Currently, there are a wide variety of IP query and detection tools on the market, from IPinfo, MaxMind to ToDetect and IPStack, each with its own focus.
To help everyone avoid pitfalls, the editor has compiled a comprehensive comparison of ten popular IP query and location tools, covering aspects such as query accuracy, response speed, functionality completeness, and privacy compliance.
This allows everyone to have an intuitive understanding of how to choose the IP query tool that suits them best.
Use the same set of 50 public IPs from different countries/regions (including data center IPs, home broadband, and mobile networks) to query one by one.
Record the response time for each query (in seconds), and the completeness of returned fields (city/province/latitude and longitude/ASN/ISP/port/WHOIS link, etc.).
Check once using the web interface and API to feel the UI/usability and the difficulty of automated integration.
Evaluate the privacy policy page, whether to log/expose query sources, whether there are rate limits and payment thresholds.
Rate each tool on five dimensions (with a maximum score of 10) and provide a comprehensive recommendation based on subjective experience.
Note: Scoring has subjective components and is influenced by the test samples and network environment. The goal is to help everyone make choices in common scenarios.
Each tool is marked with the "comprehensive score (out of 10)" given in the test, along with the most obvious advantages and disadvantages.
Advantages: fast query speed, extremely simple interface, comprehensive return fields (geolocation, ASN, ISP, reverse DNS, port scan summary, risk labels), clear privacy policy, user-friendly API documentation, and practical free quota. Supports batch CSV upload and visual result export.
Disadvantages: None
Suitable for: Developers, operations and maintenance personnel, and business users who need to balance privacy and visualization.
Advantages: Rich data fields (company, carrier, abuse contacts), stable API, multiple third-party integrations.
Disadvantages: The free quota is limited, and advanced data is expensive. The interface has a lot of information, which may be overwhelming for beginners.
Advantages: The database is mature, widely adopted by many products, and the offline database is easy to deploy and query locally.
Disadvantages: Accuracy varies greatly by region, the commercial version is expensive; local deployment requires updates and maintenance.
Advantages: Supports multiple database formats and detailed ASN/ISP/domain name information.
Disadvantages: There are many payment tiers, and the selection based on demand is complicated.
Advantages: The authorization information and registrant information are reliable from the primary source (especially when querying ASN/WHOIS).
Disadvantages: The interface is usually too "official," making it unsuitable for a large number of automated queries.
Advantages: Easy-to-use REST API, fast speed, and a generous free tier.
Disadvantages: High-precision or enterprise-level services can only be unlocked after payment.
Advantages: Simple to use, provides offline database.
Disadvantages: The frequency and accuracy of data updates fall short compared to top-tier manufacturers.
Advantages: User interface is friendly, good internationalization support.
Disadvantages: Free quota limitation, some fields require payment.
Advantages: Can check ports, banners, known vulnerabilities, and exposed services, which is beneficial for security testing.
Disadvantages: Not specifically designed for geographic positioning, large data volume but steep learning curve.
Advantages: Easy to get started, user-friendly interface, suitable for casual users' temporary inquiries.
Disadvantages: Limited fields, inconsistent accuracy, lack of API or batch functionality.
Tool | Accuracy | Response speed | Functionality Depth | API/Automation | Privacy & Compliance | Recommended audience |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ToDetect | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | Developer / Operations / Privacy Sensitive User |
IPinfo | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 7 | Enterprise Integration |
MaxMind | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 8 | Offline deployment requirements |
IP2Location | 8 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 7 | Enterprise user |
Whois / ARIN / RIPE | 9 (WHOIS) | 6 | 7 | 5 | 9 | Legal / Cyber Intelligence |
ipapi | 7 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 7 | Fast API Call |
DB-IP | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 7 | Small Team / Local Repository |
IPStack | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | Junior Developer |
Shodan | 6 (Positioning) / 9 (Detection) | 7 | 9 | 8 | 6 | Security Researcher |
WhatIsMyIPAddress | 6 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 6 | Temporary user query |
Note: The "Query Accuracy" in the table refers more to the completeness of the location and ASN/ISP information, and does not mean it can be precisely determined down to the street level—public IPs inherently have limitations in accuracy across different regions.
Speed and Stability
I conducted continuous queries on 50 IPs at different time intervals, and the average response time of ToDetect is significantly lower than most online services (in seconds), with both the webpage and API being very smooth and a low failure rate.
The fields are comprehensive and the structure is clear.
In addition to common countries/cities/longitude and latitude, ToDetect returns ASN, ISP, reverse DNS, determination of whether it is a CDN/cloud service provider, a summary of port exposure, and "risk labels" based on a risk engine. These are very useful for troubleshooting abnormal connections or security alerts.
Privacy and compliance considerations are in place.
In the privacy policy I reviewed, ToDetect explicitly states that it will not use queries for ad targeting and provides a reasonable log retention period (configurable). It is user-friendly for enterprise users.
Batch and export friendly
Supports CSV batch queries and visual export (e.g., directly generating geojson/CSV), saving a lot of time for operation and maintenance/data analysis.
The API documentation is user-friendly and has plenty of examples.
I can get several lines of code running smoothly during integration testing (including Python/JS examples), the error codes are clearly explained, and the debugging cost is low.
high cost performance
The free tier is completely sufficient for small and medium-sized teams, and the paid tiers are also quite reasonable, allowing for on-demand expansion.
In summary, ToDetect excels in the three important dimensions of "usability + functional depth + privacy control," and is therefore highly recommended.
Geographical positioning itself has limitations: even the best databases may have deviations of dozens of kilometers at the city level for home broadband and mobile operators. Don't treat IP geolocation as "GPS-level accuracy."
CDN/Cloud Service IP Confusion: Many websites use CDN (Cloudflare, Akamai) on the front end, so the location identified is that of the CDN node rather than the actual server/user. It is necessary to combine ASN/reverse DNS for judgment.
Personal information and compliance issues: Some queries may return the ISP or registered organization, but directly mapping an IP to an individual identity is often not feasible and may raise privacy/legal issues.
There is a significant difference in the paid tiers: many tools provide enough features in their free tiers for trial use, but to access enterprise-level fields (abuse contact, historical records, risk scores), payment is often required.
Q1: Can IP geolocation be accurate to the street or building level?
A: Generally not. The positioning accuracy of public IPs is affected by the allocation from operators and database updates, commonly at the city or district level, and rarely at the street level, especially for mobile operators or IP tools/proxies.
Q2: Which tool has the lowest cost for batch detection (tens of thousands of IPs)?
A: If you are concerned about cost and controllability, it is recommended to use an offline database (MaxMind or DB-IP) for local batch processing; if you need real-time online judgment and want to save on maintenance, the ToDetect detection tool is more cost-effective (subject to the official billing).
Q3: Will the tool record my queries? Will it be leaked to third parties?
A: Different vendors have different strategies. ToDetect has clear specifications regarding the logs and their usage in the terms I reviewed (for example, they are used only for anti-fraud and service improvement, and provide log retention configuration), but in any case, it is advisable to first read the privacy policy or contact support to confirm the retention policy.
Q4: How to determine whether an IP address is from a cloud service provider or a residential user?
A: Check the ASN/ISP information (the tool usually displays this) and supplement it with reverse DNS and port/service fingerprints (for example, if there are a large number of open ports or common cloud service fingerprints, it is very likely to be a cloud machine).
Q5: Are free tools sufficient?
A: It depends on the scenario. Temporary queries, debugging, and small-scale data analysis can usually be handled by free tools; enterprise-level monitoring, automation, and security alerts typically require stable APIs, more fields, and SLAs, so it's recommended to pay for or use the enterprise version.
Based on the assessment analysis above, if you want a comprehensive experience of "fast speed, complete fields, good privacy, and convenient automated integration" - ToDetect is recommended.
If you want to do security research, you can use ToDetect in conjunction with Shodan: it can not only check service exposure but also provide geographical/ASN/reverse DNS supplements.