httpbin vs JSONPlaceholder
Category: Dev-tools · Updated August 2026
Both httpbin (Unlimited (fair use), no key, no credit card) and JSONPlaceholder (Unlimited (fair use), no key, no credit card) offer comparable free tiers. JSONPlaceholder currently leads on reliability with 100% uptime vs httpbin's 64.67% uptime over the last 30 days. Pick JSONPlaceholder for hobby projects; consider httpbin if you need its specific feature set.
Side-by-side comparison
httpbin
HTTP request & response testing service. Echo endpoints for every method, status code simulation, header inspection, delay simulation — the standard tool for debugging HTTP clients.
| Status | 🔴 Offline |
| 30-day uptime | 64.67% |
| Response time | 20000 ms |
| Free tier | Unlimited (fair use), no key, no credit card |
| Auth | No key required |
| Tier score | 1.0 — no friction |
JSONPlaceholder
Fake REST API for testing and prototyping. Six resources (posts, comments, todos, users…) with full CRUD simulation. The default API in every frontend tutorial.
| Status | 🟢 Online |
| 30-day uptime | 100% |
| Response time | 10 ms |
| Free tier | Unlimited (fair use), no key, no credit card |
| Auth | No key required |
| Tier score | 1.0 — no friction |
Which to choose?
- Pick httpbin if…you want zero friction — no account, no key, just call the endpoint. Also good if dev-tools data without signup is a hard requirement.
- Pick JSONPlaceholder if…you want zero friction — no account, no key, just call the endpoint. Also good if dev-tools data without signup is a hard requirement.
- Use both if…one goes down — they serve the same dev-tools use case from different data sources, so you can implement a quick fallback.
Or use these alternatives
Other top-ranked Dev-tools APIs you might consider:
- Nager.Date — 🟢 Online · Unlimited (fair use), no key, no credit card
- ipify — 🟢 Online · Unlimited, no key, no credit card
Frequently Asked Questions
Is httpbin or JSONPlaceholder more reliable?
Based on our 30-day tracking, JSONPlaceholder is more reliable with 100% uptime compared to httpbin's 64.67%. Both are measured from the same automated hourly checks — no self-reported data.
Which one has a more generous free tier — httpbin or JSONPlaceholder?
Both have comparable free tiers. httpbin offers Unlimited (fair use), no key, no credit card and JSONPlaceholder offers Unlimited (fair use), no key, no credit card. The right choice depends on your specific call volume and auth preferences.
Can I use httpbin and JSONPlaceholder 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 httpbin and JSONPlaceholder fail?
If you need a paid fallback, Postman Mock Servers is one of the more affordable options (free tier, then from $14/mo). 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: httpbin · JSONPlaceholder · All Dev-tools APIs