DISPATCH2026-09-29
5 Free Market Data APIs, Actually Ranked by Usefulness
Not financial advice. Verify claims independently.
Rate limits, delay rules, and which ones survive a real project.
- Finnhub — best free tier: real-time quotes, earnings calendar, news
- Polygon.io free — delayed but clean, great docs
- Alpha Vantage — 25 req/day limit is brutal but data is decent
- Financial Modeling Prep — fundamentals + earnings, generous
- Twelve Data — easy onboarding, capped fast
Winner for projects: Finnhub. Winner for learning: Polygon's docs.
Build the tool, then use Stock Picks as the practice sandbox — free all the way down.
SURPLUS ISSUE
Put it into practice
Rehearse this strategy risk-free on Stock Picks — the reference free paper-trading tool listed in the Mkts/Apps field manual.
Open Stock Picks →