UmmahAPI vs Aladhan: Which Islamic API Should You Use?

Both are free. Both work well. They are not actually competing for the same job. Aladhan is a prayer times specialist. UmmahAPI is an all in one Islamic API. Pick by what your app needs, not by which name you recognise.

One sentence answer

If your app only ever shows prayer times, either works. If your app shows prayer times and anything else (Quran, Hadith, Qibla, Hijri, Duas), pick UmmahAPI so you do not have to integrate three providers.

Side by side

	UmmahAPI	Aladhan
Prayer times	Yes (22 methods)	Yes (22 methods)
Quran (3 scripts, 8 translations)	Yes	No
Hadith (36,000 from 10 collections)	Yes	No
Tafsir	Yes (3 collections)	No
Qibla direction	Yes	Yes
Hijri calendar	Yes	Yes
Duas	Yes (126)	No
99 Names of Allah	Yes	No
Word by word Quran	Yes	No
Embeddable widgets	10	None
Public status page	Yes	No
OpenAPI spec	Yes	No
Rate limit (no key)	5,000 / 15 min	Documented limit
API key	Optional (free, unlimited)	Not used
Free	Yes	Yes

Prayer times: same call, different style

Both return today's prayer times for a given location. The shapes differ slightly.

UmmahAPI

GET https://ummahapi.com/api/prayer-times?lat=40.71&lng=-74.00&method=NorthAmerica

{
  "date": "2026-05-01",
  "location": { "timezone": "America/New_York" },
  "times": { "fajr": "04:32", "dhuhr": "12:54", ... }
}

Aladhan

GET https://api.aladhan.com/v1/timings?latitude=40.71&longitude=-74.00&method=2

{
  "data": {
    "timings": { "Fajr": "04:32", "Dhuhr": "12:54", ... },
    "meta": { "timezone": "America/New_York" }
  }
}

UmmahAPI uses string method names (NorthAmerica) instead of numeric codes (2). Less guessing.

Picking by use case

Mosque website

UmmahAPI. You will probably want prayer times, the Hijri date, a verse of the day, and possibly a Hadith of the day. One API for all four. Use the widgets and you do not need to write any JavaScript.

Standalone prayer times app

Either works. Aladhan has a longer track record. UmmahAPI ships an OpenAPI spec and a public status page if those matter for production.

Quran reader app

UmmahAPI. Aladhan does not have Quran data. UmmahAPI gives you three scripts, eight translations, eight reciters, three Tafsir collections, and search.

Hadith app

UmmahAPI for general use (36,000 hadiths, free, no key). Sunnah.com if you need the most authoritative dataset and can comply with their key terms.

Iftar timer

UmmahAPI. The widget supports data-show="maghrib" for a single prayer view. Aladhan would require building the UI yourself.

Rate limits and reliability

UmmahAPI publishes rate limits clearly: 5,000 requests every 15 minutes without a key, unlimited with a free key, plus a 300 per minute limit on calculation endpoints. A public status page shows uptime.

Aladhan has documented limits and has been around for years with broadly good uptime, but does not publish a status page.

Migrating from Aladhan to UmmahAPI

The change is mostly a rename. Update the URL and the param names.

// Before (Aladhan)
fetch('https://api.aladhan.com/v1/timings?latitude=40.71&longitude=-74&method=2')

// After (UmmahAPI)
fetch('https://ummahapi.com/api/prayer-times?lat=40.71&lng=-74&method=NorthAmerica')

Adjust how you read the response shape (times.fajr vs data.timings.Fajr) and you are done.

FAQ

Why pick UmmahAPI over Aladhan?

If you need more than prayer times, UmmahAPI bundles nine services and ten widgets in one API. Aladhan is prayer times only.

Is UmmahAPI as reliable as Aladhan?

UmmahAPI publishes a public status page so you can verify uptime instead of trusting a claim. Aladhan does not publish one.

Will my Aladhan code break?

No. Aladhan still works fine. You can run them side by side while you migrate.