Tool Comparison
Alpha Vantage vs Databento
- Paid from
- $49.99/mo, billed monthly
- Free plan
- Yes
- Platforms
- Web, API
Best if
- You'd rather start free and only pay if you outgrow it
- You want a lower paid starting price: $49.99/mo, billed monthly instead of $199/mo, billed monthly
- You want news, news sentiment, and market sentiment.
- Paid from
- $199/mo, billed monthly
- Free plan
- No
- Platforms
- Web, API
Best if
- You want order book / level II.
Start here
Alpha Vantage
Free • From $49.99/mo, billed monthly · Web · API
- You'd rather start free and only pay if you outgrow it
- You want a lower paid starting price: $49.99/mo, billed monthly instead of $199/mo, billed monthly
- You want news, news sentiment, and market sentiment.
Pick Databento instead if
Databento
From $199/mo, billed monthly · Web · API
- You want order book / level II.
Skip both if: Neither one clicks with how you research; there are strong third options.
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Our take
The bottom line
Alpha Vantage and Databento cover a lot of the same ground (4 shared categories, including APIs & data feeds, dividends, and splits), so for the basics you won't go far wrong with either. Alpha Vantage simply does more: 18 categories to Databento's 5, including news, news sentiment, and market sentiment. Databento counters by keeping things simpler.
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Alpha Vantage
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Databento
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Key differences at a glance
- Free plan
- Alpha Vantage
- Cheaper paid plan
- Alpha Vantage$49.99/mo, billed monthly vs $199/mo, billed monthly
- Broader coverage
- Alpha Vantage18 vs 5 categories
- Beginner friendly
- Alpha Vantage
What Alpha Vantage does best
- Call REST endpoints for stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, FX, crypto, commodities, options, technical indicators, fundamentals, and macro data.
- Pull daily, weekly, monthly, or intraday equity series with split and dividend adjustments where supported.
- Premium U.S. options endpoints include real-time and historical chains, Greeks, and implied volatility.
- Retrieve company overviews, financial statements, dividends, splits, shares outstanding, ETF holdings, listings, earnings, and calendars.
- Alpha Intelligence adds news, sentiment, earnings-call transcripts, gainers and losers, insider trades, and related analytics.
What Databento does best
- Historical downloads and live streaming for supported equities, equity options, futures, spreads, and options on futures.
- Schemas ranging from trades and OHLCV bars to top-of-book, market-by-price, and full market-by-order data.
- HTTP and raw TCP APIs, plus official Python, C++, and Rust client libraries.
- CSV, JSON, and Databento Binary Encoding output, with flat-file and packet-capture delivery where offered.
- Security-master, symbology, corporate-action, and adjustment data for supported products and venues.
Side by side
Pricing comparison
See for yourself
Side by side
Price, platforms, data, and market coverage.ShowHide
Side by side
| Attribute | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pricing & plans | ||
Starting price | Free • From $49.99/mo, billed monthly | From $199/mo, billed monthly |
Free tier | Yes | No |
Free trial | — | — |
Plan limits | 7 limits: Free: api requests per day: 25, Premium membership (personal use): api requests per day: No enforced daily cap; the selected tier sets a per-minute rate. +5 more | — |
| Platforms & access | ||
Web app | Yes | Yes |
Mobile app | No | No |
API access | Yes | Yes |
Broker sync | No | — |
Integrations | Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets +1 more | Python client, C++ client +1 more |
| Audience & fit | ||
Experience level | Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced | Intermediate, Advanced |
Best for | Retail Traders, Institutional Investors +3 more | Quants/Developers, Algo Traders +2 more |
Categories covered | 18 | 5 |
Regions | North America, Europe, APAC | North America, Europe |
| Data & capabilities | ||
Data quality | 3 signals: Latency: Real-time, 15-min Delayed, and End of Day, Granularity: Minute and EOD +1 more | 3 signals: Latency: Streaming and Real-time, Granularity: Tick, Second, Minute, and EOD +1 more |
Data partners | Nasdaq | — |
Capabilities | Greeks and Yield curves | — |
| Try it | Visit Alpha Vantage | Visit Databento |
Standout features
The best features of Alpha Vantage and Databento.ShowHide
Standout features
What Alpha Vantage does best
- Call REST endpoints for stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, FX, crypto, commodities, options, technical indicators, fundamentals, and macro data.
- Pull daily, weekly, monthly, or intraday equity series with split and dividend adjustments where supported.
- Premium U.S. options endpoints include real-time and historical chains, Greeks, and implied volatility.
- Retrieve company overviews, financial statements, dividends, splits, shares outstanding, ETF holdings, listings, earnings, and calendars.
- Alpha Intelligence adds news, sentiment, earnings-call transcripts, gainers and losers, insider trades, and related analytics.
What Databento does best
- Historical downloads and live streaming for supported equities, equity options, futures, spreads, and options on futures.
- Schemas ranging from trades and OHLCV bars to top-of-book, market-by-price, and full market-by-order data.
- HTTP and raw TCP APIs, plus official Python, C++, and Rust client libraries.
- CSV, JSON, and Databento Binary Encoding output, with flat-file and packet-capture delivery where offered.
- Security-master, symbology, corporate-action, and adjustment data for supported products and venues.
All details
Every attribute we track for Alpha Vantage and Databento.ShowHide
All details
| Attribute | ||
|---|---|---|
| Coverage & fit | ||
Asset types | StocksETFsMutual FundsOptionsCurrenciesCryptosCommoditiesFunds | StocksETFsOptionsFutures |
Experience | BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced | IntermediateAdvanced |
Target audience | Retail TradersInstitutional InvestorsQuants/DevelopersAnalystsStudents/Researchers | Quants/DevelopersAlgo TradersInstitutional InvestorsHedge Funds |
Regions | North AmericaEuropeAPAC | North AmericaEurope |
Coverage details | 6 countriesIdentifiers: Ticker | Identifiers: Ticker |
| Data | ||
Data freshness | Real-time15-min DelayedEnd of Day | StreamingReal-time |
Data granularity | MinuteEOD | TickSecondMinuteEOD |
Data partners | Nasdaq | Not specified |
| Access & integrations | ||
API protocols | REST | REST |
API auth & delivery | Auth: APIKeyDocs | Auth: APIKeySDKs: PythonDocs |
Integrations | Microsoft ExcelGoogle SheetsMCP / AI agents (Claude, VS Code, Cursor, etc.) | Python clientC++ clientRust client |
Export formats | CSVJSON | CSVJSON |
| Plans & trust | ||
Capability signals | GreeksYield curves | Not specified |
Vendor & support | Alpha Vantage Inc.Country: USSupport: Email | Databento, Inc.Country: USSupport: Email and Chat |
Green tags are exclusive to that tool in this comparison.
Pricing
Plans, billing, free trials, and monthly prices.ShowHide
Pricing
| Tier | ||
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Freeapi requests per day: 25 | — |
| Entry paid plan | $49.99/moBilled monthly“Premium membership (personal use)”api requests per day: No enforced daily cap; the selected tier sets a per-minute rate. · api requests per minute: 75, 150, 300, 600 or 1200 depending on plan. · +4 more | $199/moBilled monthly“CME Standard” |
| Tier 2 | — | $1750/moBilled monthly“CME Plus” |
| Tier 3 | — | $4500/moBilled monthly“CME Unlimited” |
| Top plan | — | One-time“Usage-based historical” |
| Custom / enterprise | Contact sales“Commercial / enterprise licensing” | — |
Alternatives
Free alternatives
Questions we keep getting
What's the difference between Alpha Vantage and Databento?
Alpha Vantage leans toward APIs & data feeds, news, and news sentiment, while Databento puts more weight on APIs & data feeds, order book / level II, and options. They overlap in 4 categories, so for most people it comes down to workflow preference and price.
Is Alpha Vantage or Databento free to use?
Alpha Vantage has a free tier, so you can get started without paying anything. Databento is paid-only. If budget matters, start with Alpha Vantage and see how far it takes you before opening your wallet.
Which is better for beginners: Alpha Vantage or Databento?
Alpha Vantage is the friendlier place to start; its interface takes less getting used to. Both work fine once you're past the basics.
Do Alpha Vantage and Databento have APIs?
Yes, both offer API access, so developers and quants can pull data programmatically or wire up their own integrations.
Should I choose Alpha Vantage or Databento?
It depends on what you're after. Pick Alpha Vantage if news and news sentiment matter to you; go with Databento if you'd rather have order book / level II. And if you only need the basics both share, let price decide.
What asset classes do Alpha Vantage and Databento cover?
Both cover stocks, ETFs, and options. Alpha Vantage also handles mutual funds, currencies, and cryptos. Databento adds futures on top.
Do Alpha Vantage and Databento offer real-time data?
Yes, both serve real-time market data, so either works when timing matters.
Can I export data from Alpha Vantage and Databento?
Yes, both export to spreadsheets (CSV), which is handy if you like running your own numbers.
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