OpenCorporates

Data on corporate entities and directors in many countries

Open documentation ↗

API keyHTTPSNo CORSOpen Data

Verified today: 100% uptime

Is OpenCorporates free, and does it need an API key?

Price: Restricted
API key: By application
Cheapest paid plan: Essentials: £2,250 a year for up to 500 calls a month and 200 a day

How to get an OpenCorporates API key

Public-benefit users: apply through OpenCorporates' public-benefit request form.
Commercial users: choose a plan on the pricing page and pay to get a token.
Send the token as the api_token query parameter on every request.

Apply for access ↗

Send it as ?api_token=YOUR_TOKEN

Checked by hand on 2026-10-24 against OpenCorporates pricing and OpenCorporates API reference. Providers change their terms, so confirm on their own pages before you commit.

API key

By application

HTTPS

Supported

Browser calls

No, needs a proxy

Status

Live · 100/100

Overview & Architectural Role

OpenCorporates provides programmatic access to data on corporate entities and directors in many countries. Delivered over secure HTTPS protocols, it exposes structured endpoints designed to integrate cleanly into modern frontend frameworks, backend microservices, and automated data pipelines without requiring local database provisioning.

Who it is built for

Engineers building web dashboards, mobile applications, CLI utilities, or background cron workers in need of reliable open data data feeds.

Architectural Advantage

Consuming OpenCorporates removes the operational overhead of running custom scrapers, orchestrating headless browser fleets, or manually seeding and maintaining a local database. Instead of reverse-engineering volatile DOM layouts or dealing with anti-bot IP blocks, your application connects directly to a standardized JSON interface designed for backend ingestion with consistent schema schemas. Dedicated authentication ensures rate quotas and credential tracking per project environment.

What our checks found

Health score: 100/100
Reliability: 100%
Average latency: 1055ms

Last checked 2026-10-24. Measured independently, not self-reported by the provider.

Core Use Cases & Architecture Ideas

Practical real-world patterns for integrating OpenCorporates into software systems.

Automated SaaS Feature Integration

Embed data and functionality from OpenCorporates directly into application onboarding, profile enrichment, or reporting dashboards.

Architecture: Backend service worker fetches OpenCorporates during user workflows, caches responses in Redis, and hydrates UI state.

Scheduled Reporting & Monitoring Bot

Periodically extract updates from OpenCorporates to generate daily digests, analytics reports, or Slack notifications.

Architecture: A scheduled GitHub Action or cron worker executes a lightweight script calling OpenCorporates, formatting markdown summaries for stakeholders.

Rapid Prototyping & Hackathon Showcase

Provide real-world mock data and operational endpoints for client demos, portfolio apps, or MVP validation.

Architecture: Static client SPA queries OpenCorporates directly to populate mock dashboards, graphs, and interactive UI states without a custom backend.

Code Implementation Examples

Production-ready starting templates with error handling for OpenCorporates.

// Requires an API key. Check the docs for whether it goes in a header or a query parameter.
// Modern native fetch with error handling
async function callApi() {
  try {
    const response = await fetch('https://api.opencorporates.com/api/v1/resource', {
      method: 'GET',
    headers: {
      'Authorization': 'Bearer YOUR_API_KEY',
      Accept: 'application/json',
    },
    });

    if (!response.ok) {
      throw new Error(`HTTP ${response.status}: ${response.statusText}`);
    }

    const data = await response.json();
    console.log('Response payload:', data);
    return data;
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('API request failed:', error);
    throw error;
  }
}

// callApi();

This API does not send CORS headers, so a browser will block a direct call from your front end. Call it from your server, or put a small proxy in front of it.

Response Payload & Live Testing

Inspect the expected JSON structure returned by OpenCorporates.

Expected JSON Response Payload

Authentic sample payload structure to evaluate schema attributes before integration.

{
  "status": 200,
  "api": "OpenCorporates",
  "endpoint": "/opencorporates",
  "data": {
    "id": 101,
    "title": "OpenCorporates Sample Payload",
    "description": "Data on corporate entities and directors in many countries",
    "verified": true,
    "category": "Open Data",
    "updated_at": "2026-10-24T07:39:43.921Z"
  },
  "meta": {
    "response_time_ms": 1055,
    "cached": false
  }
}

Format: application/json

Integration Considerations & Best Practices

Technical factors to keep in mind when integrating OpenCorporates into production environments.

Implement In-Memory or Edge Caching

Avoid triggering rate limits on public feeds by caching response payloads in Redis, Vercel KV, or standard HTTP Cache-Control headers with a 5-to-15 minute TTL.

Shield Credentials in Backend Route Handlers

Never expose private API keys in client-side JavaScript or bundle environments. Proxy requests through a Next.js API route or serverless backend to keep secret keys out of public DevTools inspection.

CORS Proxy Required for Browser Frontend Calls

This API does not send Access-Control-Allow-Origin response headers. Direct fetch() calls from browser JavaScript will fail due to Same-Origin Policy. Route your calls through a server backend or lightweight edge proxy.

Validate HTTP Status Before Parsing JSON

Always inspect response.ok before executing response.json(). Upstream services returning 4xx or 502 Bad Gateway often serve HTML error pages, which cause syntax errors when parsed as JSON.

Where this listing comes from

Fixed Philippine PCSO draw results and schedules with row-level provenance

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Verified today: 100% uptime

View Details

OpenCorporates — common questions

Answered from what our own scheduled checks found, not from the provider's marketing.

Is the OpenCorporates API free?

Not free for most uses. Every request needs an api_token. Free access goes only to approved public-benefit users: investigative journalists, NGOs, universities and anti-corruption researchers. Everyone else needs a paid plan. The cheapest paid plan: Essentials: £2,250 a year for up to 500 calls a month and 200 a day. Checked on 2026-10-24.

Does OpenCorporates need an API key?

Yes, and you have to apply for it rather than sign up instantly. Send it as ?api_token=YOUR_TOKEN.

How do I get an OpenCorporates API key?

1. Public-benefit users: apply through OpenCorporates' public-benefit request form. 2. Commercial users: choose a plan on the pricing page and pay to get a token. 3. Send the token as the api_token query parameter on every request.

Can I call OpenCorporates from browser JavaScript?

Not directly. OpenCorporates did not return CORS headers when we checked, so the browser will block your page from reading the response even though the request itself succeeds. Call it from a server, or put a small proxy in front of it.

Is OpenCorporates still working?

Yes, as of 2026-10-24. Our automated check reached OpenCorporates and recorded a 100% reliability score with a median response time of 1055 ms. We re-check on a schedule, and this page updates with the result.