Collected directly from counties
PropertyLayer collects assessor, tax, recorder, and GIS data from the counties themselves. No third-party data vendor sits between the source and the delivered record.
PropertyLayer vs RealEstateAPI
Search deep county property records by address, point, parcel ID, area, or supported criteria. Every match returns the complete available API record for one credit, with MCP and bulk files available from the same catalog.
- 10M
- property requests each month
- Direct
- from county sources
- 3
- API, MCP, and bulk access
Why PropertyLayer
One county record, however you need to access it
PropertyLayer supports on-demand lookups, agent workflows, and complete geographic extracts without changing providers or field definitions.
One property. One credit.
Every field available through the API is returned with the property. Higher plans increase the monthly credit allowance, not which record fields you receive.
Keep it in your product
Paid customers may retain records and use them in internal systems or as part of customer-facing applications. Standalone resale or redistribution of the data is excluded; the license controls final use rights.
PropertyLayer and RealEstateAPI, side by side
Both products offer property APIs and parcel boundaries. PropertyLayer centers the complete county record, predictable monthly pricing, MCP access, and complete geographic files.
Decision factorPropertyLayerRealEstateAPI
Complete property record
PropertyLayerDeeper county record
820 documented fields span ownership, addresses, buildings, land, legal descriptions, valuations, taxes, transfers, source details, and geometry.
RealEstateAPI
A unified property payload combines property facts with mortgage, valuation, sales, and investor signals.
Coverage and boundaries
PropertyLayer
160M property records across 3,000+ U.S. counties, with parcel geometry where available.
RealEstateAPI
A GeoJSON parcel-boundary endpoint is available; subscription access begins on Growth.
Search and retrieval
PropertyLayerComplete record per match
Search ownership, addresses, parcel identifiers, geography, acreage, land use, zoning, values, sales, taxes, and other supported criteria. Every match returns the complete available API record.
RealEstateAPI
Property search endpoints support property, mortgage, valuation, comp, and investor-oriented workflows.
Pricing and activation
PropertyLayerEvery API field on every plan
100 properties are free each month. Paid plans range from Standard with 1,000 credits for $100 to Pro with 400,000 credits for $2,500. Starter, Growth, and Pro offer optional overage. API and MCP share the same balance.
RealEstateAPI
Promotional pricing is $0.10 per record with no minimum; subscriptions start at $599 for 30,000 credits.
Delivery and use rights
PropertyLayerAPI, MCP, and complete files
API, MCP, and eight bulk formats cover individual properties through nationwide files. Paid records can be retained inside internal or customer-facing applications. County files are one-time snapshots; annual licenses include updates.
RealEstateAPI
API access is the main delivery path; Bulk Endpoints are included on the Pro plan. Retention and application rights depend on plan terms.
Questions
Before you choose
Is PropertyLayer a RealEstateAPI alternative?
Yes for address, parcel ID, point, polygon, and record-field searches backed by county property data. It is not a drop-in replacement for mortgage, skip-trace, AVM, comps, or MLS features.
Which API costs less for a small monthly volume?
PropertyLayer includes 100 free properties each month, then offers paid plans from Standard at $100 for 1,000 credits through Pro at $2,500 for 400,000 credits. RealEstateAPI advertises $0.10-per-property promotional pricing with no minimum.
Can both APIs return parcel boundaries?
Yes. PropertyLayer can include geometry with supported property requests. RealEstateAPI has a separate boundary endpoint; Growth and Pro subscriptions list boundary access, while its promotional entry pricing advertises access to every endpoint except autocomplete.
Start with the counties you need
Start immediately with 100 free properties through the API or MCP. Paid plans include 1,000 to 400,000 monthly credits and return the complete available API record for one credit per property.