Houski vs. Zillow API: A Canadian solution that outperforms American alternatives
Most property data solutions are designed for American markets, leaving Canadian developers with limited options. Using US-focused APIs like Zillow's for Canadian applications brings coverage gaps, quality issues, and restrictive terms.
Canadian markets have unique characteristics requiring purpose-built solutions. Houski's property data API addresses this gap with comprehensive Canadian coverage and architecture built for the Canadian ecosystem.
The limitations of Zillow for Canadian developers
1. Limited Canadian coverage
Zillow focuses on the US. Canadian coverage is spotty and inconsistent, unsuitable for nationwide applications.
2. Restrictive usage terms
Hard limit of 1,000 API calls per day for Home Valuations and Property Details (higher limits possible after review). Difficult for applications needing frequent access.
3. Data storage prohibitions
Zillow's API Terms of Use state "You may not retain any copies of the Zillow Data" and require that data be distributed to end users "immediately upon receipt by your servers." This rules out local caching, derived analysis, and consistent user experiences.
4. Limited data points
Zillow focuses on Zestimates and basic characteristics, missing many data points needed for sophisticated Canadian applications.
5. Limited historical data
Historical access is severely restricted, making trend analysis difficult.
Houski's Canadian advantage
Houski's property data API was built for the Canadian market:
1. Comprehensive Canadian coverage
19+ million Canadian properties with consistent quality from Vancouver to Halifax.
2. Generous usage policies
Flexible terms with ample standard tier capacity and straightforward scaling.
3. Freedom to store and analyze data
Houski lets you store and analyze retrieved data for sophisticated applications and offline functionality.
4. Rich, detailed property information
200+ data points per property: physical characteristics, history, permits, zoning, and more.
5. Historical data access
Historical property data enables trend analysis and longitudinal comparisons.
Beyond basic property details: The full picture
Zillow offers a current snapshot. Houski delivers a complete platform:
Complete property lifecycle data
- Construction details and building materials
- Permit records in four major cities (Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, Vancouver)
- Listing history and price changes over time
- Assessment values (where the city publishes them)
- Zoning and land use data
Neighborhood context
- Detailed demographics
- School accessibility scores
- Community amenities
- Market trends by area
- Geographic features and boundaries
Market intelligence
- Valuation estimates
- Similar nearby properties from the automated valuation model (AVM) endpoint
- Price trends by region
- Investment metrics
- Rental market data
A foundation for applications far beyond simple lookups.
Built for Canadian developers
Houski's API was designed by developers, for developers:
- Comprehensive documentation
- Consistent data formats
- Logical endpoint design
- Flexible filtering
- Predictable error handling
- Built for the Canadian market
Faster integration and less maintenance vs. Zillow.
Technical Implementation Comparison
The block below is a live call against the real Houski API, the request code and the JSON response are generated every time this page is rendered. Access 200+ data points per property in a single call:
const houski_data = async (): Promise<PropertiesResponse> => {
// You must copy the PropertiesResponse type declarations from the
// Houski API documentation to strongly type the response
const url = new URL('https://api.houski.ca/properties');
url.searchParams.set('api_key', 'YOUR_API_KEY');
url.searchParams.set('city', 'calgary');
url.searchParams.set('country_abbreviation', 'ca');
url.searchParams.set('province_abbreviation', 'ab');
url.searchParams.set('select', 'interior_sq_m,bedroom,bathroom_full,construction_year,property_type,heating_type_first,foundation_type,assessment_value,assessment_year,latitude,longitude');
const response = await fetch(url);
const data = await response.json();
return data;
}
(async () => {
let data: PropertiesResponse = await houski_data();
// Log the response
console.log(data);
})();
{
"cache_hit": true,
"cost_cents": 5.100000381469727,
"data": [
{
"address": "31 Hawkside Park NW",
"assessment_value": 648500,
"assessment_year": 2026,
"bathroom_full": 3,
"bedroom": 3,
"construction_year": 1988,
"foundation_type": "Wood",
"heating_type_first": "Gas furnace",
"interior_sq_m": 126.34708404541016,
"latitude": 51.12946319580078,
"longitude": -114.17919921875,
"property_id": "10000f97f5cb7b9f",
"property_type": "Duplex"
},
{
"address": "6 1744 7 Street SW",
"bathroom_full": 2,
"bedroom": 3,
"construction_year": 2006,
"foundation_type": "Wood",
"heating_type_first": "Gas furnace",
"interior_sq_m": 125.882568359375,
"latitude": 51.03611755371094,
"longitude": -114.0792007446289,
"property_id": "10004f7afe0c1946",
"property_type": "House"
},
{
"address": "384 Copperpond Landng SE",
"bathroom_full": 2,
"bedroom": 3,
"construction_year": 2006,
"foundation_type": "Wood",
"heating_type_first": "Gas furnace",
"interior_sq_m": 125.882568359375,
"latitude": 50.925743103027344,
"longitude": -113.92975616455078,
"property_id": "10007f9761f49940",
"property_type": "House"
},
{
"address": "239 Dalhurst Way NW",
"assessment_value": 1110000,
"assessment_year": 2026,
"bathroom_full": 2,
"bedroom": 3,
"construction_year": 1971,
"foundation_type": "Wood",
"heating_type_first": "Gas furnace",
"interior_sq_m": 108.46339416503906,
"latitude": 51.110740661621094,
"longitude": -114.1513900756836,
"property_id": "100086f6bc064d3f",
"property_type": "House"
},
{
"address": "52 Cedargrove Way SW",
"assessment_value": 662000,
"assessment_year": 2026,
"bathroom_full": 1,
"bedroom": 3,
"construction_year": 1984,
"foundation_type": "Wood",
"heating_type_first": "Gas furnace",
"interior_sq_m": 136.4734344482422,
"latitude": 50.95145034790039,
"longitude": -114.12571716308594,
"property_id": "1000c277cd905d3b",
"property_type": "House"
},
{
"address": "28 Sundown Gr SE",
"assessment_value": 692500,
"assessment_year": 2026,
"bathroom_full": 3,
"bedroom": 3,
"construction_year": 1988,
"foundation_type": "Wood",
"heating_type_first": "Gas furnace",
"interior_sq_m": 172.61241149902344,
"latitude": 50.899044036865234,
"longitude": -114.04895782470705,
"property_id": "1001109ab2aebbc0",
"property_type": "House"
}
],
"error": "",
"pagination": {
"current_page": 1,
"has_next_page": true,
"has_previous_page": false,
"page_total": 113490
},
"price_quote": false,
"result_total": 680936,
"time_ms": 86,
"ui_info": {
"city": "Calgary",
"city_id": "6ec95b53075d062c",
"city_link": "ca/ab/calgary",
"city_slug": "calgary",
"country": "Canada",
"country_abbreviation": "CA",
"country_abbreviation_id": "9ace2b6431b7f1be",
"country_abbreviation_link": "ca",
"country_slug": "canada",
"province": "Alberta",
"province_abbreviation": "AB",
"province_abbreviation_id": "aae1f05a0f89d2c7",
"province_abbreviation_link": "ca/ab",
"province_slug": "alberta"
}
}
Compared with Zillow:
- Coverage: 19+ million Canadian properties nationwide, vs. limited and inconsistent Canadian coverage.
- Daily limits: scalable usage-based pricing, vs. a 1,000-call cap that may be raised after review.
- Data storage: permitted for analysis and caching, vs. display-only.
- Data points: 200+ attributes per property, vs. limited property characteristics.
- Focus: purpose-built for the Canadian market, vs. a US market with a Canadian afterthought.
Real-world advantages:
- Coverage: All Canadian properties vs. limited Zillow data
- Flexibility: Store and analyze vs. display-only
- Rich data: 200+ fields vs. basics
- Developer freedom: Advanced features vs. restrictive terms
- Canadian focus: Purpose-built vs. US-centric
Conclusion
Zillow wasn't built for Canadian developers or markets. Coverage, usage, and data limitations create significant challenges.
Houski's property data API is built for Canada with developer needs first: comprehensive data, flexible usage, modern design.
Ready to see the difference? Explore our property API documentation.