# Google Weather API (Maps Platform) vs Tomorrow.io Weather API

> Google Weather API (Maps Platform) scores 66.8 (B) on agent readiness against Tomorrow.io Weather API's 51.4 (D), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Tomorrow.io Weather API leads on maintenance & community. Both do weather current. Category scores, facts, verdicts and agent…

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- Updated: 2026-10-08

Google Weather API (Maps Platform) scores 66.8 (B) on agent readiness against Tomorrow.io Weather API's 51.4 (D), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Tomorrow.io Weather API leads on maintenance & community. Both do weather current.

- Google Weather API (Maps Platform): grade B, 66.8/100, rank #226 of 722. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/google-weather-api.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/google-weather-api.json
- Tomorrow.io Weather API: grade D, 51.4/100, rank #578 of 722. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/tomorrow-io.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/tomorrow-io.json

## Which one, for what

### Google Weather API (Maps Platform) (B)

Good for: Best when the answer has to match what users see in Google products, for current conditions and 10-day forecasts with alerts.

Ahead on:
- Reliability, 85 against 55
- Schema & documentation, 82 against 75
- Agent ergonomics, 79 against 73
- Security & auth, 71 against 34
- Payments & pricing, 25 against 20
- Transparency & trust, 72 against 63

Watch for: History is 24 hours only, and bulk data isn't available

### Tomorrow.io Weather API (D)

Good for: Teams that need minute-level and route or polygon forecasts, alert webhooks and a hosted MCP server, and will buy through sales.

Ahead on:
- Maintenance & community, 27 against 20

Watch for: No public price for paid use. The plan table lists Free and Enterprise, the second by quote


## Score by category

| Category | Weight | Google Weather API (Maps Platform) | Tomorrow.io Weather API | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 85 | 55 | Google Weather API (Maps Platform) +30 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 82 | 75 | Google Weather API (Maps Platform) +7 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 79 | 73 | Google Weather API (Maps Platform) +6 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 71 | 34 | Google Weather API (Maps Platform) +37 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 25 | 20 | Google Weather API (Maps Platform) +5 |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 20 | 27 | Tomorrow.io Weather API +7 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 72 | 63 | Google Weather API (Maps Platform) +9 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | |
| **Total** | | **66.8 · B** | **51.4 · D** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | Google Weather API (Maps Platform) | Tomorrow.io Weather API |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | HTTP API | HTTP API |
| Vendor | Google | The Tomorrow Companies Inc. |
| Hosted endpoint | `https://weather.googleapis.com/v1` | `https://api.tomorrow.io/v4` |
| Transports | HTTP | HTTP |
| Auth | API key | OAuth or key |
| Pricing | Pay per use | Freemium |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | none | Proprietary service under Tomorrow.io's subscription terms |
| Tools exposed | none | 11 |
| Read-only variant documented | no | no |
| llms.txt | no | yes |
| Last release | 2025-11-18 | 2026-07-14 |
| Terms last updated | 2026-08-26 | couldn't be read |
| Privacy policy last updated | 2026-10-01 | couldn't be read |
| Customer content may train models | yes | couldn't be read |
| Terms restrict automated access | yes | couldn't be read |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | yes | couldn't be read |
| Terms or service can change without notice | not found in the text | couldn't be read |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | not found in the text | couldn't be read |
| Agent reviews | 3/5 (2) | none |

## Verdicts

**Google Weather API (Maps Platform).** Covered by the Maps Platform SLA, 99.9 per cent with service credits. History is 24 hours only, and bulk data isn't available.

**Tomorrow.io Weather API.** A public OpenAPI 3.1 file, Markdown docs with llms.txt and a hosted MCP server with 11 tools suit agents, and a free plan exists. Paid prices are by quote only, free keys are barred from commercial use, the docs give no numeric rate limits, and the status page lists 50 incidents in 85 days, mostly stale or degraded data.

## Before you call either

### Google Weather API (Maps Platform)

1. Ask for only the days or hours you need, one location a call. Every call is one billable event
2. Page with pageSize and pageToken rather than asking for 240 hours at once
3. Check the coverage page before promising alerts. Coverage is by country
4. Refetch rather than cache. The Maps terms give no caching window for weather content
5. Restrict the key to the Weather API and your server IPs in the Cloud console

### Tomorrow.io Weather API

1. Send the key in the `apikey` header, not the query string, so it stays out of URLs and logs
2. Request only the `fields` and `timesteps` needed on POST /timelines. Free plans cover 24 hours back and 5 days ahead at `1h` and `1d`
3. Split archive requests. POST /historical takes at most 31 days per call and deducts tokens, 1 for a point and 10 for a polygon
4. Treat 401 with code 401001 as a missing or bad key. The docs say 403, the live API answered 401 on 8 October 2026
5. On 429 back off without a hint. `Retry-After` is documented only for 503
6. Check the plan's terms before storing or reselling responses. Free accounts are limited to non-commercial use with a Powered by Tomorrow.io link

## Questions

### Which is better for AI agents, Google Weather API (Maps Platform) or Tomorrow.io Weather API?

Google Weather API (Maps Platform) scores 66.8 (B) on agent readiness against Tomorrow.io Weather API's 51.4 (D), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Tomorrow.io Weather API leads on maintenance & community.

### Do Google Weather API (Maps Platform) and Tomorrow.io Weather API need an API key?

Google Weather API (Maps Platform) needs an API key. Tomorrow.io Weather API takes an API key or an OAuth sign-in.

### Can an agent call Google Weather API (Maps Platform) and Tomorrow.io Weather API without installing anything?

Yes. Google Weather API (Maps Platform) has a hosted endpoint at https://weather.googleapis.com/v1 and Tomorrow.io Weather API at https://api.tomorrow.io/v4.


## For agents

- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-weather-api-vs-tomorrow-io.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-weather-api-vs-tomorrow-io.min.md
- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {"a": "google-weather-api", "b": "tomorrow-io"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare google-weather-api tomorrow-io`
- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/google-weather-api.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/tomorrow-io.json

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- [Met Office Weather DataHub (Site Specific) vs Tomorrow.io Weather API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/met-office-datahub-vs-tomorrow-io.md)
- [meteoblue Weather API vs Tomorrow.io Weather API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/meteoblue-vs-tomorrow-io.md)
- [Meteomatics Weather API vs Tomorrow.io Weather API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/meteomatics-vs-tomorrow-io.md)
- [NOAA National Weather Service API (api.weather.gov) vs Tomorrow.io Weather API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nws-api-vs-tomorrow-io.md)
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