What is the Alpaca trading API rate limit in 2026?

200 requests per minute per account on the Trading API. The cap is identical for paper and live accounts.

Do Alpaca paper and live accounts have the same rate limit?

Yes. The 200 requests/minute trading limit applies identically to paper and live accounts, consistent with Alpaca's paper-to-live parity design.

Is Alpaca available in Canada in 2026?

Alpaca availability varies by country of tax residence. Canada is not explicitly listed as a confirmed live-trading country on the public availability page; non-US users should confirm eligibility with Alpaca support, and unsupported countries are limited to paper trading.

Alpaca API Rate Limits 2026

Education, not investment advice. Past performance does not predict future results. How we check our numbers.

Alpaca's Trading API is rate-limited to 200 requests/minute per account in 2026, and that cap is identical for paper and live accounts — re-verified on 2026-10-11¹². The Market Data API is a separate limit that scales with your data subscription: the free Basic plan (IEX feed) allows 200 requests/minute, while Algo Trader Plus ($99/month, full SIP feed) raises it to 10,000 requests/minute³. The single most-missed detail is that these are two independent ceilings — upgrading market data to 10,000/min does not lift the trading lane off 200/min. Compare Alpaca's limits against other brokers in the Broker API Comparator.

TL;DR

Trading API: 200 requests/minute per account (paper and live are the same)¹².
Market Data (Basic, free, IEX): 200 requests/minute³.
Market Data (Algo Trader Plus, $99/mo, SIP): 10,000 requests/minute³.
Trading and market-data limits are independent ceilings; the market-data upgrade does not raise the trading lane.
Geographic availability: US accounts fully supported; non-US tax residents vary by country, with paper-trading-only fallback where live is unavailable⁴.

The two independent rate limits

Surface	Limit	Notes
Trading API	200 req/min per account	Same for paper and live¹²
Market Data - Basic (free, IEX)	200 req/min	IEX feed only³
Market Data - Algo Trader Plus (SIP)	10,000 req/min	$99/month, all US exchanges³
WebSocket stock symbols	30 (Basic) / unlimited (Plus)	Per the data plan³
WebSocket option quotes	200 (Basic, indicative) / 1,000 (Plus, OPRA)	Per the data plan³

All values re-verified on 2026-10-11¹³. Basic's options data is the indicative feed (modified quotes, trades delayed 15 minutes); OPRA comes with Algo Trader Plus. See Alpaca Options Data API 2026. The trading and market-data limits are tracked separately. A high-frequency data poller on Algo Trader Plus gets 10,000 market-data calls/min but is still capped at 200 order-and-account calls/min on the trading lane.

A common assumption is that paper trading gets a looser (or tighter) rate limit than live. It does not: the 200 requests/minute trading cap applies identically to paper and live accounts¹². This is deliberate — Alpaca's whole pitch is paper-to-live parity, where the same endpoints and the same constraints carry over unchanged when you flip the base URL. Code that respects the limit in paper will respect it in live.

Market data: free IEX versus paid SIP

The free Basic plan serves the IEX feed only, which is a single exchange and a small slice of consolidated US volume, at 200 requests/minute, with 30 WebSocket symbols and SIP history limited to data older than 15 minutes³. The paid Algo Trader Plus tier ($99/month) serves the full SIP consolidated tape across all US exchanges and raises the market-data limit to 10,000 requests/minute³. For the research-versus-execution implications of IEX coverage, see Alpaca IEX vs SIP Free Tier 2026.

Geographic availability

Alpaca fully supports US accounts. For non-US users, availability varies by country of tax residence: where the country is supported, live trading is available; where it is not, the account is limited to paper trading⁴. Canada is not explicitly listed as a confirmed live-trading country on the public availability page, so non-US operators (including Canadian residents) should confirm eligibility with Alpaca support before building against the live API⁴. Alpaca covers US equities, options, and crypto; it does not offer forex or non-US global markets⁴.

Handling the limit in practice

Use WebSocket for streaming, REST for actions. Polling quotes over REST burns the limit fast; subscribe to the data stream and reserve REST calls for orders and account reads.
Pace the trading lane to 200/min. Build a token-bucket throttle around order submission and account polling specifically; the data limit is a separate budget.
A 429 is recoverable. Exceeding the limit returns HTTP 429; back off and retry. Silent drops are not the failure mode here.

Compare Alpaca's 200/min trading lane against IBKR's pacing model and Tradier's 60/min trade scope in the Broker API Comparator below.

Verified figures

The 200/min trading limit and HTTP 429 behaviour, the Basic IEX 200/min and Algo Trader Plus 10,000/min market-data limits, the WebSocket symbol and option-quote caps, the $99/month Algo Trader Plus price, and the geographic-availability page were re-verified on 2026-10-11; the paper-live parity statement comes from Alpaca's community forum (2026-05-25). Where a country's specific live-trading eligibility was not explicitly published, it is described rather than asserted.

Connects to

Alpaca IEX vs SIP Free Tier 2026: the free-feed coverage question.
Alpaca vs Interactive Brokers API 2026: the multi-asset head-to-head.
Alpaca vs Tradier API 2026: the options-broker head-to-head.
Broker API Comparator: side-by-side rate limits.

References

Alpaca Markets. "Is there a usage limit for the number of API calls?" (Trading API 200 req/min per account; 429 Too Many Requests over the limit; users cannot raise it themselves). alpaca.markets/support, re-verified 2026-10-11. https://alpaca.markets/support/usage-limit-api-calls ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵
Alpaca Community Forum. "200/min trading endpoint limit" (paper and live parity). Thread re-checked 2026-10-18. https://forum.alpaca.markets/t/is-there-a-way-to-increase-the-200-min-api-call-limit-for-the-trading-endpoint/18110 ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴
Alpaca Markets. "About Market Data API" (Basic IEX 200 req/min free, 30 WebSocket symbols, 200 option quotes on the indicative feed; Algo Trader Plus $99/mo, all US exchanges, OPRA, unlimited stock symbols, 1,000 option quotes, 10,000 req/min). docs.alpaca.markets, re-verified 2026-10-11. https://docs.alpaca.markets/us/docs/about-market-data-api ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰
Alpaca Markets. "Countries Alpaca is available" / "Is Alpaca available outside the US?" re-verified 2026-10-11. https://alpaca.markets/support/countries-alpaca-is-available ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

Verified engine output

Show the recompute-verified inputs and outputs

Brokers with a free tier and low auth complexity

Inputs
require_free_tier	1
max_auth_complexity	2

Result
filters › require options	false
filters › require futures	false
filters › require crypto	false
filters › require mcp	false
filters › require free tier	true
filters › max auth complexity	2
results › row 1 › broker › id	alpaca
results › row 1 › broker › name	Alpaca
results › row 1 › broker › url	https://alpaca.markets/
results › row 1 › broker › docs url	https://alpaca.markets/docs/
results › row 1 › broker › auth	API Key + Secret
results › row 1 › broker › auth complexity	1
results › row 1 › broker › order types (10 items)	[...]
results › row 1 › broker › rate limits	Trading API 200 req/min; market data 200/min free, 10,000/min on Algo Trader Plus
results › row 1 › broker › market data › row 1	IEX real-time (free)
results › row 1 › broker › market data › row 2	Full SIP on Algo Trader Plus ($99/mo)
results › row 1 › broker › market data › row 3	Historical bars + trades + quotes
results › row 1 › broker › mcp	official
results › row 1 › broker › mcp note	Official open-source MCP server (V2 rewrite on FastMCP/OpenAPI); data, paper and live trading
results › row 1 › broker › assets › stocks	true
results › row 1 › broker › assets › options	true
results › row 1 › broker › assets › futures	false
results › row 1 › broker › assets › crypto	true
results › row 1 › broker › assets › forex	false
results › row 1 › broker › assets › bonds	false
results › row 1 › broker › account minimum	0
results › row 1 › broker › commission	$0 (PFOF on equities)
results › row 1 › broker › good for	Solo AI operator, paper-to-live parity
results › row 1 › broker › has free tier	true
results › row 1 › broker › notes › row 1	Free paper trading with same API surface as live
results › row 1 › broker › notes › row 2	Real-time OPRA options data needs Algo Trader Plus; Basic gets the indicative feed
results › row 1 › broker › notes › row 3	Python/Go SDKs mature; rate-limit backoff documented
results › row 1 › score	2
results › row 1 › max score	2
results › row 1 › fits	true
results › row 2 › broker › id	tradier
results › row 2 › broker › name	Tradier
results › row 2 › broker › url	https://tradier.com/
results › row 2 › broker › docs url	https://developer.tradier.com/
results › row 2 › broker › auth	OAuth 2.0
results › row 2 › broker › auth complexity	3
results › row 2 › broker › order types (8 items)	[...]
results › row 2 › broker › rate limits	120 req/min standard and market data, 60 req/min trading (production)
results › row 2 › broker › market data › row 1	Real-time equities + options (streaming)
results › row 2 › broker › market data › row 2	Historical OHLC back ~5 years
results › row 2 › broker › market data › row 3	No Level-2 depth
results › row 2 › broker › mcp	official
results › row 2 › broker › mcp note	Official hosted MCP server (Streamable HTTP, personal API token); market data, accounts and order placement
results › row 2 › broker › assets › stocks	true
results › row 2 › broker › assets › options	true
results › row 2 › broker › assets › futures	false
results › row 2 › broker › assets › crypto	false
results › row 2 › broker › assets › forex	false
results › row 2 › broker › assets › bonds	false
results › row 2 › broker › account minimum	0
results › row 2 › broker › commission	$0 equities (PFOF), $0.35/contract options Pro
results › row 2 › broker › good for	Options-first retail, multi-leg strategies
results › row 2 › broker › has free tier	true
results › row 2 › broker › notes › row 1	Free sandbox with delayed data
results › row 2 › broker › notes › row 2	Strong options chain + multi-leg order API
results › row 2 › broker › notes › row 3	US-only account eligibility
results › row 2 › score	1
results › row 2 › max score	2
results › row 2 › fits	false
results › row 2 › fail reasons › row 1	Auth ≤ 2
results › row 3 › broker › id	robinhood
results › row 3 › broker › name	Robinhood
results › row 3 › broker › url	https://robinhood.com/
results › row 3 › broker › docs url	https://docs.robinhood.com/
results › row 3 › broker › auth	API key (Crypto Trading API); Robinhood sign-in (Trading MCP)
results › row 3 › broker › auth complexity	3
results › row 3 › broker › order types › row 1	market
results › row 3 › broker › order types › row 2	limit
results › row 3 › broker › order types › row 3	stop
results › row 3 › broker › order types › row 4	stop-limit
results › row 3 › broker › rate limits	Not publicly documented
results › row 3 › broker › market data › row 1	Delayed quotes in public tier
results › row 3 › broker › market data › row 2	Limited historical depth
results › row 3 › broker › market data › row 3	No public Level-2
results › row 3 › broker › mcp	official
results › row 3 › broker › mcp note	Official Robinhood Trading MCP (Agentic Trading): long equities, options and crypto, only in a dedicated agentic account; no multi-leg options
results › row 3 › broker › assets › stocks	true
results › row 3 › broker › assets › options	true
results › row 3 › broker › assets › futures	false
results › row 3 › broker › assets › crypto	true
results › row 3 › broker › assets › forex	false
results › row 3 › broker › assets › bonds	false
results › row 3 › broker › account minimum	0
results › row 3 › broker › commission	$0 (PFOF), $5/mo Gold for margin + extras
results › row 3 › broker › good for	Agent-driven trading from an existing Robinhood account; no REST API for stocks or options
results › row 3 › broker › has free tier	true
results › row 3 › broker › notes › row 1	Official REST API covers crypto only; stocks and options are reachable only through the Trading MCP
results › row 3 › broker › notes › row 2	Trade approvals are off by default for external MCP agents
results › row 3 › broker › notes › row 3	Paper trading unavailable
results › row 3 › score	1
results › row 3 › max score	2
results › row 3 › fits	false
results › row 3 › fail reasons › row 1	Auth ≤ 2
results › row 4 › broker › id	schwab
results › row 4 › broker › name	Schwab
results › row 4 › broker › url	https://www.schwab.com/
results › row 4 › broker › docs url	https://developer.schwab.com/
results › row 4 › broker › auth	OAuth 2.0 (3-legged)
results › row 4 › broker › auth complexity	4
results › row 4 › broker › order types (9 items)	[...]
results › row 4 › broker › rate limits	120 req/min for non-order calls per app; order writes 0-120/min per account, set at app registration
results › row 4 › broker › market data › row 1	Real-time equities + options quotes
results › row 4 › broker › market data › row 2	Historical bars (1m to daily)
results › row 4 › broker › market data › row 3	No exchange depth via API
results › row 4 › broker › mcp	community
results › row 4 › broker › mcp note	No official MCP; community servers wrap the Trader API (self-hosted, re-authorize when the 7-day refresh token expires)
results › row 4 › broker › assets › stocks	true
results › row 4 › broker › assets › options	true
results › row 4 › broker › assets › futures	false
results › row 4 › broker › assets › crypto	false
results › row 4 › broker › assets › forex	false
results › row 4 › broker › assets › bonds	false
results › row 4 › broker › account minimum	0
results › row 4 › broker › commission	$0 equities, $0.65/contract options
results › row 4 › broker › good for	Established retail, post-TDA API migration
results › row 4 › broker › has free tier	true
results › row 4 › broker › notes › row 1	API rebuilt after TD Ameritrade integration; still maturing
results › row 4 › broker › notes › row 2	Orders cover stocks, ETFs and options; futures and forex trade on thinkorswim, not through the API
results › row 4 › broker › notes › row 3	Requires individual developer registration and app review
results › row 4 › broker › notes › row 4	Token refresh flow is finicky vs Alpaca/Tradier
results › row 4 › score	1
results › row 4 › max score	2
results › row 4 › fits	false
results › row 4 › fail reasons › row 1	Auth ≤ 2
results › row 5 › broker › id	ibkr
results › row 5 › broker › name	Interactive Brokers
results › row 5 › broker › url	https://www.interactivebrokers.com/
results › row 5 › broker › docs url	https://www.interactivebrokers.com/en/trading/ib-api.php
results › row 5 › broker › auth	OAuth + TWS/IB Gateway
results › row 5 › broker › auth complexity	5
results › row 5 › broker › order types (10 items)	[...]
results › row 5 › broker › rate limits	Market-data lines / 2 requests per second (50 on the default 100 lines); small-bar history 60 requests per 10 min
results › row 5 › broker › market data › row 1	Global equities via subscription bundles
results › row 5 › broker › market data › row 2	Level-2 depth on most exchanges
results › row 5 › broker › market data › row 3	Historical depth across asset classes
results › row 5 › broker › mcp	official
results › row 5 › broker › mcp note	Official IBKR Connector: remote MCP at api.ibkr.com, IBKR sign-in, one account; drafts trade instructions that you submit as orders yourself
results › row 5 › broker › assets › stocks	true
results › row 5 › broker › assets › options	true
results › row 5 › broker › assets › futures	true
results › row 5 › broker › assets › crypto	true
results › row 5 › broker › assets › forex	true
results › row 5 › broker › assets › bonds	true
results › row 5 › broker › account minimum	0
results › row 5 › broker › commission	Tiered per-share or fixed; ~$0.0035/sh tiered
results › row 5 › broker › good for	Multi-asset-class, international, scale
results › row 5 › broker › has free tier	false
results › row 5 › broker › notes › row 1	Requires TWS or IB Gateway running locally
results › row 5 › broker › notes › row 2	Idempotency via client-supplied orderId
results › row 5 › broker › notes › row 3	Fully headless gateway is possible but under-documented
results › row 5 › score	0
results › row 5 › max score	2
results › row 5 › fits	false
results › row 5 › fail reasons › row 1	Free tier
results › row 5 › fail reasons › row 2	Auth ≤ 2
fitting brokers › row 1 › broker › id	alpaca
fitting brokers › row 1 › broker › name	Alpaca
fitting brokers › row 1 › broker › url	https://alpaca.markets/
fitting brokers › row 1 › broker › docs url	https://alpaca.markets/docs/
fitting brokers › row 1 › broker › auth	API Key + Secret
fitting brokers › row 1 › broker › auth complexity	1
fitting brokers › row 1 › broker › order types (10 items)	[...]
fitting brokers › row 1 › broker › rate limits	Trading API 200 req/min; market data 200/min free, 10,000/min on Algo Trader Plus
fitting brokers › row 1 › broker › market data › row 1	IEX real-time (free)
fitting brokers › row 1 › broker › market data › row 2	Full SIP on Algo Trader Plus ($99/mo)
fitting brokers › row 1 › broker › market data › row 3	Historical bars + trades + quotes
fitting brokers › row 1 › broker › mcp	official
fitting brokers › row 1 › broker › mcp note	Official open-source MCP server (V2 rewrite on FastMCP/OpenAPI); data, paper and live trading
fitting brokers › row 1 › broker › assets › stocks	true
fitting brokers › row 1 › broker › assets › options	true
fitting brokers › row 1 › broker › assets › futures	false
fitting brokers › row 1 › broker › assets › crypto	true
fitting brokers › row 1 › broker › assets › forex	false
fitting brokers › row 1 › broker › assets › bonds	false
fitting brokers › row 1 › broker › account minimum	0
fitting brokers › row 1 › broker › commission	$0 (PFOF on equities)
fitting brokers › row 1 › broker › good for	Solo AI operator, paper-to-live parity
fitting brokers › row 1 › broker › has free tier	true
fitting brokers › row 1 › broker › notes › row 1	Free paper trading with same API surface as live
fitting brokers › row 1 › broker › notes › row 2	Real-time OPRA options data needs Algo Trader Plus; Basic gets the indicative feed
fitting brokers › row 1 › broker › notes › row 3	Python/Go SDKs mature; rate-limit backoff documented
fitting brokers › row 1 › score	2
fitting brokers › row 1 › max score	2
fitting brokers › row 1 › fits	true

Computed live at build time.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Alpaca trading API rate limit in 2026?: 200 requests per minute per account on the Trading API. The cap is identical for paper and live accounts.
Do Alpaca paper and live accounts have the same rate limit?: Yes. The 200 requests/minute trading limit applies identically to paper and live accounts, consistent with Alpaca's paper-to-live parity design.
What is the Alpaca market data API rate limit?: The free Basic plan (IEX feed) allows 200 requests/minute. Algo Trader Plus ($99/month, full SIP feed) raises it to 10,000 requests/minute. The market-data limit is separate from the trading limit.
Is Alpaca available in Canada in 2026?: Alpaca availability varies by country of tax residence. Canada is not explicitly listed as a confirmed live-trading country on the public availability page; non-US users should confirm eligibility with Alpaca support, and unsupported countries are limited to paper trading.

The 12 vendor figures on this page, each with its source and the date it was checked, are also in the vendor price reference, where every figure has its own link.