Free APIs
Free Transportation APIs
| API | Free tier | Auth | Docs |
|---|---|---|---|
| OpenSky Network API Live and historical flight state vectors Catch: Daily credit limits; registered users get more | Free for research and non-commercial use | No key | docs |
| airplanes.live API Live ADS-B aircraft data Catch: Non-commercial; rate limited | Free for non-commercial use, 1 request/second | No key | docs |
| aviationstack Real-time flights, airports and airlines Catch: Free plan: HTTP only, no real-time flights | Free plan: 100 requests/month | API key | docs |
| Amadeus Self-Service APIs Flight search, hotels and airport data Catch: Production needs approval and billing | Free test environment with monthly request quota | API key | docs |
| Transport for London Unified API London tube, bus, bike and road status Catch: Registration required | Free subscription key (500-request data plan) | API key | docs |
| CityBikes API Bike-share networks worldwide Catch: Be gentle with polling | Free, no key | No key | docs |
| MBTA V3 API Boston transit: routes, predictions, alerts Catch: Without a key the limit is far lower | Free; a key allows 1,000 requests/minute | No key | docs |
| Open Charge Map API EV charging point locations worldwide Catch: Fair-use; attribution to data sources | Free API key | API key | docs |
| NHTSA vPIC API Decode US VINs; vehicle makes and models Catch: US vehicle data only | Free, no key | No key | docs |
| transport.rest (Deutsche Bahn) German rail journeys and departures Catch: Community-run, not official DB | Free, no key; 100 requests/minute | No key | docs |
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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