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Highlightly vs SportsDataverse (2026)
Short answer: Highlightly scores slightly higher (57 vs 50). SportsDataverse is the better pick for researchers and analysts who work in R, Python or Node.js and want free play-by-play and box-score data for US football, basketball and hockey.
From public data checked . How we know
Choose Highlightly if you…
Sports data API
Best for: Apps that combine scores, stats and odds with video highlight clips across football, US leagues, cricket, rugby, volleyball and handball.
- ✓ need Football (soccer), Baseball, Cricket
- ✓ need live / in-play data
Not ideal for: Projects needing bookmaker-grade odds feeds; odds and momentum data are informational only and there is no uptime or latency guarantee.
What developers say
Sports API pairing scores and stats with video highlights. Little independent opinion exists: a few freelance requests to build sites on it, one repo issue comparing it with cheaper providers for backtesting, and AI-generated football video channels crediting it as a data source. Adoption seems modest and unproven.
Choose SportsDataverse if you…
Free / open data
Best for: Researchers and analysts who work in R, Python or Node.js and want free play-by-play and box-score data for US football, basketball and hockey.
- ✓ value a large open-source ecosystem of wrappers and examples
Not ideal for: Teams wanting a hosted REST API with an SLA or live feeds; it is a set of open-source packages and a data warehouse.
What developers say
Free community R and Python packages (hoopR, cfbfastR, wehoop and others) for play-by-play and box score data. Evidence is mostly usage: an NBA streak visualization built with hoopR, baseball and play-by-play repos, sports-analytics meetup talks and YouTube analyses crediting it. No complaints or detailed opinions surfaced.
Side by side
| Highlightly | SportsDataverse | |
|---|---|---|
| SportDex Score | 57/100 (#24) | 50/100 (#51) |
| Popularity | 45 | 32 |
| Community & reliability | Not enough data | Not enough data |
| Transparency | 85 | 65 |
| Developer experience | 49 | 65 |
| Type | Sports data API | Free / open data |
| Starting price | from $12.49/mo | Free tier |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Not stated | Not stated |
| Sports | Football (soccer), American football, Basketball, Baseball, Ice hockey, Cricket, Rugby, Volleyball, Handball, College sports | American football, College sports, Basketball, Ice hockey |
| Data | Fixtures, Lineups, Odds, Player stats, Predictions, Live scores, Standings, Team stats, Video | Historical data, Odds, Play-by-play, Player stats, Predictions, Team stats |
| Delivery | Polling only (REST) | SDK only, CSV download |
| Protocols | REST | SDK only, CSV download |
| 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 | 2 | 2 |
| GitHub repos | 43 | 95 |
| Community tone | Too little discussion | Neutral |
Empty fields mean the provider does not say, not that the feature is missing.
Quick answers
- Is Highlightly or SportsDataverse better?
- Highlightly scores slightly higher (57 vs 50). SportsDataverse is the better pick for researchers and analysts who work in R, Python or Node.js and want free play-by-play and box-score data for US football, basketball and hockey.
- Which is cheaper, Highlightly or SportsDataverse?
- Highlightly: from $12.49/mo. SportsDataverse: Free tier. Entry plans differ in limits and coverage, so compare what each plan includes.
- Do Highlightly and SportsDataverse have a free tier?
- Highlightly: yes. SportsDataverse: yes.