Guide to getting a working Zillow data API key in 2026 using a Zillapi bearer token after the original ZWSID API was retired
The old ZWSID is gone, but a working key for Zillow property data is 60 seconds away.

The Zillow API key you’re looking for doesn’t exist anymore. Zillow killed it on September 30, 2021.

But you can get a working API key for Zillow property data in about 60 seconds. You just can’t get it from Zillow directly. Third-party REST APIs like Zillapi return the same data (Zestimates, tax records, price history, photos, school ratings) through a modern JSON endpoint with bearer token auth.

Here’s exactly how to get your key, what happened to the old one, and what you can do with it once you have it.

Why can’t I get a Zillow API key from Zillow?

Zillow retired the public Web Services API (ZWSID) on September 30, 2021. Every existing key stopped working that day. The old signup page at zillow.com/howto/api now redirects to Zillow Group’s developer portal, which points you to Bridge Interactive. There is no way to create a new ZWSID key. There is no waiting list. The decision was permanent.

If you search for “Zillow API key,” you’ll find tutorials from 2019 and 2020 that walk through a signup process that no longer exists. The screenshots show pages Zillow took down years ago. The PyPI libraries that depended on ZWSID keys (pyzillow, python-zillow, node-zillow) all return 403 errors now.

Zillow replaced the public API with Bridge Interactive. Bridge is a RESO Web API designed for MLS-affiliated partners: brokerages, IDX vendors, and approved proptech companies. You apply by emailing api@bridgeinteractive.com. Approval takes days to weeks. It does not expose Zestimates.

For the 99% of developers who are not MLS-affiliated, the path to Zillow data runs through third-party REST wrappers.

How to get a Zillow API key in 4 steps

Getting a working API key for Zillow property data takes under 2 minutes with Zillapi. You need an email address. That’s it. No credit card, no company name, no MLS affiliation.

Four numbered steps to get a Zillow data API key: sign up with email, click the magic link, create a bearer-token key, and make your first call to the by-address endpoint
Email signup to first authenticated request, in four steps.

Step 1: Sign up. Go to zillapi.com and click “Get API key.” Enter your email. Zillapi uses passwordless auth, so there’s no password to create or remember.

Step 2: Click the magic link. Check your inbox (and your spam folder, because some email providers are cautious with new senders). Click the login link. It opens your dashboard.

Step 3: Create a key. In the dashboard, go to API Keys and click “Create new key.” Give it a name like “dev” or “production.” Copy the key immediately. It looks like zk_AbCdEf... and won’t be shown again after you close the dialog.

Step 4: Make your first call. Open a terminal and run:

Terminal window
curl "https://api.zillapi.com/v1/properties/by-address" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_KEY_HERE" \
  --data-urlencode "address=17 Zelma Dr, Greenville, SC 29617" \
  -G

You’ll get back a JSON response with the property’s Zestimate, beds, baths, sqft, tax assessment, listing status, and 290+ other fields.

That’s it. You have a working Zillow data API key.

What do you get with your free API key?

Every new Zillapi account gets 100 free credits at signup. No credit card required. Each successful API call (HTTP 2xx response) costs 1 credit. Failed calls don’t consume credits.

A GET request to the properties by-address endpoint with a bearer token returning a JSON response with Zestimate, beds and baths, square footage, tax assessment, home status, and 290 more fields
One authenticated request returns over 300 property fields and costs a single credit.

With 100 credits, you can look up 100 individual properties by address, Zillow URL, or ZPID. Search listings across any U.S. city. Pull Zestimates, photos, price history, tax records, and school data. Test the webhooks system for async batch operations. Every endpoint is available: properties, search, buildings, webhooks, and jobs.

That’s enough to build and test a complete integration. Most developers burn through their free credits in a day of testing and then upgrade to a paid plan.

After the free credits, pricing is simple:

PlanCreditsCostPer call
Free100 (one-time)$0$0.00
Monthly1,000/month$5/mo$0.005
Annual12,000/year$54/yr$0.0045
EnterpriseCustomCustomCustom

Top-ups cost $4 per 1,000 credits on the monthly plan and $3 per 1,000 on annual. No surprise charges. When you run out of credits, your API calls return a 402 error. You add more credits when you’re ready.

For a deeper comparison of every provider’s pricing, see our complete Zillow API pricing breakdown.

How is a Zillapi key different from a ZWSID?

They access the same underlying property data, but everything else is different.

A ZWSID was issued by Zillow directly through their developer portal. It returned XML. It exposed a handful of endpoints: GetSearchResults, GetZestimate, GetComps, GetDeepComps. It was free but tightly rate-limited. It died on September 30, 2021.

A Zillapi key is issued by Zillapi, an independent service. It returns JSON. It exposes REST endpoints covering properties, search, buildings, webhooks, and jobs. It returns 300+ fields per property including Zestimates, rent Zestimates, and Zestimate history. It costs $0.003 to $0.005 per call depending on your plan.

The practical difference for developers: JSON instead of XML, 300+ fields instead of 20-30, bearer token auth instead of query parameter auth, and a documented OpenAPI spec at /openapi.json.

Comparison matrix of the retired ZWSID versus a Zillapi key across status, response format, fields per property, authentication, Zestimates, and access time
The retired ZWSID against a modern Zillapi key, attribute by attribute.

One thing to be clear about: Zillapi is not affiliated with Zillow. It is an independent third-party service that provides access to Zillow property data through its own infrastructure. Your Zillapi key works with Zillapi’s API, not with any Zillow endpoint.

How do I store my API key safely?

Never hardcode your API key in source files. Keys end up on GitHub more often than anyone wants to admit. Use environment variables.

Terminal window
# Mac/Linux
export ZILLAPI_KEY="zk_your_key_here"


# Windows PowerShell
$env:ZILLAPI_KEY = "zk_your_key_here"


# .env file (for dotenv, Next.js, or similar)
ZILLAPI_KEY=zk_your_key_here

In your code, read the key from the environment:

import os
api_key = os.environ["ZILLAPI_KEY"]
const apiKey = process.env.ZILLAPI_KEY;

If you’re building a web application, never expose the key in client-side JavaScript. Create a server-side route that proxies API calls. Your frontend calls your route. Your server calls Zillapi. The key never leaves your server.

Server-side proxy architecture where the browser calls your own server route, the server reads the key from an environment variable and calls the Zillapi API, and the key never reaches the browser
The browser talks to your server, your server holds the key. It never ships to the client.

For more on this pattern, check out the Next.js section in our JavaScript tutorial.

Can I use my API key with Python, JavaScript, or any language?

Yes. The API key is a bearer token. Any language that can make HTTP requests works. Here’s the same property lookup in three languages:

Python:

import requests, os


r = requests.get(
    "https://api.zillapi.com/v1/properties/by-address",
    params={"address": "17 Zelma Dr, Greenville, SC 29617"},
    headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {os.environ['ZILLAPI_KEY']}"},
)
data = r.json()["data"]
print(f"Zestimate: ${data['zestimate']:,}")

JavaScript (Node.js 18+):

const res = await fetch(
  `https://api.zillapi.com/v1/properties/by-address?${new URLSearchParams({
    address: "17 Zelma Dr, Greenville, SC 29617"
  })}`,
  { headers: { Authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.ZILLAPI_KEY}` } }
);
const { data } = await res.json();
console.log(`Zestimate: $${data.zestimate.toLocaleString()}`);

cURL:

Terminal window
curl "https://api.zillapi.com/v1/properties/by-address" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $ZILLAPI_KEY" \
  --data-urlencode "address=17 Zelma Dr, Greenville, SC 29617" \
  -G

For a full Python walkthrough, see our Zillow API Python tutorial. For JavaScript and TypeScript, see the Zillow API JavaScript guide. For spreadsheet users, see Zillow API Excel.

The key also works with Claude, ChatGPT, and Cursor via function calling or MCP. If you’re building an AI agent, check out our guide on building a real estate AI agent.

What about Bridge Interactive, RapidAPI, and other options?

If you’re comparing your options for a Zillow data API key, here’s how they stack up.

Bridge Interactive is Zillow’s official replacement. It’s the right choice if you’re building an MLS-powered brokerage tool. But it requires MLS affiliation, takes weeks for approval, and does not expose Zestimates. For most developers, it’s a dead end.

RapidAPI hosts several Zillow-related endpoints from various providers. Pricing and data quality vary wildly. Some endpoints break without warning. The marketplace model means you’re one provider shutdown away from rebuilding your integration.

Apify runs web scrapers that return Zillow data. Response times are 2 to 10 seconds per property. Response schemas change when scrapers get updated. Good for one-time batch pulls. Bad for production apps that need reliable, fast responses.

APIllow offers a REST wrapper with a free tier of 50 requests per month. Smaller field set than Zillapi (50+ fields versus 300+), but the ongoing free tier is useful for very low-volume use cases.

For a detailed comparison of all seven alternatives, see our Zillow API alternatives guide.

Get your key and start building

Go to zillapi.com. Sign up. Get your key. Make your first API call.

The whole process takes less time than reading this article did.

Frequently asked questions

How do I get a Zillow API key in 2026?

You cannot get a Zillow API key directly from Zillow in 2026. The public ZWSID API was retired on September 30, 2021 and never came back. The fastest alternative is a third-party REST wrapper like Zillapi, where you sign up with your email, receive a magic link, and get a bearer-token API key in under 60 seconds. No credit card required. You get 100 free credits immediately.

Is the Zillow API key (ZWSID) still valid?

No. Every ZWSID key stopped working on September 30, 2021 when Zillow retired the public Web Services API. If you still have one, it returns 403 errors on every endpoint. There is no process to reactivate it. Zillow replaced the ZWSID system with Bridge Interactive, an enterprise API that requires MLS affiliation and formal application.

Can I get a free Zillow API key?

Zillapi gives you 100 free credits at signup with no credit card. Each successful API call uses 1 credit and returns 300+ property fields including Zestimates. That is enough to test every endpoint and build a working prototype. After the free credits, plans start at $5 per month for 1,000 credits.

What replaced the Zillow API?

Zillow replaced the ZWSID API with Bridge Interactive, a RESO Web API for MLS-affiliated partners. Bridge requires an application, approval, and MLS affiliation. It does not expose Zestimates. For developers who need quick access to Zillow property data including Zestimates, third-party REST wrappers like Zillapi are the practical replacement.

How long does it take to get a Zillow API key?

Bridge Interactive takes days to weeks for approval, and you need MLS affiliation. Zillapi takes under 60 seconds. You sign up with email, click a magic link, create an API key in the dashboard, and make your first API call immediately. The key is a bearer token you pass in the Authorization header of every request.

Is there a difference between a Zillow API key and a Zillapi API key?

Yes. A Zillow API key (ZWSID) was issued by Zillow directly and stopped working in 2021. A Zillapi API key (format zk_AbCdEf) is issued by Zillapi, an independent service that provides the same Zillow property data through a REST API. They are different services with different keys, but the underlying data is the same.