Does Zillow still issue API keys?

No. Zillow stopped issuing new ZWSID keys when it retired its public API program in 2021, and existing keys no longer work. Data access moved to Bridge Interactive, which grants credentials only to approved enterprise partners, typically with MLS affiliation. Individual developers get Zillow property data through third-party APIs such as APIllow.

The Zillow Web Services ID was the API key for Zillow's original public API — endpoints like GetSearchResults and GetZestimate. Zillow retired the program in 2021, so ZWSIDs and the libraries built on them (pyzillow, python-zillow, ZillowR) no longer function.

Is there a free Zillow API key?

Not from Zillow. Third-party alternatives offer free tiers: APIllow issues an API key instantly with 50 free requests per month, no credit card required, returning 50+ fields per property including Zestimates, price history, and tax history.

Why do old Zillow API tutorials still show a signup form?

Because they were written before 2021 or copied from tutorials that were. The signup flow they describe — registering at zillow.com for a Web Services ID — was removed when the program shut down. Any guide showing that flow is describing a program that no longer exists.

How to Get a Zillow API Key in 2026 (And What Works Instead)

If you searched "how to get a Zillow API key," you have probably already hit the frustrating part: tutorials that walk you through a signup form that doesn't exist, YouTube videos pointing at pages that redirect, and Python libraries that install fine and then fail on every request.

Here is the answer those tutorials won't give you: Zillow stopped issuing API keys in 2021. There is no signup form, no waitlist, no developer portal where a key eventually arrives. But the thing you actually want — Zillow property data, in JSON, behind an API key you control — still exists. This guide covers what happened, why the old instructions linger, and how to get a working key today.

What happened to Zillow API keys?

Zillow's original public API used a key called a ZWSID (Zillow Web Services ID). You registered on zillow.com, got the ID by email, and called endpoints like GetSearchResults and GetZestimate with it. A whole ecosystem grew around it: pyzillow and python-zillow for Python, ZillowR for R, hundreds of tutorials.

In 2021, Zillow retired the program. Existing ZWSIDs stopped working, new registrations closed, and data access moved to Bridge Interactive, Zillow Group's enterprise platform — which issues credentials only after an application and approval process that typically requires MLS affiliation. The full story is in Does Zillow have an API in 2026?

The ecosystem never got the memo. The old libraries are still on PyPI and CRAN, their docs still rank in search results, and secret-scanning tools still ship detectors for ZWSID keys — for a key type that has not been issued in five years. If a tutorial shows you a Zillow signup flow, check its date: it is describing a program that shut down in 2021.

Your three options in 2026

Path	Who can get a key	Time to first request	Cost
Zillow public API (ZWSID)	Nobody — retired 2021	Never	—
Bridge Interactive	Approved enterprise partners, typically MLS-affiliated	Weeks to months	Enterprise contract
Third-party API (APIllow)	Anyone	~60 seconds	Free tier; paid from $9.99/mo

Get a working key in 60 seconds

APIllow issues a key instantly — no approval process, no credit card for the free tier. Sign up, copy the key, and you are one request away from 50+ fields per property:

# Your key goes in the x-api-key header
curl -X POST https://api.apillow.co/v1/properties \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"addresses": ["1874 Bromton Dr, Lyndhurst, OH 44124"]}'

The response is the modern equivalent of what GetDeepSearchResults + GetZestimate used to return, in one call: address, beds/baths, square footage, listing status, zestimate, rent_zestimate, price_history, tax_history, schools, photos, and sold data including the sale date. The Python tutorial gets you from key to DataFrame in five minutes.

Migrating from the old ZWSID libraries

If you are resurrecting an old project built on pyzillow or python-zillow, the mapping is straightforward:

GetSearchResults (address → property) — send the address in the addresses array; the response includes the ZPID and full property record in one step.
GetZestimate — read the zestimate and rent_zestimate fields from the same response. One quirk the old API never had: Zestimates are usually null on actively listed homes — the Zestimate API guide explains the workaround.
GetDeepSearchResults — the standard response already includes the "deep" fields: lot size, year built, tax assessment, last sold price and date.
Rate limits — the old API capped at 1,000 calls/day per ZWSID. Modern equivalents are plan-based; the pricing comparison has the math.

What about "free Zillow API key" offers?

Search results and marketplace listings sometimes promise a free Zillow API key. Read the fine print: these are third-party scraper keys too — nobody is issuing official Zillow keys, whatever the landing page implies. The honest comparison is between third-party providers: data coverage (does it include sold dates and price history?), reliability, and per-request cost. We wrote up how to run that comparison in Is the Zillow API free in 2026?

Get your API key now

50 free requests a month, all data fields included, no credit card. Key issued instantly.

Get API Key

Final takeaway

There is no way to get an official Zillow API key in 2026 — the program closed in 2021 and Bridge Interactive is enterprise-only. Skip the dead signup tutorials: a third-party key gets you the same property data in JSON, sixty seconds after you sign up.