Best Free APIs Every Developer Should Bookmark in 2025

Best Free APIs Every Developer Should Bookmark in 2025

Whether you're building a web app, mobile app, or automating tasks, APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) are essential tools for developers. But with thousands of APIs available, finding the right ones—especially free and reliable ones—can be a challenge.

Here’s a curated list of the best free APIs every developer should bookmark in 2025. These APIs are developer-friendly, offer generous free tiers, and power real-world applications.

🔗 1. OpenWeatherMap API

• Type: Weather Data

• URL: https://openweathermap.org/api

• Use Case: Get real-time weather, forecasts, and historical data.

• Free Tier: 1,000 calls/day

🤖 2. OpenAI API (Free Tier via OpenRouter or OpenAI Playground)

• Type: AI/Chatbot/NLP

• URL: https://platform.openai.com

• Use Case: Power intelligent chatbots, summarization, content generation

• Free Tier: 5$ usage credit for new users

🗺️ 3. IP Geolocation API by IPinfo

• Type: Geolocation

• URL: https://ipinfo.io

• Use Case: Get IP location, city, country, and ISP details

• Free Tier: 50k requests/month

💬 4. Twilio SMS API (Trial)

• Type: Messaging

• URL: https://www.twilio.com/sms

• Use Case: Send SMS, voice messages, WhatsApp integration

• Free Tier: Trial credit and sandbox number

📦 5. REST Countries API

• Type: Country Information

• URL: https://restcountries.com

• Use Case: Get population, currency, languages, and flag info

• Free Tier: Fully free, no auth required

📸 6. Unsplash API

• Type: Image Search

• URL: https://unsplash.com/developers

• Use Case: Fetch high-quality stock images for websites and apps

• Free Tier: 50 requests/hour

💳 7. Stripe API

• Type: Payment Gateway

• URL: https://stripe.com/docs/api

• Use Case: Process payments, subscriptions, and invoices

• Free Tier: No fee for testing environment

🧪 8. JSONPlaceholder

• Type: Mock API for Testing

• URL: https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com

• Use Case: Fake API endpoints for prototyping

• Free Tier: Completely free

🌐 9. GNews API (Free Tier)

• Type: News Feed

• URL: https://gnews.io

• Use Case: Fetch trending and regional news

• Free Tier: 100 requests/day

🧮 10. Numbers API

• Type: Math and Trivia

• URL: https://numbersapi.com

• Use Case: Get trivia and facts about numbers and dates

• Free Tier: Fully free, no key needed

✅ Why Bookmark These APIs?

• 🔒 Trusted and Secure

• 💸 Generous Free Tiers

• 📚 Extensive Documentation

• 🔌 Easy to Integrate (RESTful & JSON)

📝 Tips for Using Free APIs Wisely

• Always read the terms of use

• Monitor rate limits

• Use API keys securely

• Respect caching rules

📦 Final Thoughts

Bookmarking the right APIs can save time and add robust functionality to your projects. Start exploring these free APIs and supercharge your development workflow today.