NetAPI vs ViewDNS: bulk domain datasets vs per-query lookup tools

A factual comparison of NetAPI and ViewDNS (viewdns.info).


ViewDNS and NetAPI overlap on domain and IP lookups, but they are built for different jobs. ViewDNS is a collection of more than twenty per-query tools – DNS records, reverse IP, WHOIS, reverse WHOIS, port scans, propagation checks – sold through a credit-based API, with zone files and a newly-registered-domains feed as separate data products. NetAPI is a bulk data service: complete, daily updated lists of registered domains for every TLD, enriched per-domain datasets, registrar- and DNS-provider-grouped files, plus lookup tools and an API on top. This page compares both feature by feature.

Figures for ViewDNS are taken from its public website and may have changed since; NetAPI figures are live. If you spot an error, let us know and we will correct it.

NetAPI ViewDNS
Domain zones covered
1,584 TLDs (gTLD + ccTLD), complete lists of active domains per zone 
Newly-registered-domains feed for "over a thousand" TLDs and a ccTLD zone files product; no complete active-domain lists per gTLD 
Domains in the database
460,900,044 domains 
Not published 
Update frequency
Every day, with a "new domains" filter for the last 24 hours
Daily snapshot for the newly-registered-domains feed; lookups are live per query
Enriched datasets (per domain)
DNS servers, IP, hostname, IP country, email addresses, phone numbers, Majestic rank, registrar, registration and expiration dates – in one file 
No bulk datasets; each attribute is a separate per-query lookup (DNS records, IP location, WHOIS, …) 
Registrar / WHOIS data
Registrar-grouped WHOIS datasets with registration and expiration dates, included in the datasets
WHOIS and reverse WHOIS lookups per query; no bulk registrar datasets
DNS-provider lists
Domains grouped by authoritative DNS provider (Cloudflare, Route 53, GoDaddy, etc.)
Reverse NS lookup per query; no downloadable provider lists
Free datasets
Top 1M most popular websites (daily), compromised domains and compromised IPs (daily), TLD and registrar abuse reports – no registration 
No free datasets; a free sandbox with a small number of trial API queries 
Domain / IP lookup
Domain lookup and reverse IP lookup, on the web and via API
More than twenty lookup and diagnostic tools (DNS, reverse IP, WHOIS, ports, traceroute, propagation) – its core product
API
REST API v2 with token, flat subscription: lists, datasets, DNS and registrar files, lookup, compromised feeds; also on RapidAPI
API for every lookup tool, billed per query through monthly credit plans or prepaid query packs
Open license for free data
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0: reuse, share and redistribute with attribution
Not stated; separate API and data-product terms
Legal entity and transparency
CodeRockers LTD (Cyprus) – registered company with a published address, Terms of Service and Privacy Policy
Operated as "ViewDNS"; no legal entity or address published on the site

Why choose NetAPI over ViewDNS

Choose NetAPI when you need the data itself rather than one answer at a time: complete lists of 460,900,044 domains across 1,584 zones, refreshed every day with new-domain deltas, and datasets in which every row carries DNS servers, IP address, hostname, IP country, email addresses, phone numbers, Majestic rank, registrar and registration/expiration dates – the kind of bulk export ViewDNS does not sell. NetAPI also includes registrar-grouped WHOIS datasets, DNS-provider lists, domain and reverse IP lookup and a flat-rate API with no per-query credits, and publishes free datasets – the Top 1M website ranking, the compromised domains and compromised IPs feeds and the abuse research reports – under CC BY 4.0. ViewDNS remains a handy toolbox for occasional diagnostics such as DNS propagation or port checks, which are outside NetAPI's scope. NetAPI is operated by a registered company with a published address, Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, and was built by the author of zonefiles.io, the now-closed service that started the domain-list category.


Frequently asked questions
Is NetAPI a replacement for ViewDNS?

For bulk domain data – complete lists of registered domains, newly registered domains, enriched datasets, registrar and DNS-provider files – yes, and NetAPI goes further than ViewDNS's data products. For one-off diagnostics such as DNS propagation checks, port scans or traceroute, ViewDNS is a different kind of tool and NetAPI does not try to replace it.

What is the main difference between the two services?

ViewDNS answers one question at a time through per-query tools and a credit-based API. NetAPI gives you the whole dataset: every active domain in a zone, what changed in the last 24 hours, and a row of attributes per domain, refreshed daily and downloadable as files or through a flat-rate API.

Does ViewDNS sell complete domain lists?

ViewDNS offers a newly-registered-domains feed and a ccTLD zone files product as separate data products; it does not publish complete active-domain lists per gTLD or enriched per-domain datasets. NetAPI covers 1,584 zones with complete daily lists and datasets.

How is the API billed?

ViewDNS bills per query: monthly plans with a fixed number of queries or prepaid query packs. NetAPI's API is part of a flat subscription – you download whole lists, datasets and feeds without counting requests. See the API documentation for the available methods.

Can I do domain and reverse IP lookups on NetAPI?

Yes – domain lookup and reverse IP lookup are available on the web and via the API and return NetAPI's own data: DNS, IP, hostname, country, contacts, registrar and dates, or all domains hosted on an IP.

Can I try NetAPI without paying?

Yes. The Top 1M ranking, the compromised domains and compromised IPs feeds and the abuse research reports are free, need no registration and are licensed CC BY 4.0; sample files for the paid lists and datasets are available on every zone page.

Who is behind NetAPI?

NetAPI is operated by CodeRockers LTD, a company registered in Cyprus with a published postal address, Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, and was built by the author of zonefiles.io. ViewDNS does not publish a legal entity or address on its website.

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