Timezone API Comparison

Compare the best timezone and timestamp APIs for your application. Find the right balance of features, pricing, and reliability for your use case.

Quick Comparison

At-a-glance comparison of the most popular time and timezone APIs. All APIs listed provide JSON responses unless otherwise noted.

API	Free Tier	Best For	Rating
World Time API	Unlimited (no rate limits listed)	Simple current time lookups, development, and prototyping	★★★★☆
TimeAPI.io	100 requests/day	Production applications requiring time calculations and business logic	★★★★★
Abstract Time API	200 requests/month	Apps needing timezone data with IP geolocation	★★★★☆
ipstack + TimeZoneDB	10,000 requests/month (ipstack)	Combining IP geolocation with timezone data	★★★★☆
Google Maps Time Zone API	$200 free credit per month	Applications already using Google Cloud Platform	★★★★☆
Azure Maps Time Zone API	Limited free tier	Enterprise apps on Azure infrastructure	★★★★☆
NTP Servers (Network Time Protocol)	Completely free	System time synchronization, IoT devices, servers	★★★★★

Feature Matrix

Compare features across major timezone APIs. Check marks indicate full support, crosses indicate the feature is not available.

Feature	TimeAPI.io	World Time	Abstract	Google	Azure	NTP
Current Time	✓	✓	✓	✗	✗	✓
Timezone List	✓	✓	✓	✗	✓	✗
Timezone Conversion	✓	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗
IP Geolocation	✓	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗
Business Days	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
Time Calculations	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
No Auth Required	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗	✓
SLA Available	✓	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗

Pricing Comparison

Cost analysis for timezone APIs. Prices are approximate and subject to change. Check provider websites for current pricing.

Service	Free Tier	Paid Starts At	Best Value	Cost per 10K
World Time API	Unlimited (fair use)	N/A	Free tier	$0
TimeAPI.io	100/day (~3,000/month)	$9/month	10,000 requests	$9
Abstract API	200/month	$9/month	20,000 requests	$4.50
Google Time Zone	$200 credit (~40,000 req)	$5/1,000 after credit	High-volume	$50 (after free credit)
Azure Maps Time Zone	Limited	Usage-based	Enterprise	Varies
NTP Servers	Unlimited	N/A	System sync	$0

Note: Pricing is approximate and based on October 2025 data. Google and Azure pricing varies significantly based on usage and cloud credits. Always check provider websites for current rates.

Detailed API Reviews

In-depth analysis of each timezone API, including features, pros, cons, and best use cases.

World Time API ★★★★☆

Provider: Open Source Community

Best for: Simple current time lookups, development, and prototyping

Pricing

Free: Unlimited (no rate limits listed)

Technical

Auth: None required

Rate Limit: No official limit (fair use)

Format: JSON

Key Endpoints

GET /api/timezone/:area/:location
GET /api/ip
GET /api/timezone

Pros

Completely free
No authentication required
Simple API
Good documentation
IP-based timezone detection

Cons

No SLA or support
No advanced features
Uncertain long-term availability
No time calculations

Limitations: No SLA, no advanced features, no support

View Documentation →

TimeAPI.io ★★★★★

Provider: TimeAPI Ltd.

Best for: Production applications requiring time calculations and business logic

Pricing

Free: 100 requests/day

Paid: From $9/month for 10,000 requests

Technical

Auth: API key required

Rate Limit: Tier-based

Format: JSON

Key Endpoints

GET /api/Time/current/zone
GET /api/Time/current/ip
GET /api/TimeZone/AvailableTimeZones
POST /api/Conversion/ConvertTimeZone
POST /api/Calculation/Addition
POST /api/Calculation/Subtraction

Pros

Comprehensive feature set
Business day calculations
Excellent documentation
99.9% SLA on paid plans
Active support

Cons

Requires payment for production use
API key management overhead
Rate limits can be restrictive
External dependency

Limitations: Costs money for meaningful usage, rate limits on free tier

View Documentation →

Abstract Time API ★★★★☆

Provider: Abstract API

Best for: Apps needing timezone data with IP geolocation

Pricing

Free: 200 requests/month

Paid: From $9/month for 20,000 requests

Technical

Auth: API key required

Rate Limit: Tier-based

Format: JSON

Key Endpoints

GET /timezone/current
GET /timezone/convert

Pros

Simple API
Reliable uptime
Good documentation
IP-based timezone detection
Part of larger API suite

Cons

Very limited free tier
No advanced calculations
More expensive than competitors
Requires multiple APIs for full suite

Limitations: Limited free tier, no business day logic

View Documentation →

ipstack + TimeZoneDB ★★★★☆

Provider: ipstack / TimeZoneDB

Best for: Combining IP geolocation with timezone data

Pricing

Free: 10,000 requests/month (ipstack)

Paid: From $10/month

Technical

Auth: API key required

Rate Limit: Tier-based

Format: JSON/XML

Key Endpoints

GET /timezone (TimeZoneDB)
GET /{ip} (ipstack for geolocation)

Pros

Good free tier
Reliable uptime
Multiple response formats
Comprehensive IP data

Cons

Requires two services
Complex pricing
No built-in calculations
Limited timezone features

Limitations: Requires two separate services for full functionality

View Documentation →

Google Maps Time Zone API ★★★★☆

Provider: Google Cloud

Best for: Applications already using Google Cloud Platform

Pricing

Free: $200 free credit per month

Paid: $5 per 1,000 requests after free credit

Technical

Auth: API key required

Rate Limit: Based on billing

Format: JSON

Key Endpoints

GET /timezone/json

Pros

Google reliability
Good free tier
Excellent documentation
Integration with other Google services

Cons

Requires lat/lng coordinates
Google Cloud complexity
No current time endpoint
Overkill for simple use cases

Limitations: Requires coordinates, limited to timezone lookups, Google Cloud setup

View Documentation →

Azure Maps Time Zone API ★★★★☆

Provider: Microsoft Azure

Best for: Enterprise apps on Azure infrastructure

Pricing

Free: Limited free tier

Paid: Pay-as-you-go pricing

Technical

Auth: Subscription key required

Rate Limit: Based on tier

Format: JSON

Key Endpoints

GET /timezone/byCoordinates
GET /timezone/byId
GET /timezone/enumIana

Pros

Enterprise-grade reliability
Comprehensive IANA support
Integration with Azure ecosystem
Strong SLA

Cons

Azure setup complexity
No current time endpoint
Requires coordinates
Pricing can be complex

Limitations: Azure complexity, requires coordinates or timezone ID

View Documentation →

NTP Servers (Network Time Protocol) ★★★★★

Provider: NTP Pool Project

Best for: System time synchronization, IoT devices, servers

Pricing

Free: Completely free

Technical

Auth: None

Rate Limit: Fair use policy

Format: NTP Protocol

Pros

Industry standard
Extremely accurate
Free and open
Distributed globally
Built into most operating systems

Cons

Not a REST API
Requires NTP client library
No timezone information
No business logic

Limitations: Protocol-level (not HTTP REST), timezone agnostic (UTC only)

View Documentation →

Use Case Recommendations

Which API should you choose? Here are recommendations based on common scenarios.

Hobby project / MVP

Recommended: World Time API

Why: Free, no authentication, good enough for low-traffic projects

Alternatives: TimeAPI.io free tier, NTP for server time

Production SaaS application

Recommended: TimeAPI.io

Why: SLA, support, comprehensive features, reasonable pricing

Alternatives: Abstract API, Google Time Zone if on GCP

Enterprise application

Recommended: Azure Maps Time Zone or Google Time Zone

Why: Enterprise SLA, compliance, integration with cloud infrastructure

Alternatives: TimeAPI.io, Self-hosted NTP + timezone library

Embedded systems / IoT

Recommended: NTP Servers

Why: Low bandwidth, accurate system time, industry standard

Alternatives: World Time API for timezone data, Offline timezone library

Mobile app with location features

Recommended: Abstract API or TimeAPI.io

Why: IP geolocation + timezone in one call

Alternatives: Google Time Zone with coordinates, Device timezone + validation

Financial / trading system

Recommended: NTP + local timezone library

Why: Microsecond accuracy, no external API dependency

Alternatives: TimeAPI.io as backup, PTP (Precision Time Protocol)

E-commerce / booking platform

Recommended: TimeAPI.io

Why: Business day calculations, timezone conversion, reliable SLA

Alternatives: Google Time Zone, Client-side library + server validation

Analytics / logging pipeline

Recommended: NTP for timestamps + local timezone library

Why: Minimize external dependencies, consistent timestamps

Alternatives: World Time API for validation, UTC everywhere approach

How to Choose the Right API

Decision Framework

Determine Your Requirements
- What features do you need? (current time, conversion, calculations)
- What's your expected traffic? (requests per day/month)
- Do you need an SLA?
- What's your budget?
Consider Your Infrastructure
- Already on AWS/GCP/Azure? Use their timezone APIs
- On-premises? Consider NTP + local timezone library
- Serverless? Any REST API works well
Evaluate Costs
- Free tier sufficient? World Time API
- Low-medium traffic? TimeAPI.io or Abstract API
- High traffic? Consider self-hosting or negotiating volume pricing
Test Before Committing
- Try free tiers before paying
- Check response times from your region
- Verify data accuracy
- Test error handling

Red Flags to Avoid

APIs without documentation
Services without clear pricing
Providers without uptime guarantees
APIs that don't use IANA timezone database
Services without HTTPS

Alternative: Client-Side Libraries

For many use cases, you don't need an external API at all. Consider using client-side JavaScript libraries like Luxon or date-fns combined with system time for timezone conversions. This approach:

Eliminates API costs and rate limits
Reduces latency (no network calls)
Works offline
Removes external dependencies

Only use timezone APIs when you specifically need server-side time synchronization, IP-based geolocation, or features not available in libraries.

Additional Resources

Ultimate List of Timestamp Tools - Compare web tools, libraries, and CLIs
Best Date-Time Libraries by Language - Programming language-specific recommendations
API Design: Timestamp Formats - Design APIs with proper timestamp handling
Microservices Time Synchronization - Keep distributed systems in sync
Try Timestamp Generator - Free web-based converter (no API required)