Is the Zillow API still available in 2026?

The public Zillow API is gone. It has been gone since 2021.

If you are landing here looking for a ZWSID key, stop. There is no signup form, no approval queue, no waiting list. Zillow Group retired the consumer-facing Web Services API on September 30, 2021, and they have not reopened it.

So what do you do in 2026? You pick between two paths. Bridge Interactive if you are an MLS-affiliated brokerage. A third-party REST wrapper like Zillapi if you are not.

This post is the timeline, the replacements, and the honest version of what developers actually ship with today.

The short timeline of the Zillow API

Zillow launched the original Web Services API (the ZWSID API) in 2006. For 15 years it powered thousands of third-party real estate tools, comparison sites, brokerage IDX widgets, and research apps.

Then it died.

Here is the abbreviated history.

The retirement date is not in dispute. Search any developer forum from late 2021 and you will find threads of indie devs discovering their keys had stopped working overnight.

What replaced the public Zillow API

Two things, depending on who you are.

If you are an MLS-affiliated brokerage or an approved technology partner, the answer is Bridge Interactive. Bridge is Zillow Group’s official RESO Web API program. The data is licensed RESO content. The cost is zero when you qualify.

The catch is qualification. You need an MLS membership, an IDX vendor relationship with one, or an approved technology partnership. Approval takes days to weeks. The Zestimate is generally not exposed through the program, because Zestimate is Zillow’s proprietary valuation, not standardized MLS data.

If you are an indie dev, a startup, an AI tools team, an agency, or a real estate investor, the answer is a third-party REST wrapper. This category includes Zillapi, Apify actors, RapidAPI listings, Oxylabs, and a handful of others.

Neither path is a drop-in for the old ZWSID API. Code that worked in 2020 does not work today, period.

Why the original API was retired

Zillow has not published a clean public reason. They did not write a postmortem.

The retirement coincided with two things. First, the wind-down of Zillow Offers, Zillow’s iBuyer arm, which the company shut down in late 2021. Second, a broader pivot to consolidate developer access inside the Zillow Group umbrella, which Bridge Interactive sits within.

Two practical effects fell out of the change.

Partners with MLS relationships kept structured, licensed access through Bridge. The long tail of independent developers lost their feed and had to either qualify for Bridge or move to third-party wrappers.

For most developers, the third-party wrapper path is the answer in 2026. The economics are workable. The tooling is mature. The integrations ship in an afternoon.

What developers actually use in 2026

Here is the honest split I see in real production stacks.

Bridge Interactive is used by licensed brokerages, IDX widget vendors, and a small number of well-funded startups with an MLS partnership. They get free, RESO-standard data and they accept the display rules.

Zillapi is used by indie devs, AI agents, MCP servers, lead-gen tools, real estate investor SaaS, and teams that want a clean REST API in 60 seconds. Per-credit pricing, Zestimates exposed, webhooks signed with HMAC.

Apify actors are used by teams that want to operate their own scraper runs, especially when they are already paying for Apify across multiple sources.

ATTOM Data is used by enterprise PropTech, mortgage origination, and insurance for licensed public-records data. Different category, not Zillow listings, but worth naming.

RapidAPI listings show up in one-off scripts and exploratory projects. They tend to disappear when a marketplace seller stops maintaining their actor.

For a side-by-side breakdown, read Zillow API alternatives in 2026.

Can I just scrape Zillow.com directly?

Technically yes. Practically no.

Zillow’s Terms of Use prohibit automated access. The relevant clause says you may not use any robot, spider, scraper, or other automated means to access the services without express written permission. Violations risk IP bans, account suspension, and in extreme cases legal action under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.

Even setting the legal risk aside, the engineering cost is real. The DOM changes regularly. Anti-bot systems, layout migrations, A/B tests, and rate-limit responses all break a homegrown scraper within weeks of shipping.

Every developer who tries this for more than one project ends up either reaching for Apify, a scraping-as-a-service product, or a wrapper API like Zillapi.

This is exactly why I built Zillapi. We absorb the actor upgrades, the proxy management, and the cache layer so you do not have to.

What about Zillow’s internal GraphQL endpoint?

Zillow’s website uses an internal GraphQL endpoint that gets documented in various open-source scrapers. It is not a public API.

There is no SLA. There is no documentation Zillow publishes. There are no auth tokens you can request. The schema changes without notice.

Building production code on it is the same as building on the HTML. You will spend more time keeping it alive than shipping features. Wrapper APIs absorb this churn for you.

Is there a Zestimate API in 2026?

There is no public Zillow Zestimate API. The retired Web Services API did include a GetZestimate endpoint, but that endpoint died with everything else in September 2021.

Bridge Interactive generally does not expose the Zestimate to partners. It is Zillow’s proprietary valuation, separate from the standardized MLS data Bridge is built around.

Third-party REST wrappers like Zillapi expose the Zestimate as a sub-resource. A call to /v1/properties/{zpid}/zestimate returns the current Zestimate, the rent Zestimate, the tax-assessed value, and the last-sold price.

For more detail, read How to get Zestimate data via API in 2026.

The Zillow Mortgages API is a separate thing

A small clarification, because people search for this. The Zillow Mortgages API is still active. It serves mortgage rate quotes for lender comparison widgets.

It is a different product from the retired Web Services API. It does not return property records, listings, or Zestimates. If you are building a rate quote tool, that is the right endpoint. For everything else on this page, it is not the answer.

What you lose moving from the old ZWSID API to a wrapper

If you are migrating an old codebase that used the public Zillow API, here is what changes.

The endpoint paths are different. The old API used SOAP-style URLs like GetSearchResults?zws-id=.... Modern wrappers use REST. You rewrite the URLs.

The auth changes. ZWSID was a query-string parameter. Bearer tokens in the Authorization header are the standard now. You remove the param and add a header.

The response shape changes. The old API returned XML. Bridge returns OData JSON. Zillapi returns idiomatic JSON with a data envelope. You write a small adapter and you are done.

The data model is similar but not identical. ZWSID exposed a few dozen fields per property. Bridge exposes the full RESO Data Dictionary, which runs to 1,700+ fields. Zillapi exposes the public listing surface, which sits between the two. Map the fields you actually use, not the entire schema.

The pricing model changes. The old API was free with a key. Bridge is free with qualification. Wrappers charge per credit. Budget accordingly.

For most migrations, the rewrite is a one-week job, not a one-quarter project. The hard part is usually the field mapping, not the auth or the URLs.

What about Zillow’s other APIs?

Zillow Group offers around 20 APIs total covering different surfaces. Most of them are not what you want.

The retired Web Services API is gone. The Mortgages API is alive but only serves rate quotes. ZTRAX (Zillow’s Transaction and Assessment Database) was discontinued in 2023. Bridge Interactive is the licensed RESO feed for MLS partners.

For property records, listings, Zestimates, and search, the only realistic 2026 paths are Bridge if you qualify, or a third-party wrapper if you do not.

How to get Zillow data right now

If you just want to start, sign up for Zillapi and make a call.

curl https://api.zillapi.com/v1/properties/11026031 \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $ZILLAPI_KEY"

You get a JSON property record back. New accounts get 100 free credits at signup.

From there, sub-resource endpoints, async batches, and HMAC-signed webhooks let you build whatever you are shipping. The full landscape of options lives in Zillow API alternatives in 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Zillow API free to use in 2026?

There is no free public Zillow API in 2026. Bridge Interactive is free if you qualify (MLS-affiliated brokerage, IDX vendor, or approved partner) but does not expose the Zestimate. Third-party REST wrappers like Zillapi are paid, with free credits at signup.

When did Zillow shut down their public API?

Zillow retired the public Web Services API (ZWSID) on September 30, 2021. Existing API keys stopped working that day. The retirement has not been reversed.

Can I scrape Zillow.com instead of using an API?

Zillow’s terms of use prohibit automated access. Scraping risks IP bans, account suspension, and potential CFAA exposure. The DOM also changes often enough that a homegrown scraper breaks within weeks of shipping.

What is the difference between Bridge Interactive and Zillapi?

Bridge Interactive is Zillow Group’s official RESO Web API for MLS-affiliated partners. Zillapi is an independent REST wrapper for everyone else. Bridge requires application and approval. Zillapi gives you a key in 60 seconds.

Does the Zillow Mortgages API still work?

Yes. The Zillow Mortgages API at zillow.com/mortgage/api is a separate product from the retired Web Services API and is still active. It serves mortgage rate quotes, not property records.

Can I get Zestimate data through Bridge Interactive?

Generally no. The Zestimate is Zillow’s proprietary valuation and is not part of the licensed RESO data feed Bridge exposes. To pull Zestimates programmatically, you need a third-party wrapper.

A common mistake worth flagging

The single most common mistake I see new builders make is starting their integration before reading the terms of service.

Zillow’s terms apply whether you are scraping directly or going through a wrapper. Wrappers do real engineering work to stay compliant, but a few responsibilities still sit on you.

Attribution. If your product displays Zillow-derived data, link back to the source listing where appropriate. Most wrappers ship the canonical Zillow URL in the response.

Caching limits. Wrappers usually let you cache freely on your side. Bridge does not. Read the contract you are operating under, not the one you wish you were.

User-generated content. If your users can save listings, share them, or trigger searches, your terms of service should disclose where the data comes from. Most enterprise procurement teams will ask.

Trademarks. Use of “Zillow” and “Zestimate” in your product copy needs to be descriptive (nominative fair use). Do not imply endorsement. Do not use the marks in your product name.

Get this right at the start. Cleaning it up after launch is more painful than getting it right.

The bottom line

Stop looking for a Zillow API key. None exists for general developers.

Pick Bridge if you have an MLS relationship and can wait through approval. Pick Zillapi (or another third-party wrapper) if you do not. Skip the homegrown scraper unless you enjoy weekly maintenance.

The fastest path from zero to a working Zillow data integration in 2026 is signing up for Zillapi and pasting the curl example above. First call in 60 seconds, 100 credits free.

Zillapi is an independent service and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Zillow Group, Inc. “Zillow” and “Zestimate” are registered trademarks of Zillow Group, Inc. Use of those marks on this site is descriptive (nominative fair use). Read our full trademark posture.