenarios:

  1. Personal Website IP Display:

    • Scenario: A personal blog or portfolio website wants to display the visitor's IP address on a 'Contact Us' page or for a simple analytics dashboard. The website receives approximately 500 unique visitors per month, each triggering one API call.
    • Usage: 500 requests/month.
    • Cost: $0 (within the Free tier's 1,000 requests/month limit).
    • Rationale: This usage falls well within the free tier, making it a cost-effective solution for basic, low-volume IP data needs.
  2. Small Business Geo-targeting:

    • Scenario: An e-commerce site with moderate traffic uses IP geolocation to personalize content (e.g., showing local currency or regional promotions). The site averages 15,000 unique visitors per month, each requiring one IP lookup.
    • Usage: 15,000 requests/month.
    • Cost: $15/month (Basic plan for 25,000 requests).
    • Rationale: The Basic plan covers this usage comfortably, providing ample headroom for traffic fluctuations without incurring overage charges.
  3. Fraud Detection for a Growing Startup:

    • Scenario: A fintech startup processes 70,000 transactions per month and uses MY IP's Geolocation API to check the geographic origin of each transaction as part of their fraud detection system.
    • Usage: 70,000 requests/month.
    • Cost: $49/month (Pro plan for 100,000 requests).
    • Rationale: The Pro plan offers sufficient capacity for this volume, supporting critical fraud prevention measures.
  4. Content Localization for a Mid-sized Platform:

    • Scenario: An online streaming platform with 200,000 active users per month uses IP geolocation to enforce content licensing restrictions and localize user interfaces. Each user session initiates one or more IP lookups, totaling 200,000 requests monthly.
    • Usage: 200,000 requests/month.
    • Cost: $99/month (Business plan for 250,000 requests).
    • Rationale: The Business plan accommodates the platform's user base and content delivery requirements, providing a cost-efficient solution for scaling.
  5. High-Volume Enterprise Security:

    • Scenario: A large enterprise with a global network monitors 1.5 million IP addresses daily for security threats and compliance, resulting in approximately 45 million requests per month.
    • Usage: 45,000,000 requests/month.
    • Cost: Custom (Enterprise plan).
    • Rationale: This volume significantly exceeds standard tiered plans, necessitating a custom Enterprise solution with tailored pricing, dedicated resources, and a Service Level Agreement (SLA).

How the pricing compares

When evaluating MY IP's pricing, it is useful to compare it against other providers in the IP geolocation and Whois API market. Competitors often offer similar tiered models, but the specific request limits, pricing points, and additional features can vary significantly. For instance, some alternatives may offer more granular data points, higher accuracy, or specialized features like VPN/proxy detection as standard within their base plans, which could influence the overall value proposition.

For example, IPinfo.io's pricing includes a free tier with 50,000 requests per month, which is substantially higher than MY IP's 1,000 requests. However, IPinfo's paid plans, while offering more requests, might start at a higher price point for comparable volumes or include different feature sets. Similarly, Abstract API's IP Geolocation API pricing also features a free tier with 20,000 requests and paid plans that scale based on usage, often including additional API services in bundled packages.

Key factors to consider when comparing pricing include:

  • Free Tier Generosity: How many requests are included in the free tier, and what are its limitations? A more generous free tier allows for extensive testing or supports larger personal projects.
  • Cost Per 1,000 Requests: Beyond the initial tier, how does the effective cost per 1,000 requests change as usage scales? Providers often offer decreasing per-request costs at higher volumes.
  • Feature Set: Are advanced features like ASN lookup, company data, or VPN detection included across all tiers, or are they premium add-ons? Some providers, such as Cloudflare's IP Geolocation, integrate these features into broader network services.
  • Data Accuracy and Coverage: While harder to quantify purely by price, the accuracy and global coverage of geolocation data can significantly impact an application's effectiveness, especially for fraud detection or content localization.
  • Overage Charges: What are the costs if monthly request limits are exceeded? Transparent overage pricing is crucial for budget predictability.
  • Bundle Offers: Some providers offer bundles of multiple APIs (e.g., IP geolocation, email validation, phone number validation) which might be more cost-effective if multiple services are needed.

Developers and technical buyers should carefully review the specific inclusions and limitations of each provider's plans, including MY IP's, to determine the best fit for their technical requirements and budget. The choice often balances cost, features, and the reliability of the underlying data.