Alternative & migration guide

A maclookup.app API alternative, with a field-by-field mapping.

maclookup.app and macadress.com both resolve a MAC address or OUI against the IEEE registry. maclookup.app has stopped issuing new API keys, so if you are choosing a lookup API today, or planning for its legacy keys, this page compares the two and shows how its JSON maps onto macadress's.

Checked against maclookup.app's API documentation and rate limits on October 2, 2026, including a live request. Their limits and responses can change; treat their docs as the source of truth for their side.

GET api.macadress.com/v1/vendor/…

$ curl api.maclookup.app/v2/macs/00:03:93:AB:12:34
{"found":true,"company":"Apple, Inc.",…}

$ curl api.macadress.com/v1/vendor/00:03:93:AB:12:34
Apple, Inc.

Full endpoint reference →

What carries over

IEEE registry data: MA-L, MA-M and MA-S blocks, with the organization, address, country and block range
A MAC address with colons, dashes, dots or no separators, and a bare 6-hex OUI on the name-only endpoints
A free, no-signup way to look up a vendor name
Free database downloads in JSON, CSV and Cisco's vendorMacs.xml

What changes

URL and shape: api.maclookup.app/v2/macs/<mac> becomes api.macadress.com/v1/mac/<mac> for JSON (free API key), or /v1/vendor/<mac> for just the name (no key).
Field names: the JSON is different; the mapping table below covers each field.
Formats: macadress returns JSON or plain text. maclookup.app also offers XML and JSONP.
No per-record date: maclookup.app returns an updated date per record. IEEE's public feeds carry none, so macadress reports when the database was last synced instead.

Side by side

Behavior comparison

macadress facts are from this site's endpoint reference and pricing. maclookup.app facts are from their API documentation, their rate-limits page and a live request on October 2, 2026.

	api.maclookup.app/v2	api.macadress.com/v1
API key	No longer issued; existing keys stay valid until April 2027. Works without a key	None for `/v1/vendor`; free key for `/v1/mac` and batch
Response formats	JSON, JSONP, XML	JSON, or plain text for the name endpoint
Name-only endpoint	`/v2/macs/<mac>/company/name`, returns `NO COMPANY` on a miss	`/v1/vendor/<mac>`, `404` with `not registered` or `locally administered`
Unregistered prefix	`200`, `found: false`	JSON: `200`, `registered: false`. Name endpoint: `404`
Rate limits (no key)	10 requests/sec, 25 thousand per 6 hours, shared	60 requests/min and 1,000 a day per IP on `/v1/vendor`
Free JSON quota	Within the shared limits above	1,000 lookups a month with a free key; paid plans raise it
Randomized MAC	`isRand` boolean	`potentially_randomized`, a confidence level and a plain-English explanation
Device category	Not in the response	`device`: a best-effort, vendor-level category with a confidence level, in `GET /v1/mac/:mac`
Virtualization and special-use addresses	Not in the response	`virtualization` (VMware, Docker bridge and similar) and `special_use` (multicast, VRRP, LLDP and similar)
Batch lookups	Not in the documented endpoints	`POST /v1/mac/batch`, up to 100 per call, with a free key
Browser (CORS)	Check their documentation	`Access-Control-Allow-Origin: *`
Record update date	`updated` per record	Database sync date, not per record
Full database download	JSON, CSV, Cisco XML	JSON, CSV, Cisco XML, plus Wireshark `manuf` and nmap files, rebuilt twice a day
Self-hosted option	None documented	Self-hosted license

Beyond the vendor name

Extra fields in the response

maclookup.app returns the registry record and an isRand flag. GET /v1/mac/:mac adds a few things derived from it, all optional to use:

Device category: a best-effort guess at what kind of product the vendor makes (router, phone, printer and so on), with a confidence level. It is drawn from a small, curated vendor dataset and describes the vendor, not the specific device behind the address.
Virtualization: flags hypervisor and container-network prefixes such as VMware, VirtualBox and Docker's default bridge.
Special-use addresses: identifies broadcast, multicast, VRRP, HSRP, LLDP and similar reserved addresses, with the standard each comes from.
Matched block width: reports the real prefix size matched (MA-L, MA-M or MA-S).

The desktop scanner adds local discovery hints (mDNS and SSDP) for devices on your own network. The API and website do not.

Field mapping

maclookup.app JSON to macadress JSON

The same lookup, 00:03:93:AB:12:34, in both. Left column is maclookup.app's GET /v2/macs/<mac>; right is macadress's GET /v1/mac/<mac>.

maclookup.app field	macadress field	Notes
`found`	`registered`	Both true when a registered block matches
`macPrefix`	`matched_prefix`	macadress formats it with colons and gives `prefix_length`
`company`	`organization`	`null` for a private or unregistered block
`address`	`vendor_address`
`country`	`country`	ISO 3166-1 alpha-2
`blockStart`, `blockEnd`	`range_start`, `range_end`	Colon-separated
`blockSize`	`address_capacity`
`blockType`	`block_type`	`MA-L`, `MA-M`, `MA-S`, `IAB` or `CID`
`isRand`	`potentially_randomized`	Plus `randomization_confidence` and an explanation
`isPrivate`	`organization` is `null`	`is_private` is still returned but deprecated
`updated`	`registry.database_synced_at`	Sync date, not a per-record date

curl

# before
curl https://api.maclookup.app/v2/macs/00:03:93:AB:12:34

# after: JSON with a free key
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $KEY" \
  https://api.macadress.com/v1/mac/00:03:93:AB:12:34

# after: name only, no key
curl https://api.macadress.com/v1/vendor/00:03:93:AB:12:34

Python

import requests

# before
d = requests.get(f"https://api.maclookup.app/v2/macs/{mac}").json()
vendor = d["company"] if d["found"] else None

# after
d = requests.get(
    f"https://api.macadress.com/v1/mac/{mac}",
    headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {key}"},
).json()
vendor = d["organization"]

Be honest

When to stay on maclookup.app

maclookup.app is a long-running, free service. If it works for you, there is no reason to move.

You are already integrated and inside its limits. Its shared allowance is larger in raw request count than macadress's keyless endpoint.
You depend on its XML or JSONP output, or on the per-record updated date.
You only need the vendor and never want a randomization analysis, batch requests or a self-hosted option.

Reasons to look at macadress: you hold a legacy maclookup.app key and want a plan for April 2027, you want batch lookups, a randomization confidence and explanation, or official client libraries and SIEM and threat-intelligence integrations alongside the lookup.

58,693 vendor blocks tracked 161 countries Last synced Oct 6, 2026 Browse the MAC vendor database →

Also comparing others? See the macvendors.com alternative and the full comparison of MAC lookup tools.

FAQ

Switching from maclookup.app

Is macadress.com an alternative to the maclookup.app API?

Yes. Both look up a MAC address or OUI against the IEEE registry and return the vendor, address, country and block details. maclookup.app answers with JSON, XML or JSONP from GET /v2/macs/{mac}. macadress answers with JSON from GET /v1/mac/:mac (free API key), or with the plain-text vendor name from the keyless GET /v1/vendor/:mac.

Does maclookup.app still issue API keys?

According to maclookup.app's own documentation, API keys are no longer issued, and existing keys stay valid until April 2027. The API itself works without a key, under shared limits of 10 requests a second and 25 thousand requests every 6 hours. Check their rate-limits page for the current numbers.

How do I map maclookup.app's JSON fields to macadress?

found maps to registered, macPrefix to matched_prefix, company to organization, address to vendor_address, country to country, blockStart and blockEnd to range_start and range_end, blockSize to address_capacity, blockType to block_type, and isRand to potentially_randomized (with randomization_confidence and an explanation alongside it). macadress has no per-record updated date, because IEEE's public feeds do not carry one, but it reports when the database was last synced. The table on this page lists every field.

What happens when the prefix is not registered?

maclookup.app returns HTTP 200 with found set to false. macadress's JSON endpoint also returns 200 with registered set to false and the analysis of the address, while the keyless name endpoint returns 404 with the plain text "not registered", or "locally administered" for a privacy-randomized address.

Do I need an API key for macadress?

Not for the vendor name: GET /v1/vendor/:mac needs no key, with 60 requests a minute and 1,000 a day per IP. The JSON endpoint, GET /v1/mac/:mac, and batch lookups need a free API key, which includes 1,000 lookups a month.

Can I get the whole database instead of calling an API?

Both services publish the database as free downloads. macadress offers CSV, JSON, Cisco's vendorMacs.xml, and drop-in replacements for Wireshark's manuf and nmap's nmap-mac-prefixes files on the downloads page, rebuilt twice a day. For lookups that cannot leave your network, a self-hosted license is available.

When should I stay on maclookup.app?

If you are already integrated and your volume fits its limits, which are higher in raw request count than macadress's keyless endpoint. Also if you rely on its per-record updated date, or on XML or JSONP output. macadress is the better fit when you want a randomization analysis, batch requests, or official client libraries and SIEM integrations alongside the lookup.