Free APIs

Free Transportation APIs

Flights, transit, EV charging and vehicle data. 10 APIs with a usable free tier, checked on their official docs on 2026-10-08.
10

Live and historical flight state vectors

Free tier
Free for research and non-commercial use
Auth
No key
Docs
docs

Catch: Daily credit limits; registered users get more

source

Live ADS-B aircraft data

Free tier
Free for non-commercial use, 1 request/second
Auth
No key
Docs
docs

Catch: Non-commercial; rate limited

source

Real-time flights, airports and airlines

Free tier
Free plan: 100 requests/month
Auth
API key
Docs
docs

Catch: Free plan: HTTP only, no real-time flights

source

Flight search, hotels and airport data

Free tier
Free test environment with monthly request quota
Auth
API key
Docs
docs

Catch: Production needs approval and billing

source

London tube, bus, bike and road status

Free tier
Free subscription key (500-request data plan)
Auth
API key
Docs
docs

Catch: Registration required

Bike-share networks worldwide

Free tier
Free, no key
Auth
No key
Docs
docs

Catch: Be gentle with polling

source

Boston transit: routes, predictions, alerts

Free tier
Free; a key allows 1,000 requests/minute
Auth
No key
Docs
docs

Catch: Without a key the limit is far lower

source

EV charging point locations worldwide

Free tier
Free API key
Auth
API key
Docs
docs

Catch: Fair-use; attribution to data sources

source

Decode US VINs; vehicle makes and models

Free tier
Free, no key
Auth
No key
Docs
docs

Catch: US vehicle data only

German rail journeys and departures

Free tier
Free, no key; 100 requests/minute
Auth
No key
Docs
docs

Catch: Community-run, not official DB

FAQ

What is the best free transportation API?+

OpenSky Network API, airplanes.live API, aviationstack are good places to start. Compare the free tiers and catches in the table; they differ mostly in limits and whether commercial use is allowed.

Is there a transportation API without an API key?+

Yes: OpenSky Network API, airplanes.live API, CityBikes API, MBTA V3 API, NHTSA vPIC API work without a key.

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