The independent sports API guide
Pick the right sports API in minutes, not weeks.
Real prices, free tiers and what developers actually say about 233 football, tennis, odds and esports data APIs.
- 233
- sports APIs compared
- 108
- with a free tier
- 1.3k
- developer discussions read
- 54k
- GitHub projects tracked
Best APIs for your sport
Leaderboard
SportDex Score: popularity, developer opinion, transparency and developer experience.
Best football APIs
Top data and odds APIs for football (soccer)
- 64
football-data.org
Sports data API
Devs say: “Free API key good for fixtures and results”
Free tierfrom €12/moLive data - 60
football-data.co.uk
Free / open data
Devs say: “Free historical results and odds”
Free tier7 discussions3.6k GitHub repos - 54
ScoreBat Video API
Video
Football highlight and live-stream video API delivering embeddable player codes by competition or team, with a limited free feed and paid developer plans.
Free tierfrom $69/mo3 discussions - 53
FootyStats
Sports data API
Devs say: “Broad league coverage”
Free tier6 discussions95 GitHub repos - 53
openfootball
Free / open data
Devs say: “Public domain, no API key”
Free tier13 discussions17 GitHub repos - 50
TheStatsAPI
Sports data API
Football API with fixtures, results, match and player stats, xG, lineups, heatmaps and pre-match/live odds from five bookmakers, across 150 competitions (up to 1,196 on request) with 10 years of history.
7-day trialfrom $50/moLive data - 50
5DollarFootballAPI
Odds API
Football API offering fixtures, results, standings and Bet365 and other bookmaker odds history including corners and cards, from a free top-5-league tier up to all 1,600+ leagues.
Free tierfrom $5/moLive data - 49
Football Charts
Free / open data
Daily-updated football results, tables, goal timing, model probabilities and season projections for 98 leagues via JSON REST and an MCP server; open CC BY dataset and paid history tiers.
Free tierfrom €9/mo14 GitHub repos - 49
OpenFoot API
Sports data API
Devs say: “Low-priced paid plan”
Free tierDemo accessfrom $14/mo - 45
StrikerAPI
Sports data API
Soccer API with 21 REST and MCP endpoints for standings, lineups, events, shot maps, ratings, odds and player props, billed in monthly credits.
Free tierfrom $19/mo - Full list →
Most discussed sports APIs
What developers talk about on Reddit, HN and Stack Overflow
- 83
The Odds API
Odds API
Devs say: “Free tier for quick odds checks”
Free tierfrom $30/moLive data - 63
nba_api (NBA Stats)
Free / open data
Devs say: “Easy to use with good docs”
Free tierLive data80 discussions - 56
Riot Games API
Esports data
Devs say: “Official API with free developer keys”
Free tier70 discussions2.9k GitHub repos - 66
API-Sports / API-Football
Sports data API
Devs say: “Broad league coverage”
Free tierfrom $19/mo60 discussions - 45
NBA Stats (stats.nba.com)
Free / open data
Devs say: “Rich historical player and team stats”
Free tier60 discussions152 GitHub repos - 67
Polymarket
Betting exchange
Devs say: “Public market data without credentials”
Free tier52 discussions4.5k GitHub repos - 39
Yahoo Fantasy Sports API
Fantasy platform
Devs say: “Access to own league, roster and transaction data”
47 discussions36 GitHub repos - 60
SportsDataIO
Sports data API
Devs say: “Free trial key for prototyping”
Demo accessLive data44 discussions - 64
Sleeper
Fantasy platform
Devs say: “Free and no-auth read access to leagues, rosters and drafts”
Free tier44 discussions389 GitHub repos - 69
Sportmonks
Sports data API
Devs say: “Solid football stats and many leagues”
Free tier14-day trialfrom €29/mo - Full list →
Best free sports APIs
Start building today without a card
- 83
The Odds API
Odds API
Devs say: “Free tier for quick odds checks”
Free tierfrom $30/moLive data - 79
BALLDONTLIE
Sports data API
Devs say: “Free tier and easy start for learners”
Free tier2-day trialfrom $9.99/mo - 69
Sportmonks
Sports data API
Devs say: “Solid football stats and many leagues”
Free tier14-day trialfrom €29/mo - 67
nflverse
Free / open data
Devs say: “Free open data with deep play-by-play history”
Free tier4 discussions3.4k GitHub repos - 67
Polymarket
Betting exchange
Devs say: “Public market data without credentials”
Free tier52 discussions4.5k GitHub repos - 66
API-Sports / API-Football
Sports data API
Devs say: “Broad league coverage”
Free tierfrom $19/mo60 discussions - 66
OpenF1
Free / open data
Devs say: “Free historical data without auth”
Free tierfrom €9.90/mo⚡ Streaming - 65
TheSportsDB
Sports data API
Devs say: “Free tier for hobby use”
Free tierfrom $9/mo5 discussions - 65
PandaScore
Esports data
Devs say: “One of few dedicated esports APIs”
Free tierfrom €400/mo⚡ Streaming - 64
Sleeper
Fantasy platform
Devs say: “Free and no-auth read access to leagues, rosters and drafts”
Free tier44 discussions389 GitHub repos - Full list →
What are you building?
Best betting odds APIs
Pre-match and live odds from bookmakers
- 83
The Odds API
Odds API
Devs say: “Free tier for quick odds checks”
Free tierfrom $30/moLive data - 79
BALLDONTLIE
Sports data API
Devs say: “Free tier and easy start for learners”
Free tier2-day trialfrom $9.99/mo - 69
Sportmonks
Sports data API
Devs say: “Solid football stats and many leagues”
Free tier14-day trialfrom €29/mo - 67
Polymarket
Betting exchange
Devs say: “Public market data without credentials”
Free tier52 discussions4.5k GitHub repos - 66
API-Sports / API-Football
Sports data API
Devs say: “Broad league coverage”
Free tierfrom $19/mo60 discussions - 65
PandaScore
Esports data
Devs say: “One of few dedicated esports APIs”
Free tierfrom €400/mo⚡ Streaming - 64
football-data.org
Sports data API
Devs say: “Free API key good for fixtures and results”
Free tierfrom €12/moLive data - 60
SportsDataIO
Sports data API
Devs say: “Free trial key for prototyping”
Demo accessLive data44 discussions - 60
Betfair Exchange API
Betting exchange
Devs say: “Real exchange prices and bet placement”
Free tierfrom £299 one-time30 discussions - 60
SharpAPI
Odds API
Devs say: “Covers sharp books beyond what The Odds API offers”
Free tier3-day trialfrom $79/mo - Full list →
Best Tennis APIs
Top data and odds APIs for tennis
- 56
Live Tennis API
Sports data API
Devs say: “Point-by-point data and win probability”
Free tierfrom $9.99/mo⚡ Streaming - 53
API-Tennis
Sports data API
Devs say: “Live scores and odds over REST and WebSocket”
14-day trialfrom $40/mo⚡ Streaming - 48
AcesAPI
Sports data API
ATP and WTA tennis API with 13 endpoints for matches, draws, rankings, Elo ratings, head-to-head, surface splits and odds, usable over REST or MCP with a credit-based quota.
Free tierfrom $19/mo - 79
BALLDONTLIE
Sports data API
Devs say: “Free tier and easy start for learners”
Free tier2-day trialfrom $9.99/mo - 83
The Odds API
Odds API
Devs say: “Free tier for quick odds checks”
Free tierfrom $30/moLive data - 60
SportsDataIO
Sports data API
Devs say: “Free trial key for prototyping”
Demo accessLive data44 discussions - 54
Lumify
Odds API
REST and MCP API for scores, schedules, odds, betting splits and AI bet analysis across eight sports; pay-per-credit pricing with a free credit allotment and a flat Growth plan.
Free tierDemo accessfrom $5 /usage - 53
All Sports API
Sports data API
Livescore and sports data API covering football, basketball, cricket, tennis, hockey, baseball and American football, with widgets, a WordPress plugin and beta websockets. Per-sport subscription plans.
Free tier14-day trialfrom $74/mo - Full list →
Sports APIs with a free trial
Test the paid data before you pay
- 79
BALLDONTLIE
Sports data API
Devs say: “Free tier and easy start for learners”
Free tier2-day trialfrom $9.99/mo - 69
Sportmonks
Sports data API
Devs say: “Solid football stats and many leagues”
Free tier14-day trialfrom €29/mo - 60
SportsDataIO
Sports data API
Devs say: “Free trial key for prototyping”
Demo accessLive data44 discussions - 60
SharpAPI
Odds API
Devs say: “Covers sharp books beyond what The Odds API offers”
Free tier3-day trialfrom $79/mo - 54
Lumify
Odds API
REST and MCP API for scores, schedules, odds, betting splits and AI bet analysis across eight sports; pay-per-credit pricing with a free credit allotment and a flat Growth plan.
Free tierDemo accessfrom $5 /usage - 53
All Sports API
Sports data API
Livescore and sports data API covering football, basketball, cricket, tennis, hockey, baseball and American football, with widgets, a WordPress plugin and beta websockets. Per-sport subscription plans.
Free tier14-day trialfrom $74/mo - 53
API-Tennis
Sports data API
Devs say: “Live scores and odds over REST and WebSocket”
14-day trialfrom $40/mo⚡ Streaming - 51
Entity Sport
Sports data API
Devs say: “Used in cricket live-score projects”
Demo accessfrom $150/mo⚡ Streaming - Full list →
Streaming sports APIs (WebSocket)
Live data pushed over WebSocket, SSE or push feeds
- 66
OpenF1
Free / open data
Devs say: “Free historical data without auth”
Free tierfrom €9.90/mo⚡ Streaming - 65
PandaScore
Esports data
Devs say: “One of few dedicated esports APIs”
Free tierfrom €400/mo⚡ Streaming - 60
SharpAPI
Odds API
Devs say: “Covers sharp books beyond what The Odds API offers”
Free tier3-day trialfrom $79/mo - 59
PropLine
Odds API
Player-prop and game odds from 100+ sportsbooks and exchanges across 73 sports, with graded prop results, line history, cross-book +EV and webhook or websocket alerts. Billed per request, compatible with The Odds API format.
Free tierfrom $9/mo⚡ Streaming - 59
SportsGameOdds
Odds API
Devs say: “Props and alternate lines included”
Free tierfrom $99/mo⚡ Streaming - 57
ParlayAPI
Odds API
Real-time odds API covering 30+ sportsbooks and prediction-market exchanges, with player props, line movement, arbitrage, +EV, historical data, SSE and WebSocket streaming; partly compatible with The Odds API request shapes.
Free tierfrom $5/mo⚡ Streaming - 56
Live Tennis API
Sports data API
Devs say: “Point-by-point data and win probability”
Free tierfrom $9.99/mo⚡ Streaming - 54
Lumify
Odds API
REST and MCP API for scores, schedules, odds, betting splits and AI bet analysis across eight sports; pay-per-credit pricing with a free credit allotment and a flat Growth plan.
Free tierDemo accessfrom $5 /usage - Full list →
More curated lists
All lists →Quick answers
- What is the best sports API?
- By the SportDex Score (popularity, developer opinion, transparency and developer experience) the top three of 233 sports APIs are The Odds API, BALLDONTLIE, Sportmonks. The best choice depends on the sport, data type and budget, so use the sport and use-case lists.
- Which sports APIs are free?
- 108 of 233 catalogued providers state a free tier. The highest-rated ones are The Odds API, BALLDONTLIE, Sportmonks, nflverse, Polymarket.
- What is the best football (soccer) API?
- Top football APIs in the catalog: football-data.org, football-data.co.uk, ScoreBat Video API, FootyStats, openfootball.
- Which APIs provide betting odds?
- Highest-rated odds APIs: The Odds API, BALLDONTLIE, Sportmonks, Polymarket, API-Sports / API-Football. Check bookmaker regions and whether the terms allow use in a betting product.
- How are the providers ranked?
- Each provider gets an SportDex Score from 0 to 100: 35% popularity, 25% community and reliability, 20% transparency and 20% developer experience. It uses public data only, and nobody pays for a place.
Why trust these lists
Every fact has a source.Prices and limits link to the provider page we read them on.
Unknowns stay visible.No public price or contract-only terms are labelled, not guessed.
No pay-to-rank.Lists follow a published score; affiliate deals never change the order.