football-data.co.uk vs iSports API (2026)
Short answer: football-data.co.uk scores clearly higher overall (60 vs 45). iSports API is the better pick for football and basketball apps that need livescores, fixtures, lineups, odds and history from a self-serve API with a free trial.
From public data checked . How we know
Choose football-data.co.uk if you…
Free / open data
Best for: Analysts and modellers who want free downloadable CSV files of historical football results, match stats and bookmaker odds.
- ✓ want to start on a free tier
- ✓ value a large open-source ecosystem of wrappers and examples
- ✓ care most about what developers report in practice
Not ideal for: Apps needing live data or an API; this is a static CSV archive updated periodically.
What developers say
Long-standing free CSV archive of results, match stats and bookmaker odds, the default starting point for football modelling and used by thousands of GitHub projects. Users value the free historical odds, but say league coverage is limited (few lower or secondary leagues) and files are downloads, not a live API.
Choose iSports API if you…
Sports data API
Best for: Football and basketball apps that need livescores, fixtures, lineups, odds and history from a self-serve API with a free trial.
- ✓ need Basketball
- ✓ need live / in-play data
Not ideal for: Projects needing other sports; the product pages cover football and basketball only.
What developers say
Asian football and basketball data API with livescore, odds and history. Evidence is thin: a few beginner questions and hobby repos use it, and a competitor's spam posts claim its mid-tier plans cost about double. No substantive independent reviews of quality, latency or support.
Side by side
| football-data.co.uk | iSports API | |
|---|---|---|
| SportDex Score | 60/100 (#18) | 45/100 (#86) |
| Popularity | 48 | 35 |
| Community & reliability | 69 | Not enough data |
| Transparency | 75 | 75 |
| Developer experience | 54 | 32 |
| Type | Free / open data | Sports data API |
| Starting price | Free tier | from $49/mo |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Free trial | Not stated | Demo access |
| Sports | Football (soccer) | Football (soccer), Basketball |
| Data | Historical data, Odds, Results, Team stats | Fixtures, Historical data, Injuries, Lineups, Odds, Player stats, Results, Live scores, Standings, Team stats, Widgets |
| Delivery | CSV download | Polling only (REST) |
| Protocols | CSV download | REST |
| Live / in-play | Not disclosed | Yes |
| Commercial use | Commercial: not disclosed | Commercial: not disclosed |
| Betting products | Betting: not disclosed | Betting: not disclosed |
| Documentation | Docs | Docs |
| Developer discussions | 7 | 4 |
| GitHub repos | 3.6k | 7 |
| Community tone | Mostly positive | Too little discussion |
Empty fields mean the provider does not say, not that the feature is missing.
Quick answers
- Is football-data.co.uk or iSports API better?
- football-data.co.uk scores clearly higher overall (60 vs 45). iSports API is the better pick for football and basketball apps that need livescores, fixtures, lineups, odds and history from a self-serve API with a free trial.
- Which is cheaper, football-data.co.uk or iSports API?
- football-data.co.uk: Free tier. iSports API: from $49/mo. Entry plans differ in limits and coverage, so compare what each plan includes.
- Do football-data.co.uk and iSports API have a free tier?
- football-data.co.uk: yes. iSports API: no.