IPLogs vs MaxMind
MaxMind is the industry-standard IP geolocation provider, and IPLogs uses its free GeoLite2 database for geolocation. MaxMind's anonymizer detection (GeoIP2 Anonymous IP) and fraud scoring (minFraud) are separate, paid, proprietary products. IPLogs is free and no-signup, focused on VPN, proxy, Tor, and datacenter detection with per-signal provenance and active probing.
What MaxMind is
MaxMind is the de-facto standard for IP geolocation, with GeoIP2 (paid) and GeoLite2 (free for development and community use). Its anonymizer detection is the GeoIP2 Anonymous IP database, and minFraud is its proprietary fraud-scoring service — both separate paid products. IPLogs builds on MaxMind's free GeoLite2 data for its own geolocation, then layers VPN/proxy/Tor detection on top.
Pricing, free-tier limits, and feature sets change. Verify current details on MaxMind before deciding. This page reflects publicly documented behavior as of 2026-06-02.
Side-by-side
| Capability | IPLogs | MaxMind |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier for VPN/proxy detection | Unlimited, fair-use | Anonymous IP / minFraud are paid |
| Signup / account required | No signup, no key | Account + license key |
| Geolocation / ASN data depth | Built on MaxMind GeoLite2 | Industry standard |
| Per-signal provenance returned | Every matching feed/probe listed | Anonymous-IP boolean flags |
| Open detection methodology | Documented sources + weights | minFraud proprietary score |
| Active protocol probing | OpenVPN/WireGuard/IKEv2/REALITY | Database-based |
| Published false-positive rate | 0.3% on a Cymru-validated corpus | Not published |
| Broader fraud suite (device/email/txn) | IP detection only | minFraud risk scoring |
When to choose IPLogs
- You want free anonymizer detection — MaxMind's Anonymous IP database is paid.
- You need per-signal provenance and active protocol probing, not boolean flags.
- Open methodology and a published false-positive rate matter to you.
- You want no signup or license key.
When to choose MaxMind
- Industry-standard geolocation accuracy and scale are your primary need.
- You want minFraud's full fraud score across device, email, and transaction signals.
- You need a commercial data license with an SLA.
See the numbers
IPLogs publishes its detection accuracy openly: 0.3% false-positive rate on a Cymru-validated corpus. For live, head-to-head API responses across six vendors on controlled test IPs, see the empirical VPN-detection API test.
FAQ
Does IPLogs use MaxMind?
Yes, transparently. IPLogs uses MaxMind's free GeoLite2 database for geolocation, then adds its own VPN/proxy/Tor/datacenter detection on top. MaxMind's anonymizer detection (GeoIP2 Anonymous IP) is a separate paid product that IPLogs does not use.
Is IPLogs a free alternative to MaxMind's Anonymous IP or minFraud?
For VPN, proxy, Tor, and datacenter detection, yes — IPLogs is free and transparent. It does not replace minFraud's broader fraud scoring across device, email, and transaction signals.
Which is more transparent about detection?
IPLogs documents its detection sources and signal weights openly and returns every matching feed and probe per request. minFraud surfaces a proprietary risk score.