Deezer API vs MusicBrainz
Category: Music · Updated August 2026
Both Deezer API (No key for public catalog data; OAuth only for user data) and MusicBrainz (No key, 1 request/second, requires an identifying User-Agent) offer comparable free tiers. Deezer API currently leads on reliability with 100% uptime vs MusicBrainz's 93.17% uptime over the last 30 days. Pick Deezer API for hobby projects; consider MusicBrainz if you need its specific feature set.
Side-by-side comparison
Deezer API
Public catalog data for artists, albums, tracks, and charts, with 30-second previews. The public read endpoints need no key, which is why it survived as a Spotify alternative after Spotify restricted audio-features for new apps in late 2024.
| Status | 🟢 Online |
| 30-day uptime | 100% |
| Response time | 176 ms |
| Free tier | No key for public catalog data; OAuth only for user data |
| Auth | No key required |
| Tier score | 0.7 — free key, no card |
MusicBrainz
The open music encyclopedia — artists, releases, recordings, and relationships, maintained by the MetaBrainz Foundation. The canonical free replacement for the discontinued Echo Nest and the shrinking Spotify metadata endpoints.
| Status | 🟢 Online |
| 30-day uptime | 93.17% |
| Response time | 476 ms |
| Free tier | No key, 1 request/second, requires an identifying User-Agent |
| Auth | No key required |
| Tier score | 0.7 — free key, no card |
Which to choose?
- Pick Deezer API if…you want zero friction — no account, no key, just call the endpoint. Also good if music data without signup is a hard requirement.
- Pick MusicBrainz if…you want zero friction — no account, no key, just call the endpoint. Also good if music data without signup is a hard requirement.
- Use both if…one goes down — they serve the same music use case from different data sources, so you can implement a quick fallback.
Or use these alternatives
Other top-ranked Music APIs you might consider:
- iTunes Search API — 🟢 Online · No key, approximately 20 calls/minute, no credit card
- Lyrics.ovh — 🟢 Online · Unlimited, no key; unofficial hobby project with no SLA
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Deezer API or MusicBrainz more reliable?
Based on our 30-day tracking, Deezer API is more reliable with 100% uptime compared to MusicBrainz's 93.17%. Both are measured from the same automated hourly checks — no self-reported data.
Which one has a more generous free tier — Deezer API or MusicBrainz?
Both have comparable free tiers. Deezer API offers No key for public catalog data; OAuth only for user data and MusicBrainz offers No key, 1 request/second, requires an identifying User-Agent. The right choice depends on your specific call volume and auth preferences.
Can I use Deezer API and MusicBrainz together?
Absolutely — neither requires an API key, so you can call both with no setup. A round-robin or primary/fallback pattern is trivial to implement, giving you redundancy at zero cost.
What's the cheapest paid alternative if both Deezer API and MusicBrainz fail?
If you need a paid fallback, MetaBrainz commercial is one of the more affordable options (tiered supporter agreements). You can find the full list of paid alternatives on each API's detail page. Paid tiers typically offer SLA guarantees, higher rate limits, and dedicated support.
See full profiles: Deezer API · MusicBrainz · All Music APIs