VOL. XCIV, NO. 247
★ A CURATED DIRECTORY OF FINANCIAL TOOLS AND RESOURCES ★
PRICE: 0 CENTS
Saturday, January 17, 2026
Alpha Vantage Review, Pricing, and Features
Exchange-licensed, API-first market data provider for global equities, ETFs, mutual funds, FX, crypto, options, commodities and macro indicators. Free key covers most datasets with 25 API calls/day; premium membership removes daily limits and unlocks premium endpoints such as realtime/15‑minute delayed US data, intraday history, and options, with separate commercial licensing for business use.
Community votes (overall)
Key features
- Cloud-native REST APIs for realtime and historical financial data across global stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, FX, cryptocurrencies, commodities, technical indicators and macroeconomic indicators in a single unified portfolio of endpoints.
- Global equity time series APIs (daily, weekly, monthly and intraday 1–60 minute bars) with 20+ years of history, optional split/dividend-adjusted prices, and support for extended trading hours where available.
- US options data APIs providing realtime and historical option chains with 15+ years of history, full market/volume coverage, and optional Greeks and implied volatility fields in JSON or CSV.
- Fundamental data suite covering company overview, income statement, balance sheet, cash flow, dividends, splits, shares outstanding, ETF profile & holdings, listing/delisting status, earnings history, earnings estimates, and earnings/IPO calendars.
- Alpha Intelligence™ endpoints for market news & sentiment, earnings call transcripts, top gainers/losers, insider transactions, and fixed/sliding-window analytics, built with in‑house AI and quantitative expertise.
- FX and cryptocurrency APIs for exchange rates plus intraday/daily/weekly/monthly time series, alongside commodities (e.g., crude oil, natural gas, metals, agricultural products) and US economic indicators such as GDP, CPI, inflation, unemployment, nonfarm payrolls, retail sales, durable goods orders and Treasury yields.
- Official Excel and Google Sheets add-ins that pull Alpha Vantage data directly into spreadsheets, plus native support for MCP servers so LLMs and AI agents can call the same APIs.
- Free API key with lifetime access to most data APIs and a documented standard limit of 25 API requests per day for non‑premium usage.
- Premium membership plans remove daily limits in favor of higher per‑minute throughput and unlock premium capabilities such as full historical outputsize, intraday history, realtime/15‑minute delayed US stock quotes and intraday data, and options endpoints for personal use.
- Nasdaq-licensed realtime and 15‑minute delayed US market data, with guidance on regulatory policies and separate onboarding for commercial/business usage.
Data partners
Exchange-licensed provider of realtime and 15-minute delayed US market data distributed via Alpha Vantage.
FAQ
Is Alpha Vantage free?
Not entirely. Alpha Vantage includes a free tier, but its paid subscription and other options unlock more capacity. Visit the vendor site for current limits and pricing. Enterprise quotes are handled directly with the vendor.
Who is Alpha Vantage best for?
Alpha Vantage is built for Retail Traders, Institutional Investors, Quants/Developers, Analysts, and Students/Researchers. It suits beginner, intermediate, and advanced users.
What platforms and connections does Alpha Vantage support?
You can use Alpha Vantage on Web. Alpha Vantage offers an API (REST) with APIKey authentication. Integrations include Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, and MCP / AI agents (Claude, VS Code, Cursor, etc.).
Which markets does Alpha Vantage cover?
Alpha Vantage covers North America, Europe, and APAC. Examples include US, GB, CA, DE, IN + 1 more. It tracks Stocks, ETFs, Mutual Funds, Options, Currencies, Cryptos + 2 more. Identifiers include Ticker.
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Information
About Me
Hey! Thanks for stopping by. I'm an independent investor with a soft spot for coding and the stock market - especially value investing (as you can probably tell from the tools I've collected here, haha). Hopefully you'll find something useful or interesting along the way.
Find me here:
- Twitter / X: @Jera_Value
- Substack: Jera Value
Got questions or suggestions? I'm all ears!
Missing a Tool?
Discovered a gem I don't have here yet? Drop the link below and I'll check it out ASAP. Tagging me on X works too! Can't wait to see what you've found!
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These are tools I've tried and found to be solid, but not standout. Think of them as passing an initial quality screen: worth exploring, though not all will be exceptional.
Curation & Accuracy
This directory blends AI‑assisted discovery with human curation. Entries are reviewed, edited, and organized with the goal of expanding coverage and sharpening quality over time. Your feedback helps steer improvements (because no single human can capture everything all at once).
Details change. Pricing, features, and availability may be incomplete or out of date. Treat listings as a starting point and verify on the provider’s site before making decisions. If you spot an error or a gap, send a quick note and I’ll adjust.