Alpha Vantage

The API most people's first script talks to — free key, wide coverage, hard rate limits.

Visit Alpha Vantage
From
$50/mo
Free tier
Yes
Latency
Delayed
Non-US markets
Yes
Not tested yet — this card is compiled from the vendor’s documentation and pricing page, not from using the product.

What it is

Alpha Vantage is where most people's first data script points: a free key arrives by email in seconds, the REST responses are JSON or CSV, and technical indicators are computed server-side so a beginner never has to implement an RSI. Coverage runs well past the US — global equities, forex, crypto and commodities — which is rare at the price.

What you are buying, on any tier, is convenience rather than depth. The data is aggregated rather than taken from exchange feeds, redistribution is not permitted, and there are no flat files to pull.

Pricing

The free key is 25 requests a day. Paid tiers are priced purely by request rate — $50/month for 75 a minute, more for more — and unlock nothing else. That makes the decision unusually simple: you are buying throughput, and only throughput.

Data & coverage

Global, delayed. The breadth outside the US is genuinely useful for research and genuinely uneven symbol by symbol, so check yours first.

Limitations

  • No real-time data on any tier.
  • Redistribution is prohibited outright.
  • Intraday history is shallow and inconsistent between symbols.
  • 25 requests a day on the free tier is smaller than most tutorials assume.

Alternatives

For real-time US data see Polygon.io; for non-US coverage with more depth, the rest of the market data category.

Get a key at Alpha Vantage.

Specifications

History depth
20+ years of daily bars; intraday history is shorter and varies by symbol
Delivery
REST
Data source
Aggregator
Free tier limits
25 requests/day, 5 requests/min
Paid rate limits
75-1200 requests/min depending on tier
Entry paid tier, $/mo
$50
Entry tier name
Premium 75 requests/minute
Official SDKs
Python
Redistribution
Prohibited
Bulk / flat-file download
No
Key without a card
Yes

Capabilities

  • Charting
  • Screening
  • Scanning
  • Backtesting
  • Automation
  • Live trading
  • Paper trading
  • Portfolio tracking
  • Broker import
  • Tax reporting
  • Alerts
  • News
  • Options analysis
Interfaces:
API, Python, spreadsheet add-in
Export:
CSV, JSON
Asset classes:
Stocks, ETF, Forex, Crypto, Commodities, Indices
Markets:
US, EU, Asia, UK, Global
Platforms:
Web, Library
AI features:
None

FAQ

How many free Alpha Vantage calls do I get?

Twenty-five a day on the free key, at no more than five a minute. That is a demo allowance — enough to check that your parsing works, not enough to backfill a universe.

Does Alpha Vantage cover non-US markets?

Yes, which is unusual at this price. Coverage outside the US is broad but uneven, so verify the specific symbols you need before committing.

Is Alpha Vantage real-time?

No. Treat it as delayed and end-of-day data. If your strategy needs the current quote, this is the wrong tier of provider entirely.