What is the best crypto data API?

There isn't one best API; it depends on the data. For prices and market caps, CoinGecko or CoinMarketCap. For multi-exchange derivatives depth, CoinGlass or CoinDesk Data. For institutional tick history, Kaiko or CoinAPI. For derivatives signals with a free tier, Hyperliquid data or AI agents, Crypto Data API.

Which crypto data APIs are free?

As of November 2026: CoinGecko (Demo), CoinMarketCap (Basic), Crypto Data API, Hyperliquid's own API, Alpaca's historical bars, Massive's end-of-day tier, Blockworks' public models and Codex's near-free plan. CoinDesk Data, CoinGlass, CoinAPI, Kaiko and Moralis have no self-serve free tier.

Which crypto APIs have an MCP server for AI agents?

Hosted MCP servers are offered by Crypto Data API, CoinGecko (keyless), CoinMarketCap, CoinAPI, CoinDesk Data, Blockworks, Massive and Crypto APIs, and CoinGlass has one in beta. Alpaca's is local, and Codex's only searches its docs.

Which crypto data APIs accept x402 payments?

Crypto Data API, CoinGecko ($0.005 per request on five endpoints) and CoinMarketCap ($0.01 per request) sell crypto data over x402 in USDC, as does the legacy Messari API. Massive's x402 covers US stocks only. Codex charges per call through a different protocol, MPP.

Compare crypto data APIs

Crypto data APIs compared (2026)

Updated 2026-11-04Competitor facts checked 2026-11-04

The crypto data API market changed a lot in 2026. Kaiko bought Amberdata, Blockworks bought Messari, CoinMarketCap reportedly bought CoinGlass, CoinDesk Data (formerly CryptoCompare) ended its free tier, and Moralis dropped its self-serve free plan. Below are 15 providers side by side, with every fact taken from the provider's own pages in November 2026, and plain advice on which to use for what, including when that isn't us.

We build Crypto Data API, so read this as a vendor's comparison. Every competitor fact below comes from that provider's own pricing or documentation pages, linked under Sources, as of 2026-11-04. Prices and limits change, so check their site before you buy. If we got something wrong, email [email protected] and we'll fix it.

Which one should you use?

Prices and market caps for thousands of coins

CoinGecko or CoinMarketCap. Both have free plans, MCP servers and x402.

Multi-exchange derivatives depth

CoinGlass (from $299/mo for commercial use) or CoinDesk Data (sales). Crypto Data API if you need a free tier or Hyperliquid.

Institutional tick and order-book history

Kaiko or CoinAPI.

Hyperliquid

Hyperliquid's own API for live data. Crypto Data API for its history, liquidations and positioning.

On-chain and DEX tokens

Codex, Moralis, or CoinGecko's GeckoTerminal endpoints.

AI agents that pay their own way

Crypto Data API, CoinGecko or CoinMarketCap (x402 in USDC). Codex uses a different protocol (MPP).

All 15 providers at a glance

Provider	Free tier	Cheapest paid	Derivatives	ETF flows	Hosted MCP	Agent pay-per-call
Crypto Data API	1,000 req/day (after email confirm)	$29/mo	Funding, OI, long/short and liquidation history, plus a Hyperliquid liquidation map	BTC, ETH, SOL	Yes	x402 (USDC)
CoinGecko	10k calls/mo	$35/mo	Current snapshot only	No	Yes (keyless)	x402 $0.005
CoinMarketCap	15k credits/mo	$29/mo	Latest only	No	Yes	x402 $0.01
CoinGlass	None	$29/mo (personal use)	Deepest: liquidations, heatmaps, long/short, books	BTC, ETH, SOL, XRP, HK	Beta	No
CoinDesk Data	None (ended May 2026)	Sales	Funding, OI, liquidations, options (minute history)	No	Yes (key)	No
CoinAPI	$25 credit (card)	$79/mo	Per-instrument aggregates	No	Yes	No
Kaiko	Trial by form	Sales	Exchange-reported OI, funding, liquidations	Unverified	No	No
Amberdata (Kaiko)	Trial key	Not published	Funding, OI, liquidations, options	BTC, ETH	No	No
Messari / Blockworks	200 req/min (public models)	Unverified	Funding, perp OI	Yes	Yes (OAuth)	x402 (legacy API)
Massive (Polygon.io)	5 calls/min, end of day	$49/mo (individual)	None	No	Yes	Stocks only
Hyperliquid API	Free, keyless	-	Own venue, current OI only	No	No	No
Alpaca	Free (historical bars keyless)	$99/mo	None	No	Local only	No
Codex	10k CU/mo ($1 fee)	$360/mo	None (on-chain only)	No	Docs only	MPP $0.001
Crypto APIs	14-day trial	$49/mo	None (exchange rates only)	No	Yes	Facilitator (paid plans)
Moralis	None (trial by request)	$149/mo	None (on-chain only)	No	Unclear	No

How we compared

On 4 November 2026 we read each provider's pricing page, API reference and terms, and where docs were vague we sent a request to their public API and recorded the answer. Anything we couldn't confirm is marked unverified rather than guessed. Each head-to-head page lists its sources. Prices and plans change often, so treat this as a starting point and check the provider's site before you buy.

What changed in 2026

Consolidation. Kaiko bought Amberdata (June), Blockworks bought Messari (June) and CoinMarketCap reportedly bought CoinGlass (September). Polygon.io renamed itself Massive in late 2025.
Free tiers shrank. CoinDesk Data ended its free tier on 21 May, and Moralis now has no self-serve free plan. See free crypto APIs compared.
Agents became customers. Most of the big providers now run hosted MCP servers, and several accept x402 pay-per-call in USDC so an AI agent can buy data without a human account.

Where Crypto Data API fits

We're not the broadest API here. We don't cover hundreds of exchanges, options chains or DEX tokens. We focus on the data trading systems and AI agents reason over: funding, open interest, liquidations, spot-ETF flows, volatility and market regimes, plus the deepest Hyperliquid dataset we know of. We have a free tier, commercial use on every plan, and agents can onboard and pay by themselves.

Head-to-head comparisons

Free crypto APIs compared (2026)Which crypto data APIs are still free, how far each free tier goes, and which ones quietly ended.CoinGecko API vs Crypto Data APIThe broadest coin and DEX coverage vs derivatives history, ETF flows and Hyperliquid data.CoinMarketCap API vs Crypto Data APIMarket caps, rankings and indices vs derivatives history and positioning data.CoinGecko API vs CoinMarketCap APIThe two big price aggregators head to head, and the derivatives gap they share.CoinGlass API vs Crypto Data APIThe deepest multi-exchange derivatives API vs a free tier and commercial use from $29.CryptoCompare (CoinDesk Data) API alternativeCryptoCompare's free tier ended in May 2026. Where its users can go.Messari API alternative after the Blockworks acquisitionThe Messari API is in maintenance mode under Blockworks. What changes and where we overlap.Hyperliquid API vs Crypto Data APIWhen Hyperliquid's free, keyless API is enough, and the history and liquidation data it doesn't keep.CoinAPI vs Crypto Data APIExchange-grade tick data across 400+ venues vs ready-made derivatives signals with a free tier.Kaiko vs Crypto Data APIInstitutional history back to 2010, sold by contract, vs self-serve derivatives data from $0.Amberdata alternative after the Kaiko acquisitionAmberdata's site now redirects to Kaiko. What changed, and where its datasets overlap with ours.Massive (formerly Polygon.io) crypto API vs Crypto Data APICheap real-time spot crypto from four venues vs derivatives, Hyperliquid and positioning data.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best crypto data API?: There isn't one best API; it depends on the data. For prices and market caps, CoinGecko or CoinMarketCap. For multi-exchange derivatives depth, CoinGlass or CoinDesk Data. For institutional tick history, Kaiko or CoinAPI. For derivatives signals with a free tier, Hyperliquid data or AI agents, Crypto Data API.
Which crypto data APIs are free?: As of November 2026: CoinGecko (Demo), CoinMarketCap (Basic), Crypto Data API, Hyperliquid's own API, Alpaca's historical bars, Massive's end-of-day tier, Blockworks' public models and Codex's near-free plan. CoinDesk Data, CoinGlass, CoinAPI, Kaiko and Moralis have no self-serve free tier.
Which crypto APIs have an MCP server for AI agents?: Hosted MCP servers are offered by Crypto Data API, CoinGecko (keyless), CoinMarketCap, CoinAPI, CoinDesk Data, Blockworks, Massive and Crypto APIs, and CoinGlass has one in beta. Alpaca's is local, and Codex's only searches its docs.
Which crypto data APIs accept x402 payments?: Crypto Data API, CoinGecko ($0.005 per request on five endpoints) and CoinMarketCap ($0.01 per request) sell crypto data over x402 in USDC, as does the legacy Messari API. Massive's x402 covers US stocks only. Codex charges per call through a different protocol, MPP.

Try Crypto Data API free

A free key gives you 100 requests a day straight away and 1,000 a day once you confirm your email, with no card. Every endpoint is documented, and the same data is available to AI agents through our MCP server.

Get a free API key Read the docs See pricing