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OpenF1 vs FastF1 (2026)
Short answer: OpenF1 scores clearly higher overall (66 vs 58). FastF1 is the better pick for Python users analysing Formula 1 lap timing, telemetry, tyres and weather, such as hobbyist and research notebooks.
From public data checked . How we know
Choose OpenF1 if you…
Free / open data
Best for: Hobby projects, dashboards and analysis of Formula 1 sessions that need free historical lap, telemetry and position data over a keyless REST API.
- ✓ need live / in-play data
- ✓ want WebSocket push instead of polling
- ✓ value a large open-source ecosystem of wrappers and examples
Not ideal for: Commercial products needing official F1 data or guaranteed uptime; it is an unofficial project and live data needs a paid sponsorship for personal use.
What developers say
Free open-source F1 API (lap times, telemetry, positions, weather, race control) used heavily in fan dashboards, replay tools, videos and analysis posts; historical data from 2023 needs no key, live access is paid. Users note it is unofficial, lacks pre-2023 data, has had outages that forced self-hosting, and deprecates fields. FastF1 and Jolpica are common alternatives.
Choose FastF1 if you…
Free / open data
Best for: Python users analysing Formula 1 lap timing, telemetry, tyres and weather, such as hobbyist and research notebooks.
Not ideal for: Non-Python projects or hosted-API needs; it is a Python library, not a web service, and most data needs an F1TV subscription.
What developers say
Popular unofficial Python package giving F1 timing, telemetry and results as DataFrames; the go-to for analysis posts, student projects and dashboards, with a large GitHub following. Other projects borrow its live-timing client. Caveats: most data needs F1TV access, a network-blocking issue was reported, and beginners hit version-related errors. Often paired with Jolpica or OpenF1.
Side by side
| OpenF1 | FastF1 | |
|---|---|---|
| SportDex Score | 66/100 (#7) | 58/100 (#22) |
| Popularity | 54 | 35 |
| Community & reliability | 72 | 78 |
| Transparency | 85 | 65 |
| Developer experience | 62 | 65 |
| Type | Free / open data | Free / open data |
| Starting price | from €9.90/mo | Free tier |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Not stated | Not stated |
| Sports | Formula 1, Motorsport | Formula 1, Motorsport |
| Data | Historical data, Results, Live scores, Standings, Team stats, Tracking data | Fixtures, Historical data, Results, Team stats, Tracking data |
| Delivery | Streaming (WebSocket) | SDK only |
| Protocols | REST, WebSocket | SDK only |
| Live / in-play | Yes | Not disclosed |
| Commercial use | Commercial: not disclosed | Commercial: not disclosed |
| Betting products | Betting: not disclosed | Betting: not disclosed |
| Documentation | Docs | Docs |
| Developer discussions | 10 | 10 |
| GitHub repos | 675 | 118 |
| Community tone | Mostly positive | Mostly positive |
Empty fields mean the provider does not say, not that the feature is missing.
Quick answers
- Is OpenF1 or FastF1 better?
- OpenF1 scores clearly higher overall (66 vs 58). FastF1 is the better pick for Python users analysing Formula 1 lap timing, telemetry, tyres and weather, such as hobbyist and research notebooks.
- Which is cheaper, OpenF1 or FastF1?
- OpenF1: from €9.90/mo. FastF1: Free tier. Entry plans differ in limits and coverage, so compare what each plan includes.
- Do OpenF1 and FastF1 have a free tier?
- OpenF1: yes. FastF1: yes.