10 Best Weather Data APIs of 2026

1. 1

   OpenWeather

   A London-based weather data company whose One Call API returns current, forecast and historical weather on one timeline, with bulk history files back to 1979.

   8.9overall

   A London-based weather data company whose One Call API returns current, forecast and historical weather on one timeline, with bulk history files back to 1979.

   Best forDevelopers who want a large free daily allowance and both forecasts and decades of history from one API

   Adoption data

   9 millionOpenWeather says it has more than 9 million users, including Fortune 500 companies.

   OpenWeather, Frequently Asked Questions (2026): “OpenWeather Ltd. has more than 9 million users including Fortune 500 companies and thousands of other businesses globally”

   OpenWeather is the most widely used API-first weather provider on this list, with more than 9 million users according to its FAQ. Its One Call API puts forecast and history on one timeline, so the same request logic returns past and future data in 1-minute, 15-minute, hourly or daily steps, and the first 1,000 calls each day are free. For analysts, the History bulk product sells hourly data from January 1, 1979 for any coordinates as CSV or JSON, and a separate archive holds 16-day forecasts exactly as issued since October 7, 2017, which is useful for checking forecast skill. Subscription tiers add 16-day and 30-day daily forecasts, a Weather History API and statistical weather data, with up to 3 billion calls a month on the top self-serve plan. The catch for US buyers is currency: from our location the price page lists plans in GBP, so we mark the USD price as pending. We compared documented features and published prices.

   Strengths

   • +Largest published user count among the API-first vendors here, at more than 9 million
   • +1,000 free One Call calls a day is enough for many hobby and small production apps
   • +Bulk history going back to 1979 suits model training and long-term analysis

   Limitations

   • −Paid plans and bulk files are priced in GBP on the page we checked, so the USD cost is not verified
   • −Subscription availability starts at 95% on the Startup plan
   • −Bulk history is sold per location, which adds up for many sites

   SummaryOpenWeather is the best choice for developers who want one API for forecasts and history because One Call covers both on a single timeline with 1,000 free calls a day. Analysts needing decades of hourly data can buy bulk files that start in 1979.

2. 2

   Visual Crossing

   A Timeline Weather API and Query Builder that return 50+ years of history and a 15-day forecast in JSON or CSV.

   8.8overall

   A Timeline Weather API and Query Builder that return 50+ years of history and a 15-day forecast in JSON or CSV.

   Best forAnalysts and data teams who need long historical records and spreadsheet-ready downloads

   Visual Crossing is built around the questions analysts ask: what happened at a place over many years, and what will happen in the next 15 days. Every plan, including Free, includes a 15-day forecast and 50+ years of history, and the Timeline Weather API returns both from one query. The Free plan allows 1,000 records per day, Professional costs $35 a month for 10,000,000 records, and a Metered plan charges 0.0001 USD per record with unlimited concurrency. Corporate at 150 USD a month adds degree days, soil moisture, evapotranspiration and energy and maritime elements, and removes the attribution requirement. A Query Builder and bulk dataset tool let non-developers export CSV files, and a historical forecast add-on supplies forecasts as they were made on past dates. Limits to watch: Professional allows one concurrent request, and Visual Crossing does not publish a user count. We compared documented features and published prices.

   Strengths

   • +Lowest verified paid entry point for deep history: $35 a month for 10,000,000 records
   • +Query Builder and dataset downloads suit analysts who work in spreadsheets or BI tools
   • +Stored data may be reused inside your own apps and reports, including commercially

   Limitations

   • −Attribution is required below the Corporate plan
   • −Professional plan allows a single concurrent API request
   • −No published user or customer count, so adoption is scored conservatively

   SummaryVisual Crossing is the best choice for analysts who need historical weather records because every plan includes 50+ years of history and Professional costs $35 a month for 10,000,000 records. Teams that need many parallel requests should look at the Metered or Corporate plans.

3. 3

   WeatherAPI.com

   A self-serve weather API with realtime, forecast, history, marine, air quality and astronomy data on plans from free to high volume.

   8.8overall

   A self-serve weather API with realtime, forecast, history, marine, air quality and astronomy data on plans from free to high volume.

   Best forSmall apps and websites that want a cheap paid tier and a generous free plan

   Adoption data

   1M+WeatherAPI.com says it is trusted by more than 1 million users worldwide.

   WeatherAPI.com, Weather API homepage (2026): “Trusted by 1M+ users worldwide”

   WeatherAPI.com is the low-cost option for developers who need reliable everyday weather in an app. The Free plan includes 100,000 calls a month with realtime weather, a 3-day forecast and the past day of history, and it covers commercial use. Starter costs $7 a month for 3 million calls and adds a 7-day forecast, 7 days of history, next-hour rain and solar irradiance. Pro+ at $25 extends history to a year and future weather to 300 days ahead, and Business at $65 a month adds hourly history back to 2010, climate averages, degree days and forecast models. High Volume plans scale to 500 million calls a month. The company says more than 1 million users trust the service. For long-term historical analysis it is weaker than Visual Crossing or OpenWeather, since history starts in 2010, and 15-minute data needs an Enterprise contract. We compared documented features and published prices.

   Strengths

   • +Cheapest verified paid plan on this list at $7 a month
   • +Free plan allows commercial use
   • +7-day trial on paid plans

   Limitations

   • −History only reaches back to January 1, 2010, even on Business
   • −15-minute data is limited to Enterprise
   • −Free plan uptime is listed at 95.5%

   SummaryWeatherAPI.com is the best choice for small apps on a budget because Starter costs $7 a month for 3 million calls. Analysts needing records older than 2010 should pick Visual Crossing or OpenWeather.

4. 4

   Open-Meteo

   An open-source weather API that serves 30+ national weather models and ERA5 reanalysis from 1940, free without an API key for non-commercial use.

   8.7overall

   An open-source weather API that serves 30+ national weather models and ERA5 reanalysis from 1940, free without an API key for non-commercial use.

   Best forResearchers, students and teams that want free historical reanalysis or the option to self-host

   Open-Meteo is the strongest free source of historical weather on this list. Its homepage lists ERA5 reanalysis from January 1940 at hourly resolution with no missing values, a historical forecast archive from 2021, and 30+ models from national services such as ECMWF, DWD and NOAA, with a best_match option that picks the highest-resolution model for each point. The free API needs no key but is for non-commercial use only, capped at 10,000 calls a day, 5,000 an hour and 600 a minute. Commercial users subscribe to Standard at 1M calls a month or Professional at 5M, and the pricing page says historical, climate, ensemble and satellite radiation APIs require Professional or higher. Because the server is open source, teams with billions of calls can self-host. Prices were not shown in USD from our location, so they are marked pending, and Open-Meteo does not publish a user count. We compared documented features and published prices.

   Strengths

   • +History back to 1940 at no cost for non-commercial work
   • +Same variable names and formats across forecast and historical APIs
   • +Self-hosting removes per-call costs for very large workloads

   Limitations

   • −Commercial use requires a paid plan, and the USD price is not verified here
   • −Historical, climate and ensemble APIs need the Professional plan or higher
   • −No published user count, so adoption is scored conservatively

   SummaryOpen-Meteo is the best choice for researchers who need free historical data because its ERA5 archive starts in January 1940 and needs no API key. Businesses must buy a commercial plan, and historical APIs need Professional or above.

5. 5

   Tomorrow.io

   A weather intelligence company with a free Weather API, 60+ data fields, a historical API and its own satellite constellation.

   8.3overall

   A weather intelligence company with a free Weather API, 60+ data fields, a historical API and its own satellite constellation.

   Best forProduct teams that need specialty layers such as air quality, pollen, fire and flood

   Adoption data

   $175 millionSiliconANGLE reported in February 2026 that Tomorrow.io closed $175 million in funding to deploy its satellite constellation.

   SiliconANGLE, Tomorrow.io raises $175M to deploy its AI-native weather satellite constellation (2026): “Tomorrow.io Inc. has just closed on a bumper $175 million in funding”

   Tomorrow.io sells weather intelligence to enterprises and offers a free Weather API to developers. Its API page lists 60+ data fields, including core weather, air quality, pollen, soil, fire, flood, lightning and maritime layers, with hyperlocal forecasts up to 14 days ahead. The Historical Weather API returns hourly and daily data from up to 20 years back, and a Weather Monitoring API watches predefined locations against conditions you set, so alerting runs on Tomorrow.io's side. A Weather Maps API serves tiles for Mapbox, Google Maps and similar libraries. The company is investing in its own sensing: SiliconANGLE reported a $175 million round in February 2026 to deploy its satellite constellation. For buyers, the drawbacks are price transparency and history depth. We could not verify a USD price table for paid API plans, and 20 years of history is short next to the archives at Visual Crossing or Open-Meteo. We compared documented features and published prices.

   Strengths

   • +Widest set of specialty layers among the API-first vendors here
   • +Free tier lets developers test before talking to sales
   • +Monitoring API handles alert logic on the server side

   Limitations

   • −Paid API prices are not published as a USD table we could verify
   • −History reaches 20 years, shorter than Visual Crossing, OpenWeather or Open-Meteo
   • −Larger plans are sold through demos and sales

   SummaryTomorrow.io is the best choice for teams that need specialty layers because its API exposes 60+ fields, including pollen, fire and flood data. Buyers focused on long historical records will get more years elsewhere.

6. 6

   AccuWeather API

   AccuWeather's developer program with a Core Weather API, MinuteCast minute-by-minute precipitation and a Lightning API.

   8.2overall

   AccuWeather's developer program with a Core Weather API, MinuteCast minute-by-minute precipitation and a Lightning API.

   Best forConsumer apps that want a well-known forecast brand and lifestyle indices

   Adoption data

   1.5 billionAccuWeather says its services reach more than 1.5 billion people.

   AccuWeather, AccuWeather corporate homepage (2026): “We make lives simpler, safer, and better for more than 1.5 billion people”

   AccuWeather brings a household forecast brand to developers, and its corporate site says it serves more than 1.5 billion people. The developer pricing page lists Standard with 225,000 calls a month and 5-day forecasts, Prime with 1,800,000 calls and 10-day forecasts, and Elite with 2,400,000 calls, 15-day forecasts and an MCP server for AI agents. All tiers include 50+ lifestyle and health indices, and a 14-day free trial gives full access to Core Weather, MinuteCast and Lightning without a credit card. For historical work it is a weak fit on self-serve plans: each includes only 24 hours of history, while historical conditions starting in 1990 and 90-day forecasts are Enterprise features. AccuWeather also requires its logo and a link on every screen that shows its data. Plan prices did not display from our location, so pricing is pending. We compared documented features and published prices.

   Strengths

   • +Largest reach of any brand here, at more than 1.5 billion people
   • +14-day free trial with full access and no credit card
   • +MinuteCast and Lightning APIs for precipitation and storm features

   Limitations

   • −Self-serve plans include only 24 hours of history
   • −AccuWeather logo and link must appear wherever its data is shown
   • −Plan prices did not load in USD for us, so they are marked pending

   SummaryAccuWeather API is the best choice for consumer apps that want a recognized forecast brand because it serves more than 1.5 billion people and includes 50+ lifestyle indices. Analysts who need history should look elsewhere, since self-serve plans keep only 24 hours.

7. 7

   The Weather Company Data APIs

   Weather Data APIs from the company behind The Weather Channel and Weather Underground, with 15-day forecasts, alerts and imagery.

   8.2overall

   Weather Data APIs from the company behind The Weather Channel and Weather Underground, with 15-day forecasts, alerts and imagery.

   Best forEnterprises that want an annual contract with a large forecast provider

   Adoption data

   2,000The Weather Company says its weather APIs are trusted by 2,000 businesses globally.

   The Weather Company, Weather Data APIs (2026): “Trusted by 2,000 businesses globally”

   The Weather Company, owner of The Weather Channel and Weather Underground, sells its data to developers through Weather Data APIs, which it says are trusted by 2,000 businesses globally. Its pricing page is one of the few among large providers that shows a price: Standard costs $500 a month on an annual plan for 1 million API calls a month. That plan includes current conditions with site-based and personal weather station observations, daily, hourly and intraday forecasts up to 15 days, lifestyle indices such as pollen and flu, alerts, and gridded and polygonal imagery. Cleaned historical data, history on demand, lightning, tropical and seasonal forecasts are additional options handled by sales. A 30-day trial with 50K calls a day is limited to enterprise customers. The trade-off is cost and commitment: the annual term means at least $6,000 a year before history add-ons. We compared documented features and published prices.

   Strengths

   • +Published Standard price: $500 a month for 1 million calls
   • +Personal weather station observations from its own network
   • +Free trial allows 50K calls a day at 100 calls a minute

   Limitations

   • −Standard is billed annually, so the entry cost is $6,000 a year
   • −Historical data is an add-on, not part of Standard
   • −Free trial is limited to enterprise customers

   SummaryThe Weather Company Data APIs are the best choice for enterprises that want a published contract price because Standard costs $500 a month for 1 million calls. Small teams and analysts focused on history will find better value elsewhere.

8. 8

   Xweather

   Vaisala's weather data business, offering a Weather API, MapsGL SDKs and data from Vaisala's lightning and sensor networks.

   7.9overall

   Vaisala's weather data business, offering a Weather API, MapsGL SDKs and data from Vaisala's lightning and sensor networks.

   Best forTeams that want lightning and sensor-network data from a listed instrument maker

   Adoption data

   EUR 596.9 millionXweather is part of Vaisala, which reported 2025 net sales of EUR 596.9 million, up 6%.

   Vaisala, Vaisala Corporation Financial Statement Release January to December 2025 (2025): “Net sales EUR 596.9 (564.6) million, increase 6%, in constant currencies 7%”

   Xweather is the weather data arm of Vaisala, a maker of meteorological instruments, which reported 2025 net sales of EUR 596.9 million. Its pricing page offers a free Developer tier with 15,000 API accesses a month that needs no credit card and does not expire, plus an API and Maps subscription with 1,000,000 accesses a month and optional overages. Both include all standard API endpoints and the MapsGL SDK, which helps teams build interactive weather maps on web, iOS and Android. Enterprise plans scale from 2 million to more than 1 billion accesses with custom SLAs, and Vaisala also sells lightning, road weather and renewable energy data. The main limits for US readers: the page says the self-serve subscription is available outside the US and Canada, so American buyers are routed to sales, and the subscription price is shown in local currency, so we mark it pending. We compared documented features and published prices.

   Strengths

   • +Free tier does not expire
   • +Backed by a listed company with published financial results
   • +Map SDKs make it practical to build radar and weather map features

   Limitations

   • −Self-serve subscription is offered outside the US and Canada; US buyers go through sales
   • −Subscription price is shown in local currency, so the USD price is not verified
   • −Free tier pauses service when the limit is reached

   SummaryXweather is the best choice for teams that want lightning and sensor-backed data because it is run by Vaisala, a listed instrument maker. US buyers should expect a sales conversation rather than self-serve checkout.

9. 9

   Meteosource

   A weather API provider with minute-by-minute to 30-day forecasts, a 20-year historical add-on and renewable energy forecasts.

   7.8overall

   A weather API provider with minute-by-minute to 30-day forecasts, a 20-year historical add-on and renewable energy forecasts.

   Best forSmall businesses that want low-cost paid forecasts and pay-per-day history

   Adoption data

   20,000+Meteosource says it serves 20,000+ clients in 140+ countries and handles 30M+ API requests a day.

   Meteosource, Meteosource homepage (2026): “20,000+ Clients 140+ Countries served 30M+ API requests / day”

   Meteosource is a smaller provider with low published prices and a clear historical add-on. Its homepage reports 20,000+ clients in 140+ countries and 30M+ API requests a day. The Free plan includes 400 calls a day in exchange for a mention and backlink. Startup costs $9 a month for 10,000 calls a day with 10-day daily forecasts and 10-minute steps, and Standard at $29 a month raises the limit to 20,000 calls a day, adds 1-minute steps and a 30-day extended forecast. Extra calls cost $1 per 1,000 instead of cutting service. Historical data going back 20 years is a metered add-on at $0.005 per location per day of data, which keeps small backfills cheap. A Renewables plan forecasts PV and wind power output from $19 per site a month. The limits are depth and SLA: 20 years of history is shorter than the archives at Visual Crossing or Open-Meteo, and Startup lists 98% uptime. We compared documented features and published prices.

   Strengths

   • +Second-cheapest verified paid plan here at $9 a month
   • +History is priced per location and day, so small pulls stay cheap
   • +Overage priced at $1 per 1,000 calls instead of a hard stop

   Limitations

   • −History reaches 20 years, shorter than the longest archives here
   • −Free plan requires a mention and backlink
   • −Startup uptime SLA is 98%

   SummaryMeteosource is the best choice for small businesses that want cheap paid forecasts because Startup costs $9 a month for 10,000 calls a day. Its 20-year history add-on suits short backfills more than long climate studies.

10. 10

    Weatherbit

    A weather API with forecasts, current conditions, lightning, air quality and up to 30 years of historical data on higher tiers.

    7.7overall

    A weather API with forecasts, current conditions, lightning, air quality and up to 30 years of historical data on higher tiers.

    Best forTeams that need high daily request limits and a historical API on one subscription

    Weatherbit publishes a straightforward USD price table. Standard costs $45 a month for 25,000 requests a day with 16-day daily forecasts, 240-hour hourly forecasts, 60-minute minutely forecasts and current lightning. Plus at $195 adds 5 years of historical data, climate normals and maps, and Business at $475 extends history to 30 years and adds the Air Quality, Ag-Weather and Energy APIs with 2 M requests a day. A 21-day trial needs no card, and a free plan with 50 requests a day covers non-commercial use. Paid subscribers may store API data locally, including with cloud providers, but must delete it if the subscription ends unless they bought a custom historical order. For historical analysis the price climbs quickly compared with Visual Crossing, and Weatherbit does not publish a user count, so adoption is scored conservatively. We compared documented features and published prices.

    Strengths

    • +Clear USD price table from $45 a month
    • +Commercial use license on every paid plan
    • +Local storage of API data is allowed on paid plans

    Limitations

    • −Historical data needs Plus or Business, so history starts at $195 a month
    • −Free plan is non-commercial and limited to 50 requests a day
    • −Stored data must be deleted if the subscription ends, unless bought as a custom order

    SummaryWeatherbit is the best choice for teams that need high request limits on a fixed USD plan because Business includes 2 M requests a day and 30 years of history. Buyers who mainly want history will pay less at Visual Crossing.

Questions or corrections: editorial@statlyst.com · Disclosure