Weather APIs Terms Comparison
Side-by-side comparison of free tiers, rate limits, and usage restrictions for 6 weather apis.
Terms of service may change. Always verify with the official API documentation before building production applications.
Where these values come from
CORS is verified by us — we read the Access-Control-Allow-Origin header from a real response (last checked 2026-07-31). Free tier and restrictions marked verified were read from the provider's own pricing page on the date shown, and that page is linked so you can re-check it yourself. Rows marked not verified are ones we could not confirm at the source, so we do not publish a number for them. Pricing and licence terms change without notice — confirm with the provider before you commit. If you spot a value that is out of date, tell us and we will correct it.
| API | Free Tier | Rate Limit | Commercial | Attribution | Auth | CORS | Caching | Notable Restrictions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenWeatherMap | 60 calls/minute, 1,000,000 calls/month verified 2026-08-01 | 60 calls/minute, 1,000,000 calls/month (free) | ✓ | Req | API Key (query parameter) | Yes | Yes | Free plan: current weather, 3-hour/5-day forecast, air pollution, weather maps and geocoding |
| WeatherAPI | 100,000 calls/month, 3-day forecast verified 2026-08-01 | 100,000 calls/month (free) | ✓ | Req | API Key (query parameter) | Yes | Yes | Free plan limited to 3-day forecast and no historical data |
| Open-Meteo | 10,000 calls/day (600/minute, 5,000/hour), non-commercial verified 2026-08-01 | 600/minute, 5,000/hour, 10,000/day (free non-commercial) | ✓ | Req | None (API Key optional for commercial) | Yes | Yes | Free tier is for non-commercial use only; commercial use requires a paid licence |
| Weatherstack | 100 calls/month, current weather only verified 2026-08-01 | 100 calls/month (free) | ✕ | Req | API Key (query parameter) | No | Yes | Free plan: HTTP only (no HTTPS), current weather only, no forecast |
| AccuWeather | Not verified — check the provider | Not verified | ✕ | Req | API Key (query parameter) | Yes | No | Strict branding requirements; commercial use requires enterprise license |
| AQICN (World Air Quality Index) | Not verified — check the provider | Not verified | ✕ | Req | API Key (query parameter) | Yes | Yes | Free token is non-commercial only: data cannot be sold, included in paid packages, or used in paid applications. For-profit public use needs explicit agreement with the World Air Quality Index team. |
Attribution Details
Last updated: 2026-04