API-Sports / API-Football vs DunkAPI (2026)
Short answer: API-Sports / API-Football scores clearly higher overall (70 vs 49). DunkAPI is the better pick for basketball apps and models that need NBA play-by-play, shot charts, injuries and player props with a free monthly credit allowance.
From public data checked . How we know
Choose API-Sports / API-Football if you…
Sports data API
Best for: Football-first apps that want self-serve REST access with fixtures, live scores, lineups, stats and pre-match odds, starting from a free daily-request plan.
- ✓ need Football (soccer), Australian football, Baseball
- ✓ need live / in-play data
- ✓ value a large open-source ecosystem of wrappers and examples
- ✓ care most about what developers report in practice
Not ideal for: Betting, TV or mass-media products that need licensed data; the provider grants no publication licence and leaves rights clearance to you.
What developers say
Very widely used for football side projects, prediction models and live-score apps, praised for broad league coverage, decent docs and low price (about $19/month). Complaints: free plan limited to past seasons and 100 requests/day, inconsistent or missing stats, closing odds gaps, a reported quality drop, and thin non-football depth.
Choose DunkAPI if you…
Sports data API
Best for: Basketball apps and models that need NBA play-by-play, shot charts, injuries and player props with a free monthly credit allowance.
- ✓ build a betting product and need that allowed in the public terms
Not ideal for: Projects that need raw data or odds redistribution, official league data, or sports beyond basketball.
What developers say
Basketball data API (NBA, WNBA, college) with REST and remote MCP access, offering play-by-play, shot locations and odds. Digest contains only the maker's own registry submissions and repos; no independent feedback on pricing, quality or reliability.
Side by side
| API-Sports / API-Football | DunkAPI | |
|---|---|---|
| SportDex Score | 70/100 (#3) | 49/100 (#58) |
| Popularity | 79 | 12 |
| Community & reliability | 49 | Not enough data |
| Transparency | 100 | 100 |
| Developer experience | 53 | 62 |
| Type | Sports data API | Sports data API |
| Starting price | from $19/mo | from $19/mo |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Not stated | Not stated |
| Sports | Football (soccer), Australian football, Baseball, Basketball, Formula 1, Handball, Ice hockey, MMA, American football, College sports, Rugby, Volleyball | Basketball, College sports |
| Data | Fixtures, Injuries, Lineups, Odds, Player stats, Predictions, Live scores, Standings, Team stats | Fixtures, Historical data, Injuries, Odds, Play-by-play, Player props, Player stats, Live scores, Standings, Team stats |
| Delivery | Polling only (REST) | Polling only (REST) |
| Protocols | REST | REST |
| Live / in-play | Yes | Not disclosed |
| Commercial use | Commercial: Allowed | Commercial: Allowed |
| Betting products | Betting: Licence required | Betting: Allowed |
| Documentation | Docs | Docs |
| Developer discussions | 60 | 0 |
| GitHub repos | 1.6k | 3 |
| Community tone | Mixed | Too little discussion |
Empty fields mean the provider does not say, not that the feature is missing.
Quick answers
- Is API-Sports / API-Football or DunkAPI better?
- API-Sports / API-Football scores clearly higher overall (70 vs 49). DunkAPI is the better pick for basketball apps and models that need NBA play-by-play, shot charts, injuries and player props with a free monthly credit allowance.
- Which is cheaper, API-Sports / API-Football or DunkAPI?
- API-Sports / API-Football: from $19/mo. DunkAPI: from $19/mo. Entry plans differ in limits and coverage, so compare what each plan includes.
- Do API-Sports / API-Football and DunkAPI have a free tier?
- API-Sports / API-Football: yes. DunkAPI: yes.