Provider Selection Guide

Choose the right data provider for your needs with this decision flowchart.

Quick Decision Flowchart

flowchart TD
    Start[What data do you need?] --> AssetType{Asset Type?}

    AssetType -->|Crypto| CryptoChoice{API key OK?}
    AssetType -->|US Stocks| USChoice{Budget?}
    AssetType -->|Global Stocks| GlobalChoice{Budget?}
    AssetType -->|Forex| ForexChoice{Professional?}
    AssetType -->|Futures/Options| FuturesChoice
    AssetType -->|Multiple Assets| MultiChoice{Which combination?}

    %% Crypto Path
    CryptoChoice -->|No API key| CoinGecko[CoinGecko<br/>FREE unlimited]
    CryptoChoice -->|Want real-time| CryptoCompare[CryptoCompare<br/>FREE/Paid]

    %% US Stocks Path
    USChoice -->|FREE only| USFree{Call volume?}
    USChoice -->|Can pay| USPaid{Budget?}

    USFree -->|Low 25/day| AlphaVantage[Alpha Vantage<br/>FREE 25/day]
    USFree -->|Medium 1000/day| Tiingo[Tiingo<br/>FREE 1000/day]
    USFree -->|High 50K/mo| IEXCloud[IEX Cloud<br/>FREE 50K msg/mo]

    USPaid -->|Budget €20/mo| EODHD[EODHD<br/>€19.99/mo]
    USPaid -->|Professional $60+| Finnhub[Finnhub<br/>$59.99+/mo]

    %% Global Stocks Path
    GlobalChoice -->|FREE testing| EODHDFree[EODHD<br/>FREE 500/day]
    GlobalChoice -->|Budget €20/mo| EODHDPaid[EODHD<br/>€19.99/mo<br/>60+ exchanges]
    GlobalChoice -->|Professional| FinnhubGlobal[Finnhub<br/>$59.99+/mo<br/>70+ exchanges]

    %% Forex Path
    ForexChoice -->|Research only| AlphaVantageForex[Alpha Vantage<br/>FREE 25/day]
    ForexChoice -->|Trading/Production| OANDA[OANDA<br/>Professional]
    ForexChoice -->|Multi-asset| TwelveDataForex[Twelve Data<br/>800/day]

    %% Futures Path
    FuturesChoice -->|Institutional| Databento[Databento<br/>Paid only]

    %% Multi-Asset Path
    MultiChoice -->|Stocks+Forex+Crypto| TwelveData[Twelve Data<br/>FREE 800/day]
    MultiChoice -->|US Stocks+Global| EODHDMulti[EODHD<br/>€19.99/mo]
    MultiChoice -->|Professional all| PolygonMulti[Polygon<br/>Paid]

    %% Style definitions
    classDef freeProvider fill:#90EE90,stroke:#228B22,stroke-width:2px
    classDef paidProvider fill:#FFB6C1,stroke:#DC143C,stroke-width:2px
    classDef decision fill:#87CEEB,stroke:#4682B4,stroke-width:2px

    class CoinGecko,AlphaVantage,Tiingo,IEXCloud,EODHDFree,AlphaVantageForex,TwelveData,CryptoCompare freeProvider
    class EODHD,Finnhub,EODHDPaid,FinnhubGlobal,OANDA,Databento,TwelveDataForex,EODHDMulti,PolygonMulti paidProvider
    class AssetType,CryptoChoice,USChoice,GlobalChoice,ForexChoice,USFree,USPaid,GlobalChoice,ForexChoice,MultiChoice decision

Provider Comparison Matrix

By Asset Class

Provider	Crypto	US Stocks	Global Stocks	Forex	Futures	API Key	Free Tier	Best For
CoinGecko	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌	No	Unlimited	Crypto historical
CryptoCompare	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌	Optional	Good	Crypto real-time
Tiingo	✅	✅	❌	❌	❌	Yes	1000/day	High-quality stocks
IEX Cloud	❌	✅	❌	❌	❌	Yes	50K/mo	US equities + fundamentals
Alpha Vantage	✅	✅	✅	✅	❌	Yes	25/day	Multi-asset research
EODHD	❌	✅	✅	❌	❌	Yes	500/day	Global stocks, best value
Finnhub	✅	✅	✅	✅	❌	Yes	Paid only	Professional grade
Twelve Data	✅	✅	❌	✅	❌	Yes	800/day	Multi-asset + indicators
OANDA	❌	❌	❌	✅	❌	Yes	No	Professional forex
Databento	❌	✅	❌	❌	✅	Yes	Paid only	Institutional derivatives
Polygon	✅	✅	❌	✅	❌	Yes	Paid only	Professional multi-asset

By Pricing

Free Tier (No Credit Card Required)

Provider	Daily Limit	Monthly Limit	Best Use Case
CoinGecko	10-50 calls/min	Unlimited	Crypto research
IEX Cloud	N/A	50K messages	US stock research
Tiingo	1000 calls	500 symbols	Daily stock updates
Alpha Vantage	25 calls	750 calls	Conservative research
EODHD	500 calls	~15K calls	Global stock testing
Twelve Data	800 calls	~24K calls	Multi-asset research
CryptoCompare	Varies	Varies	Crypto real-time

Paid Tiers (Affordable)

Provider	Price	What You Get
EODHD	€19.99/mo	150K+ global tickers, unlimited calls
Twelve Data	$9.99/mo	800 calls/min, multi-asset
Tiingo	$30/mo	20K calls/hour, news, fundamentals
Alpha Vantage	$49.99/mo	75 calls/min, all features

Professional Tiers

Provider	Starting Price	What You Get
Finnhub	$59.99/mo	Historical OHLCV, 70+ exchanges
Polygon	$99/mo	Multi-asset, professional-grade
Databento	Custom	Institutional derivatives data

Decision Guidelines

For Beginners

1. Start with CoinGecko (crypto) - No API key, unlimited free tier
2. Try Tiingo (stocks) - Generous free tier (1000/day), great quality
3. Experiment freely - All providers have free tiers or trials

For Researchers

1. Tiingo - High-quality stock data with generous limits
2. Alpha Vantage - Multi-asset but limited (25/day)
3. EODHD - Global coverage, excellent value (€19.99/mo)

For Traders

1. EODHD - Best value for global stocks (€19.99/mo)
2. OANDA - Professional forex data
3. Finnhub - Real-time + historical, professional grade

For Institutions

1. Databento - Tick-level derivatives data
2. Polygon - Multi-asset professional data
3. Finnhub - Global exchange coverage

Quick Recommendations

"I want crypto data"

→ CoinGecko (no API key, unlimited)

"I want US stock data for free"

→ Tiingo (1000/day) or IEX Cloud (50K msg/month)

"I want global stock data"

→ EODHD (€19.99/mo for 60+ exchanges)

"I want stocks + forex + crypto"

→ Twelve Data (800/day free) or Alpha Vantage (25/day free)

"I'm building a trading system"

→ Finnhub ($59.99+/mo) or EODHD (€19.99/mo)

"I need professional derivatives data"

→ Databento (paid only)

Rate Limit Considerations

Conservative (Good for testing)

• Alpha Vantage: 25/day
• EODHD Free: 500/day
• Twelve Data Free: 800/day

Moderate (Good for research)

• Tiingo: 1000/day
• IEX Cloud: 50K messages/month
• CoinGecko: 10-50/min

High Volume (Good for production)

• EODHD Paid: Unlimited
• Finnhub: 60/min (free), higher (paid)
• Tiingo Paid: 20K/hour

Next Steps

1. Read the full provider docs in the provider index
2. Check provider status in your target asset class
3. Get API keys from provider websites
4. Test with free tiers before committing to paid plans
5. Use incremental updates to minimize API calls

Getting Help

• Documentation: See the User Guide
• Examples: Start with the Tutorials and Book Guide
• Issues: Report problems on GitHub
• Community: Join discussions for provider recommendations