IP-IP-Atlas vs MaxMind: hosted API and self-hosted MMDB, one subscription.
MaxMind sells GeoIP2 City as a $1,474/year database (annual billing) under an "Internal Restricted Business purposes only" license. IP-Atlas ships the equivalent data as both a hosted REST API and a downloadable MMDB on every paid plan, starting at $19/month. Same MMDB binary format you already use — just pointed at our file.
At a glance
MaxMind pricing per maxmind.com/en/geoip-databases (2026-04-14). License text per the GeoIP2 license agreement.
What's behind the price gap
One subscription, both surfaces
MaxMind sells the City database, the ASN database, and the Anonymous IP database as three separate products with three separate licenses. IP-Atlas bundles all three signals (geo, ASN/org, VPN/proxy/datacenter) into a single API response and a single MMDB file. One subscription gets you both.
License you can actually ship in
MaxMind's GeoIP2 license restricts use to "Internal Restricted Business purposes only" — redistributing the data inside a SaaS product or embedding it in a customer-facing feature requires separate negotiation. IP-Atlas's terms allow commercial use and in-product embedding on every paid plan.
Same MMDB format
We emit a MaxMind-compatible MMDB binary using the standard maxminddb library on Go, Node, Python, Rust, and PHP. Your existing reader code keeps working — point it at our file. See MMDB docs →
Plans, side by side
MaxMind enterprise pricing is custom; the ranges shown reflect their published list rates and require separate per-product agreements. IP-Atlas annualises a single monthly subscription.
Migrating from MaxMind
MaxMind users typically have working code that reads an .mmdb file via the maxminddb library. IP-Atlas's MMDB is binary-compatible with that reader.
1. Download our MMDB
# Latest snapshot for your plan tier curl -H "X-API-Key: $IPA_KEY" \ https://api.ip-atlas.io/v1/mmdb/latest \ -o ipatlas.mmdb # Or pin a specific snapshot curl -H "X-API-Key: $IPA_KEY" \ https://api.ip-atlas.io/v1/mmdb/2026-05-12 \ -o ipatlas.mmdb
2. Same reader, different file
// Go — same maxminddb library db, _ := maxminddb.Open("ipatlas.mmdb") var rec struct { Country struct{ ISOCode string `maxminddb:"iso_code"` } `maxminddb:"country"` City struct{ Names map[string]string } `maxminddb:"city"` ASN uint `maxminddb:"asn"` Org string `maxminddb:"organization"` IsVPN bool `maxminddb:"is_vpn"` IsDatacenter bool `maxminddb:"is_datacenter"` } db.Lookup(net.ParseIP("8.8.8.8"), &rec)
3. Or skip the file and call the API
# Same data, no file management curl https://api.ip-atlas.io/json/8.8.8.8 \ -H "X-API-Key: $IPA_KEY"
4. Field name mapping
Frequently asked
Is the MMDB byte-compatible with maxminddb readers?
Yes. We emit the standard MaxMind binary format with our own metadata block and struct tags. The official Go, Node, Python, Rust, and PHP readers all open the file unchanged.
How does accuracy compare to GeoIP2 City?
For country, ASN, and organisation: effectively identical — both source the same RIR delegations and BGP feeds. For city / coordinates: GeoIP2 City has a mature ground-truth pipeline; IP-Atlas is competitive in major metros and is closing the gap on long-tail ranges. Methodology in the docs.
Can I redistribute the data inside my product?
Yes, within your service or SaaS product. The IP-Atlas terms allow embedding the API response and the MMDB-derived data in your customer-facing features. You can't resell the raw MMDB file as a standalone product, but every other commercial use is fine.
What about GeoLite2 (the free MaxMind database)?
GeoLite2 is a smaller, lower-accuracy MaxMind product available for free. IP-Atlas's free tier gives you the full-accuracy API (2,000 req/mo, non-commercial), and any paid plan gives you the full-accuracy MMDB. If you're using GeoLite2 in production today, our free tier covers small-scale use and the Plus plan unlocks commercial use plus the full MMDB.
Update cadence?
Plus: monthly. Pro: weekly. Business: daily. Each snapshot is content-addressed by SHA256 — fetch HEAD /v1/mmdb/latest to check the hash without re-downloading.
How long does migration take?
Most teams swap in a single afternoon: download our MMDB, point your existing reader at it, adjust a few struct tags so the field names match (or use the hosted API and skip the file). Email support if you want help.
One subscription, every signal.
Hosted API + MMDB downloads, on every paid plan. From $19/month.