# API-Sports / API-Football

> Family of per-sport REST APIs (football first) with fixtures, live scores, standings, player stats and pre-match odds, sold self-serve with a daily-request free plan.

Canonical page: https://sportdex.net/providers/api-sports/  
Last checked: 2026-11-04  
SportDex Score: 70/100 (rank 3; popularity 79, community 49, transparency 100, developer experience 53)

## Facts
- Type: Sports data API
- Website: https://api-sports.io
- Documentation: https://www.api-football.com/documentation-v3
- Pricing page: https://www.api-football.com/pricing
- Country: France
- Sports: Football (soccer), Australian football, Baseball, Basketball, Formula 1, Handball, Ice hockey, MMA, American football, College sports, Rugby, Volleyball
- Data types: Fixtures, Injuries, Lineups, Odds, Player stats, Predictions, Live scores, Standings, Team stats
- Protocols: REST
- Delivery: Polling only (REST)
- Live / in-play: yes
- Free tier: yes
- Cheapest public paid plan: $19/mo
- Commercial use: Allowed
- Betting use: Licence required
- Redistribution: Not allowed
- Authentication: api key

## Plans
| Plan | Price | Requests | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | 100 / day | All endpoints and competitions, limited seasons |
| Pro | $19/mo | 7,500 / day | All competitions and endpoints |
| Ultra | $29/mo | 75,000 / day | All competitions and endpoints |
| Mega | $39/mo | 150,000 / day | All competitions and endpoints |

## Who it is for

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.

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.

Use cases: Live score apps; Football stats sites; Prediction models

Limitations:
- Free plan: 100 requests per day per API and limited seasons
- Each sport is a separate API with its own subscription and quota
- No licence to publish data; betting and fantasy use may need rights-holder licences
- Dashboard subscriptions are prepaid and non-refundable; no downgrades
- Chat support only for paid plans, no SLA

## Quick answers

**What is API-Sports / API-Football 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. 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.

**How much does API-Sports / API-Football cost?** The cheapest public paid plan of API-Sports / API-Football is $19/mo. Listed plans: Pro $19/mo; Ultra $29/mo; Mega $39/mo.

**Does API-Sports / API-Football have a free tier?** Yes. API-Sports / API-Football lists a free plan called "Free" (100 requests per day).

**What does API-Sports / API-Football cover?** API-Sports / API-Football is a sports data api. Its sports: Football (soccer), Australian football, Baseball, Basketball, Formula 1, Handball, Ice hockey, MMA and 4 more; data: Fixtures, Injuries, Lineups, Odds, Player stats, Predictions, Live scores, Standings and 1 more. Live / in-play data is offered.

**Does API-Sports / API-Football have a WebSocket or streaming API?** No streaming is listed. API-Sports / API-Football delivers data by REST, so you poll for updates.

**Can I use API-Sports / API-Football data commercially or for betting?** According to the public terms of API-Sports / API-Football — commercial use: allowed; betting products: licence required; redistribution: not allowed.

**What do developers say about API-Sports / API-Football?** 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.

**What are the alternatives to API-Sports / API-Football?** Close alternatives in the SportDex catalog: Highlightly, SportsDataIO, StatPal, Broadage, Sportmonks.

## 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.

Praised for: Broad league coverage; Cheap paid plans; Well-documented API; Huge hobby-project adoption

Complaints: Free plan lacks current season; Inconsistent or missing stats; Reliability drop reported by one app dev; Limited NCAA and non-football depth

## Method
Facts were read from the provider's own pages on 2026-11-04. Empty fields mean the provider does not say, not that a feature is missing. Method: https://sportdex.net/methodology/