★ BEST INVESTING TOOLS COMPARISON ★
VOL. XCIV, NO. 247
Tool comparison edition
Tool Comparison
Alpha Vantage vs Financial Modeling Prep (FMP)
Pick Alpha Vantage if
Alpha Vantage
Best for news sentiment and market sentiment
Free • Contact for pricing · Web · API · 100% positive (2 votes)
- You care about news sentiment, market sentiment, and corporate actions & special situations, things Financial Modeling Prep (FMP) doesn't offer
Pick Financial Modeling Prep (FMP) if
Financial Modeling Prep (FMP)
Best for screeners and scores
Free • From $22/mo · Web · Desktop · API · 60% positive (10 votes)
- You care about screeners, scores, and ESG ratings, things Alpha Vantage doesn't offer
Skip both if: Neither one clicks with how you research; there are strong third options.
See alternativesOutbound links may include affiliate or sponsor codes.
The verdict
The bottom line
Alpha Vantage and Financial Modeling Prep (FMP) cover a lot of the same ground (12 shared categories, including APIs & data feeds, news, and calendar), so for the basics you won't go far wrong with either. The real difference is focus: only Alpha Vantage gives you news sentiment and market sentiment, and only Financial Modeling Prep (FMP) gives you screeners and scores.
Key differences at a glance
- Desktop app
- Financial Modeling Prep (FMP)
- Free plan
- Both
Comparison snapshot
| Attribute | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pricing & plans | ||
Starting price | Free • Contact for pricing | Free • From $22/mo |
Free tier | Yes | Yes |
Free trial | — | — |
Plan limits | 4 limits: Free: api requests per day: 25, Premium membership (personal use): api requests per day: No enforced daily cap (governed by per‑minute rate). +2 more | 20 limits: Basic: api calls per day: 250, Basic: timeframe: End of Day +18 more |
| Platforms & access | ||
Web app | Yes | Yes |
Desktop app | No | Yes |
Mobile app | No | No |
API access | Yes | Yes |
Broker sync | No | — |
Integrations | Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets +1 more | Excel Add-in, Google Sheets Add-on +3 more |
| Audience & fit | ||
Experience level | Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced | Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced |
Best for | Retail Traders, Institutional Investors +3 more | Retail Traders, Pro Retail +6 more |
Categories covered | 18 | 19 |
Regions | North America, Europe, APAC | North America, Europe, APAC, LatAm, Middle East, Africa |
| Data & capabilities | ||
Data quality | 3 signals: Latency: Real-time, 15-min Delayed, and End of Day, Granularity: Minute and EOD +1 more | 4 signals: Latency: Streaming, Real-time, and End of Day, Granularity: Minute and EOD +2 more |
Data partners | Nasdaq | — |
Capabilities | Greeks and Yield curves | Universe builder and Yield curves |
Security | — | Status page |
| Try it | Visit Alpha Vantage | Visit Financial Modeling Prep (FMP) |
Standout features
What Alpha Vantage does best
- Use REST APIs for global stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, FX, crypto, commodities, options, technical indicators, fundamentals, and macroeconomic indicators.
- Pull daily, weekly, monthly, and intraday equity time series with split and dividend adjustment support where available.
- Use U.S. options endpoints for realtime and historical option chains with Greeks and implied-volatility fields on premium access.
- Access fundamentals such as company overview, income statement, balance sheet, cash flow, dividends, splits, shares outstanding, ETF profile and holdings, listings, earnings, and calendars.
- Use Alpha Intelligence endpoints for market news, sentiment, earnings call transcripts, top gainers and losers, insider transactions, and analytics.
What Financial Modeling Prep (FMP) does best
- Use one API for market data, fundamentals, news, calendars, macro indicators, ESG, ownership, analyst data, transcripts, funds, crypto, forex, and commodities.
- Build with REST endpoints, WebSocket streaming for real-time stocks, crypto, and FX, an API playground, documentation, changelog, cycle-time pages, and a public status page.
- Pull real-time quotes plus intraday and end-of-day historical bars, with higher tiers adding longer history, technical indicators, 1-minute intraday charting, and bulk delivery.
- Access standardized and as-reported financial statements, key metrics, ratios, financial scores, enterprise values, segment revenue, DCF models, and other valuation metrics.
- Use calendar and corporate-action endpoints for earnings, IPO prospectuses, dividends, splits, economic releases, and related event research.
Data & access details
| Attribute | ||
|---|---|---|
| Coverage & fit | ||
Asset types | StocksETFsMutual FundsOptionsCurrenciesCryptosCommoditiesFunds | StocksETFsMutual FundsFundsCurrenciesCryptosCommoditiesOther |
Experience | BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced | BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced |
Target audience | Retail TradersInstitutional InvestorsQuants/DevelopersAnalystsStudents/Researchers | Retail TradersPro RetailInstitutional InvestorsQuants/DevelopersAnalystsAsset ManagersHedge FundsStudents/Researchers |
Regions | North AmericaEuropeAPAC | North AmericaEuropeAPACLatAmMiddle EastAfrica |
Coverage details | 6 countriesIdentifiers: Ticker | Identifiers: Ticker, CUSIP, ISIN, and CIK |
| Data | ||
Data freshness | Real-time15-min DelayedEnd of Day | StreamingReal-timeEnd of Day |
Data granularity | MinuteEOD | MinuteEOD |
Pricing sources | Not specified | Exchange |
Data partners | Nasdaq | Not specified |
| Access & integrations | ||
API protocols | REST | RESTWebSocket |
API auth & delivery | Auth: APIKeyDocs | Auth: APIKeySDKs: Python, R, and GoDocs |
Integrations | Microsoft ExcelGoogle SheetsMCP / AI agents (Claude, VS Code, Cursor, etc.) | Excel Add-inGoogle Sheets Add-onPerplexity AIFinance ToolkitWisesheets |
Export formats | CSVJSON | CSVJSON |
| Plans & trust | ||
Security & compliance | Not specified | Status page |
Capability signals | GreeksYield curves | Universe builderYield curves |
Vendor & support | Alpha Vantage Inc.Country: USSupport: Email | Financial Modeling PrepSupport: Email and Chat |
Green tags are exclusive to that tool in this comparison.
Pricing breakdown
Free
Lower starting price
Plans & pricing
- api requests per day: 25
- api requests per day: No enforced daily cap (governed by per‑minute rate).
- api requests per minute: 75, 150, 300, 600 or 1200 depending on plan.
- +1 more
$22/mo
Starting price
Plans & pricing
- api calls per day: 250
- timeframe: End of Day
- +3 more
- api calls per minute: 300
- historical years: 5
- +3 more
- api calls per minute: 750
- historical years: 30
- +3 more
- api calls per minute: 3,000
- historical years: 30+
- +3 more
Coverage overlap
Shared categories
12Where the two tools cover the same ground.
Alpha Vantage strengths
6What you only get with Alpha Vantage.
Financial Modeling Prep (FMP) strengths
7What you only get with Financial Modeling Prep (FMP).
Community category leaders
Vote sentiment comparison
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Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between Alpha Vantage and Financial Modeling Prep (FMP)?
Alpha Vantage leans toward APIs & data feeds, news, and news sentiment, while Financial Modeling Prep (FMP) puts more weight on screeners, APIs & data feeds, and news. They overlap in 12 categories, so for most people it comes down to workflow preference and price.
How much do Alpha Vantage and Financial Modeling Prep (FMP) cost?
Good news: both Alpha Vantage and Financial Modeling Prep (FMP) have free plans, so you can run them side by side and only pay if you hit a wall.
Do Alpha Vantage and Financial Modeling Prep (FMP) 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 Financial Modeling Prep (FMP)?
It depends on what you're after. Pick Alpha Vantage if news sentiment and market sentiment matter to you; go with Financial Modeling Prep (FMP) if you'd rather have screeners and scores. And if you only need the basics both share, let price decide.
What asset classes do Alpha Vantage and Financial Modeling Prep (FMP) cover?
Both cover stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, and currencies. Alpha Vantage also handles options. Financial Modeling Prep (FMP) adds other on top.
Do Alpha Vantage and Financial Modeling Prep (FMP) 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 Financial Modeling Prep (FMP)?
Yes, both export to spreadsheets (CSV), which is handy if you like running your own numbers.
Which has a better stock screener: Alpha Vantage or Financial Modeling Prep (FMP)?
Financial Modeling Prep (FMP) has a stock screener for surfacing ideas; Alpha Vantage doesn't, and focuses its energy elsewhere.
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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.