The short answer
The best free market-data cost calculator in 2026 ranks the vendors that can actually serve your universe, resolution, and real-time need, not just price-times-twelve. This hub's Data-Vendor TCO Calculator takes whether you need live data, options, and futures, then returns each vendor's annual cost and a cheapest-first ranking. It runs in-browser, stores nothing, and is free.
A free market-data cost calculator that just multiplies a tier price by twelve months is easy to find; one that ranks the qualifying vendors for your actual universe, resolution, and real-time need is not. The question that decides a data budget is "which vendors can even serve my workload, and which is cheapest among those," not "what does Polygon's Advanced tier cost." For that, the recommended pick is this hub's own Data-Vendor TCO Calculator: it takes whether you need live data, options, and futures, then returns each vendor's annual cost and a cheapest-first ranking of the ones that actually qualify. It runs entirely in your browser, stores nothing, and is free. Below is an honest comparison against the generic price-times-twelve calculators, so you know when to reach for one over the other.
What "for market data" actually changes
A generic SaaS cost calculator is a multiplier: enter a monthly price, get an annual number. That answers a real question, but not the one a data buyer needs, because market-data vendors are gated, not just priced:
- A vendor either covers options, or it does not. Pricing a vendor that cannot serve your asset class is a wasted comparison.
- Real-time and end-of-day are different products at different prices within the same vendor; the cheapest tier may not include the live feed you need.
- The cheapest vendor changes with the workload. For daily bars on 50 symbols the winner differs from tick data on 2,000 symbols.
- Metered vendors (Databento) cannot be reduced to one monthly number; their cost depends on the data volume your scenario implies.
A calculator that ignores those gates will rank a vendor that cannot do the job as "cheapest." That is the gap the market-data-specific tool fills: it filters to the vendors that qualify, then ranks.
The recommended pick: Data-Vendor TCO Calculator
The Data-Vendor TCO Calculator is built around the qualify-then-rank shape rather than a single multiplier. Its inputs, read straight off the tool, are whether your workload needs live data, needs options, and needs futures. Its outputs are each vendor's qualifying tier and annual cost, plus a cheapest-first ranking restricted to the vendors that can actually serve the scenario. Vendors that fail a requirement (no options, no live feed) drop out of the ranking instead of appearing as a misleadingly cheap option.
Two honest caveats. First, the per-tier rates are a snapshot dated 2026-05-25; the tool flags that you should verify on the vendor's pricing page before committing a production budget, and so do we. Second, metered vendors are modeled at a representative scenario spend, not your exact bill; for a vendor like Databento, treat the figure as a starting estimate and confirm with the vendor's own quoting tool. Within those bounds, it is the right tool for sizing a market-data subscription.
For the reasoning behind the vendor coverage and the true cost once exchange fees enter, see Market Data APIs Compared 2026 and Data-Vendor TCO for EU Retail. For the cheapest single pick rather than the ranked list, see Cheapest Stock Market Data API 2026.
Honest comparison: the generic alternatives
The widely-used free cost calculators are good at what they do, which is multiply a known price across a horizon. They are the right tool when you already know your vendor and tier and just want the annual or three-year number.
- Generic SaaS / subscription cost calculators take a monthly price and a term and return the total. Their scope is arithmetic on a price you supply; they do not know which vendors exist, which cover options, or which qualify for your resolution. Use one when the vendor decision is already made.
- Vendor-published price pages with a built-in estimator (each market-data vendor's own pricing page) are accurate for that one vendor and biased toward it by construction. They will not tell you a competitor is cheaper for your scenario, because they only price themselves. Verify the exact rate on these, but do not use them to choose between vendors.
- Spreadsheet templates are flexible and free but require you to hand-enter every vendor's tiers and keep them current; the moment a vendor changes pricing your sheet is stale and you will not know. They are fine as a one-off, weak as a living comparison.
None of these is wrong; they answer a different question. If you know your vendor and want the annual figure, a generic multiplier is enough. If you need to know which vendor is cheapest among the ones that can serve your workload, use the market-data-specific tool.
Which to use, by question
- "What does my chosen vendor's tier cost per year?" Any generic multiplier, or the vendor's own price page.
- "Which vendors can even serve my options + real-time workload, and which is cheapest?" Data-Vendor TCO Calculator.
- "What is the true cost once exchange fees and record-keeping enter?" Data-Vendor TCO for EU Retail, then the calculator for the base subscription.
- "What is the single cheapest credible source?" Cheapest Stock Market Data API 2026.
Why a qualify-then-rank calculator wins for this job
The generic multipliers stop at "price times term," but the data decision is "which vendors qualify, then which is cheapest." A vendor that looks cheapest on a price page can be the wrong answer because it cannot serve your asset class, and only a tool that gates on coverage surfaces that. Ranking the qualifying set, not the whole catalog, is the difference between a comparison that holds and one that recommends a vendor you cannot actually use.
Run it
Open the Data-Vendor TCO Calculator, set whether you need live data, options, and futures, and read the cheapest-first ranking of qualifying vendors. It is free, runs in the browser, and stores nothing. Cross-check the winning vendor's tier rate against its current pricing page before you commit a production budget. The verified output block at the foot of this page is computed live from the shipped engine for a live, options-included scenario.
Related reading
- Market Data APIs Compared 2026: the six-vendor coverage and pricing the calculator draws on.
- Data-Vendor TCO for EU Retail: the true cost once exchange fees and record-keeping enter.
- Cheapest Stock Market Data API 2026: the single cheapest credible pick.
- Best Backtesting Data Sources 2026: picking the source you then price in the calculator.
Connects to
- Data-Vendor TCO Calculator: the engine this page recommends and embeds.
- Token-Cost Optimizer: the sibling tool for LLM research-loop cost.
- Broker API Comparator: when the data should ride along with your broker.
Sources
- Data-Vendor TCO Calculator tool page and vendor tier table (this hub), rates dated 2026-05-25: /data-vendor-tco/.
- Polygon.io pricing (Stocks Advanced $199/mo), accessed 2026-05-25: https://polygon.io/pricing
- Databento pricing (usage-based per GB; Standard $199/mo), accessed 2026-05-25: https://databento.com/pricing
- Tiingo pricing (Starter $10/mo), accessed 2026-05-25: https://www.tiingo.com/about/pricing
Editorial independence
AI Fin Hub Research maintains editorial independence across sponsor relationships. Vendor placements in tools and comparators are not altered by sponsor payments. Disclosures at /sponsor-disclosure/.
Verified engine output
Show the recompute-verified inputs and outputs
| needs_live | true |
|---|---|
| needs_options | true |
| needs_futures | false |
| scenario › universe | medium |
|---|---|
| scenario › resolution | minute |
| scenario › history | 5-year |
| scenario › needs live | true |
| scenario › needs options | true |
| scenario › needs futures | false |
| ranked › row 1 › vendor › id | alpaca |
| ranked › row 1 › vendor › name | Alpaca Markets |
| ranked › row 1 › vendor › url | https://alpaca.markets |
| ranked › row 1 › vendor › short pitch | Broker-bundled market data. Generous free tier via IEX feed; SIP feed requires paid plan. |
| ranked › row 1 › vendor › has overage | false |
| ranked › row 1 › vendor › last checked | 2026-05-25 |
| ranked › row 1 › vendor › tiers › row 1 › name | Free (IEX feed) |
| ranked › row 1 › vendor › tiers › row 1 › monthly | 0 |
| ranked › row 1 › vendor › tiers › row 1 › includes live | true |
| ranked › row 1 › vendor › tiers › row 1 › includes options | false |
| ranked › row 1 › vendor › tiers › row 1 › includes futures | false |
| ranked › row 1 › vendor › tiers › row 1 › resolutions › row 1 | daily |
| ranked › row 1 › vendor › tiers › row 1 › resolutions › row 2 | minute |
| ranked › row 1 › vendor › tiers › row 1 › notes › row 1 | IEX feed only (subset of volume) |
| ranked › row 1 › vendor › tiers › row 1 › notes › row 2 | Free with Alpaca brokerage account |
| ranked › row 1 › vendor › tiers › row 2 › name | Algo Trader Plus (SIP feed) |
| ranked › row 1 › vendor › tiers › row 2 › monthly | 99 |
| ranked › row 1 › vendor › tiers › row 2 › includes live | true |
| ranked › row 1 › vendor › tiers › row 2 › includes options | true |
| ranked › row 1 › vendor › tiers › row 2 › includes futures | false |
| ranked › row 1 › vendor › tiers › row 2 › resolutions › row 1 | daily |
| ranked › row 1 › vendor › tiers › row 2 › resolutions › row 2 | minute |
| ranked › row 1 › vendor › tiers › row 2 › resolutions › row 3 | second |
| ranked › row 1 › vendor › tiers › row 2 › resolutions › row 4 | tick |
| ranked › row 1 › vendor › tiers › row 2 › notes › row 1 | Full SIP consolidated tape |
| ranked › row 1 › vendor › tiers › row 2 › notes › row 2 | Options chains included |
| ranked › row 1 › tier › name | Algo Trader Plus (SIP feed) |
| ranked › row 1 › tier › monthly | 99 |
| ranked › row 1 › tier › includes live | true |
| ranked › row 1 › tier › includes options | true |
| ranked › row 1 › tier › includes futures | false |
| ranked › row 1 › tier › resolutions › row 1 | daily |
| ranked › row 1 › tier › resolutions › row 2 | minute |
| ranked › row 1 › tier › resolutions › row 3 | second |
| ranked › row 1 › tier › resolutions › row 4 | tick |
| ranked › row 1 › tier › notes › row 1 | Full SIP consolidated tape |
| ranked › row 1 › tier › notes › row 2 | Options chains included |
| ranked › row 1 › monthly | 99 |
| ranked › row 1 › one time | 0 |
| ranked › row 1 › annual total | 1188 |
| ranked › row 1 › meets resolution | true |
| ranked › row 1 › meets live | true |
| ranked › row 1 › meets options | true |
| ranked › row 1 › meets futures | true |
| ranked › row 1 › meets all | true |
| ranked › row 2 › vendor › id | tiingo |
| ranked › row 2 › vendor › name | Tiingo |
| ranked › row 2 › vendor › url | https://www.tiingo.com |
| ranked › row 2 › vendor › short pitch | Strong fundamentals + EOD pricing at low cost. Limited intraday. Favorite for long-horizon research. |
| ranked › row 2 › vendor › has overage | false |
| ranked › row 2 › vendor › last checked | 2026-04-20 |
| ranked › row 2 › vendor › tiers › row 1 › name | Tiingo Starter |
| ranked › row 2 › vendor › tiers › row 1 › monthly | 10 |
| ranked › row 2 › vendor › tiers › row 1 › includes live | false |
| ranked › row 2 › vendor › tiers › row 1 › includes options | false |
| ranked › row 2 › vendor › tiers › row 1 › includes futures | false |
| ranked › row 2 › vendor › tiers › row 1 › resolutions › row 1 | daily |
| ranked › row 2 › vendor › tiers › row 1 › notes › row 1 | EOD equities |
| ranked › row 2 › vendor › tiers › row 1 › notes › row 2 | News API included |
| ranked › row 2 › vendor › tiers › row 1 › notes › row 3 | Price unconfirmed 2026-05-25 — official pricing page not machine-readable |
| ranked › row 2 › vendor › tiers › row 2 › name | Tiingo Power |
| ranked › row 2 › vendor › tiers › row 2 › monthly | 50 |
| ranked › row 2 › vendor › tiers › row 2 › includes live | false |
| ranked › row 2 › vendor › tiers › row 2 › includes options | false |
| ranked › row 2 › vendor › tiers › row 2 › includes futures | false |
| ranked › row 2 › vendor › tiers › row 2 › resolutions › row 1 | daily |
| ranked › row 2 › vendor › tiers › row 2 › resolutions › row 2 | minute |
| ranked › row 2 › vendor › tiers › row 2 › notes › row 1 | Intraday bars |
| ranked › row 2 › vendor › tiers › row 2 › notes › row 2 | Crypto data |
| ranked › row 2 › vendor › tiers › row 2 › notes › row 3 | Fundamentals included |
| ranked › row 2 › tier › name | Tiingo Starter |
| ranked › row 2 › tier › monthly | 10 |
| ranked › row 2 › tier › includes live | false |
| ranked › row 2 › tier › includes options | false |
| ranked › row 2 › tier › includes futures | false |
| ranked › row 2 › tier › resolutions › row 1 | daily |
| ranked › row 2 › tier › notes › row 1 | EOD equities |
| ranked › row 2 › tier › notes › row 2 | News API included |
| ranked › row 2 › tier › notes › row 3 | Price unconfirmed 2026-05-25 — official pricing page not machine-readable |
| ranked › row 2 › monthly | 10 |
| ranked › row 2 › one time | 0 |
| ranked › row 2 › annual total | 120 |
| ranked › row 2 › meets resolution | false |
| ranked › row 2 › meets live | false |
| ranked › row 2 › meets options | false |
| ranked › row 2 › meets futures | true |
| ranked › row 2 › meets all | false |
| ranked › row 3 › vendor › id | fmp |
| ranked › row 3 › vendor › name | Financial Modeling Prep |
| ranked › row 3 › vendor › url | https://site.financialmodelingprep.com |
| ranked › row 3 › vendor › short pitch | Fundamentals-heavy. Earnings, filings, transcripts. Price data is a secondary offer. |
| ranked › row 3 › vendor › has overage | false |
| ranked › row 3 › vendor › last checked | 2026-04-20 |
| ranked › row 3 › vendor › tiers › row 1 › name | Starter |
| ranked › row 3 › vendor › tiers › row 1 › monthly | 14 |
| ranked › row 3 › vendor › tiers › row 1 › includes live | false |
| ranked › row 3 › vendor › tiers › row 1 › includes options | false |
| ranked › row 3 › vendor › tiers › row 1 › includes futures | false |
| ranked › row 3 › vendor › tiers › row 1 › resolutions › row 1 | daily |
| ranked › row 3 › vendor › tiers › row 1 › notes › row 1 | 5 years history |
| ranked › row 3 › vendor › tiers › row 1 › notes › row 2 | 250 API calls/day |
| ranked › row 3 › vendor › tiers › row 1 › notes › row 3 | Price unconfirmed 2026-05-25 — FMP list prices not consistently published |
| ranked › row 3 › vendor › tiers › row 2 › name | Premium |
| ranked › row 3 › vendor › tiers › row 2 › monthly | 29 |
| ranked › row 3 › vendor › tiers › row 2 › includes live | false |
| ranked › row 3 › vendor › tiers › row 2 › includes options | false |
| ranked › row 3 › vendor › tiers › row 2 › includes futures | false |
| ranked › row 3 › vendor › tiers › row 2 › resolutions › row 1 | daily |
| ranked › row 3 › vendor › tiers › row 2 › resolutions › row 2 | minute |
| ranked › row 3 › vendor › tiers › row 2 › notes › row 1 | Full history |
| ranked › row 3 › vendor › tiers › row 2 › notes › row 2 | 750 calls/day |
| ranked › row 3 › vendor › tiers › row 3 › name | Ultimate |
| ranked › row 3 › vendor › tiers › row 3 › monthly | 79 |
| ranked › row 3 › vendor › tiers › row 3 › includes live | true |
| ranked › row 3 › vendor › tiers › row 3 › includes options | false |
| ranked › row 3 › vendor › tiers › row 3 › includes futures | false |
| ranked › row 3 › vendor › tiers › row 3 › resolutions › row 1 | daily |
| ranked › row 3 › vendor › tiers › row 3 › resolutions › row 2 | minute |
| ranked › row 3 › vendor › tiers › row 3 › resolutions › row 3 | second |
| ranked › row 3 › vendor › tiers › row 3 › notes › row 1 | Real-time |
| ranked › row 3 › vendor › tiers › row 3 › notes › row 2 | Unlimited calls |
| ranked › row 3 › tier › name | Starter |
| ranked › row 3 › tier › monthly | 14 |
| ranked › row 3 › tier › includes live | false |
| ranked › row 3 › tier › includes options | false |
| ranked › row 3 › tier › includes futures | false |
| ranked › row 3 › tier › resolutions › row 1 | daily |
| ranked › row 3 › tier › notes › row 1 | 5 years history |
| ranked › row 3 › tier › notes › row 2 | 250 API calls/day |
| ranked › row 3 › tier › notes › row 3 | Price unconfirmed 2026-05-25 — FMP list prices not consistently published |
| ranked › row 3 › monthly | 14 |
| ranked › row 3 › one time | 0 |
| ranked › row 3 › annual total | 168 |
| ranked › row 3 › meets resolution | false |
| ranked › row 3 › meets live | false |
| ranked › row 3 › meets options | false |
| ranked › row 3 › meets futures | true |
| ranked › row 3 › meets all | false |
| ranked › row 4 › vendor › id | polygon |
| ranked › row 4 › vendor › name | Polygon.io |
| ranked › row 4 › vendor › url | https://polygon.io |
| ranked › row 4 › vendor › short pitch | Flat-rate subscription. Real-time + historical for US equities. Popular retail default. |
| ranked › row 4 › vendor › has overage | false |
| ranked › row 4 › vendor › last checked | 2026-05-25 |
| ranked › row 4 › vendor › tiers › row 1 › name | Stocks Starter |
| ranked › row 4 › vendor › tiers › row 1 › monthly | 29 |
| ranked › row 4 › vendor › tiers › row 1 › includes live | false |
| ranked › row 4 › vendor › tiers › row 1 › includes options | false |
| ranked › row 4 › vendor › tiers › row 1 › includes futures | false |
| ranked › row 4 › vendor › tiers › row 1 › resolutions › row 1 | daily |
| ranked › row 4 › vendor › tiers › row 1 › resolutions › row 2 | minute |
| ranked › row 4 › vendor › tiers › row 1 › notes › row 1 | 15-min delayed market data |
| ranked › row 4 › vendor › tiers › row 1 › notes › row 2 | 5 calls/min |
| ranked › row 4 › vendor › tiers › row 2 › name | Stocks Developer |
| ranked › row 4 › vendor › tiers › row 2 › monthly | 79 |
| ranked › row 4 › vendor › tiers › row 2 › includes live | false |
| ranked › row 4 › vendor › tiers › row 2 › includes options | false |
| ranked › row 4 › vendor › tiers › row 2 › includes futures | false |
| ranked › row 4 › vendor › tiers › row 2 › resolutions › row 1 | daily |
| ranked › row 4 › vendor › tiers › row 2 › resolutions › row 2 | minute |
| ranked › row 4 › vendor › tiers › row 2 › resolutions › row 3 | second |
| ranked › row 4 › vendor › tiers › row 2 › notes › row 1 | 15-min delayed |
| ranked › row 4 › vendor › tiers › row 2 › notes › row 2 | Unlimited API calls |
| ranked › row 4 › vendor › tiers › row 3 › name | Stocks Advanced |
| ranked › row 4 › vendor › tiers › row 3 › monthly | 199 |
| ranked › row 4 › vendor › tiers › row 3 › includes live | true |
| ranked › row 4 › vendor › tiers › row 3 › includes options | false |
| ranked › row 4 › vendor › tiers › row 3 › includes futures | false |
| ranked › row 4 › vendor › tiers › row 3 › resolutions › row 1 | daily |
| ranked › row 4 › vendor › tiers › row 3 › resolutions › row 2 | minute |
| ranked › row 4 › vendor › tiers › row 3 › resolutions › row 3 | second |
| ranked › row 4 › vendor › tiers › row 3 › resolutions › row 4 | tick |
| ranked › row 4 › vendor › tiers › row 3 › notes › row 1 | Full real-time |
| ranked › row 4 › vendor › tiers › row 3 › notes › row 2 | Unlimited API calls |
| ranked › row 4 › tier › name | Stocks Starter |
| ranked › row 4 › tier › monthly | 29 |
| ranked › row 4 › tier › includes live | false |
| ranked › row 4 › tier › includes options | false |
| ranked › row 4 › tier › includes futures | false |
| ranked › row 4 › tier › resolutions › row 1 | daily |
| ranked › row 4 › tier › resolutions › row 2 | minute |
| ranked › row 4 › tier › notes › row 1 | 15-min delayed market data |
| ranked › row 4 › tier › notes › row 2 | 5 calls/min |
| ranked › row 4 › monthly | 29 |
| ranked › row 4 › one time | 0 |
| ranked › row 4 › annual total | 348 |
| ranked › row 4 › meets resolution | true |
| ranked › row 4 › meets live | false |
| ranked › row 4 › meets options | false |
| ranked › row 4 › meets futures | true |
| ranked › row 4 › meets all | false |
| ranked › row 5 › vendor › id | alpha-vantage |
| ranked › row 5 › vendor › name | Alpha Vantage |
| ranked › row 5 › vendor › url | https://www.alphavantage.co |
| ranked › row 5 › vendor › short pitch | Budget tier with broad coverage. Rate limits tight. Workable for low-frequency research. |
| ranked › row 5 › vendor › has overage | false |
| ranked › row 5 › vendor › last checked | 2026-05-25 |
| ranked › row 5 › vendor › tiers › row 1 › name | Premium 75 |
| ranked › row 5 › vendor › tiers › row 1 › monthly | 49.99 |
| ranked › row 5 › vendor › tiers › row 1 › includes live | false |
| ranked › row 5 › vendor › tiers › row 1 › includes options | false |
| ranked › row 5 › vendor › tiers › row 1 › includes futures | false |
| ranked › row 5 › vendor › tiers › row 1 › resolutions › row 1 | daily |
| ranked › row 5 › vendor › tiers › row 1 › resolutions › row 2 | minute |
| ranked › row 5 › vendor › tiers › row 1 › notes › row 1 | 75 calls/min, no daily limit |
| ranked › row 5 › vendor › tiers › row 1 › notes › row 2 | Free key capped at 25 calls/day, 5/min |
| ranked › row 5 › vendor › tiers › row 2 › name | Premium 1200 |
| ranked › row 5 › vendor › tiers › row 2 › monthly | 249.99 |
| ranked › row 5 › vendor › tiers › row 2 › includes live | false |
| ranked › row 5 › vendor › tiers › row 2 › includes options | false |
| ranked › row 5 › vendor › tiers › row 2 › includes futures | false |
| ranked › row 5 › vendor › tiers › row 2 › resolutions › row 1 | daily |
| ranked › row 5 › vendor › tiers › row 2 › resolutions › row 2 | minute |
| ranked › row 5 › vendor › tiers › row 2 › resolutions › row 3 | second |
| ranked › row 5 › vendor › tiers › row 2 › notes › row 1 | 1,200 calls/min, no daily limit |
| ranked › row 5 › vendor › tiers › row 2 › notes › row 2 | Rate-tiered ladder: $99.99/150, $149.99/300, $199.99/600, $249.99/1200 |
| ranked › row 5 › tier › name | Premium 75 |
| ranked › row 5 › tier › monthly | 49.99 |
| ranked › row 5 › tier › includes live | false |
| ranked › row 5 › tier › includes options | false |
| ranked › row 5 › tier › includes futures | false |
| ranked › row 5 › tier › resolutions › row 1 | daily |
| ranked › row 5 › tier › resolutions › row 2 | minute |
| ranked › row 5 › tier › notes › row 1 | 75 calls/min, no daily limit |
| ranked › row 5 › tier › notes › row 2 | Free key capped at 25 calls/day, 5/min |
| ranked › row 5 › monthly | 49.99 |
| ranked › row 5 › one time | 0 |
| ranked › row 5 › annual total | 599.88 |
| ranked › row 5 › meets resolution | true |
| ranked › row 5 › meets live | false |
| ranked › row 5 › meets options | false |
| ranked › row 5 › meets futures | true |
| ranked › row 5 › meets all | false |
| ranked › row 6 › vendor › id | databento |
| ranked › row 6 › vendor › name | Databento |
| ranked › row 6 › vendor › url | https://databento.com |
| ranked › row 6 › vendor › short pitch | Per-unit metered pricing. Strong for institutional-quality tick + L2 data. No subscriptions on base offer. |
| ranked › row 6 › vendor › has overage | true |
| ranked › row 6 › vendor › last checked | 2026-05-25 |
| ranked › row 6 › vendor › tiers › row 1 › name | Databento metered (typical retail) |
| ranked › row 6 › vendor › tiers › row 1 › monthly | 125 |
| ranked › row 6 › vendor › tiers › row 1 › includes live | true |
| ranked › row 6 › vendor › tiers › row 1 › includes options | false |
| ranked › row 6 › vendor › tiers › row 1 › includes futures | true |
| ranked › row 6 › vendor › tiers › row 1 › resolutions › row 1 | daily |
| ranked › row 6 › vendor › tiers › row 1 › resolutions › row 2 | minute |
| ranked › row 6 › vendor › tiers › row 1 › resolutions › row 3 | second |
| ranked › row 6 › vendor › tiers › row 1 › resolutions › row 4 | tick |
| ranked › row 6 › vendor › tiers › row 1 › resolutions › row 5 | level2 |
| ranked › row 6 › vendor › tiers › row 1 › notes › row 1 | Usage-metered: historical is pay-as-you-go priced per GB (uncompressed binary), no subscription required; $125 free credits on signup |
| ranked › row 6 › vendor › tiers › row 1 › notes › row 2 | Subscription option: Standard $199/mo (historical core schemas + 1yr L1 / 1mo L2-L3); $125/mo modeled typical retail metered spend |
| ranked › row 6 › vendor › tiers › row 1 › notes › row 3 | Live data + dedicated support on Plus ($1,399/mo, annual); Unlimited $3,500/mo (verified 2026-05-25) |
| ranked › row 6 › vendor › tiers › row 1 › notes › row 4 | Per-GB cost scales aggressively with universe and resolution |
| ranked › row 6 › tier › name | Databento metered (typical retail) |
| ranked › row 6 › tier › monthly | 125 |
| ranked › row 6 › tier › includes live | true |
| ranked › row 6 › tier › includes options | false |
| ranked › row 6 › tier › includes futures | true |
| ranked › row 6 › tier › resolutions › row 1 | daily |
| ranked › row 6 › tier › resolutions › row 2 | minute |
| ranked › row 6 › tier › resolutions › row 3 | second |
| ranked › row 6 › tier › resolutions › row 4 | tick |
| ranked › row 6 › tier › resolutions › row 5 | level2 |
| ranked › row 6 › tier › notes › row 1 | Usage-metered: historical is pay-as-you-go priced per GB (uncompressed binary), no subscription required; $125 free credits on signup |
| ranked › row 6 › tier › notes › row 2 | Subscription option: Standard $199/mo (historical core schemas + 1yr L1 / 1mo L2-L3); $125/mo modeled typical retail metered spend |
| ranked › row 6 › tier › notes › row 3 | Live data + dedicated support on Plus ($1,399/mo, annual); Unlimited $3,500/mo (verified 2026-05-25) |
| ranked › row 6 › tier › notes › row 4 | Per-GB cost scales aggressively with universe and resolution |
| ranked › row 6 › monthly | 125 |
| ranked › row 6 › one time | 0 |
| ranked › row 6 › annual total | 1500 |
| ranked › row 6 › meets resolution | true |
| ranked › row 6 › meets live | true |
| ranked › row 6 › meets options | false |
| ranked › row 6 › meets futures | true |
| ranked › row 6 › meets all | false |
Computed live at build time.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the best free market-data cost calculator in 2026?
- For market-data buying specifically, the Data-Vendor TCO Calculator on this hub, because it gates vendors on coverage (live data, options, futures) and returns a cheapest-first ranking of only the vendors that qualify, rather than multiplying one price across a term. Generic calculators are better when you already know your vendor and tier.
- Is the Data-Vendor TCO Calculator really free?
- Yes. It runs entirely in your browser, stores nothing, and has no paywall. The tier rates are a 2026-05-25 snapshot; verify on the vendor's pricing page before finalizing a production budget.
- How is it different from a generic SaaS cost calculator?
- A generic calculator multiplies a price you supply across a term. The Data-Vendor TCO Calculator knows the vendor catalog, filters out vendors that cannot serve your asset class or real-time need, and ranks only the qualifying ones cheapest-first, so it will not recommend a vendor you cannot actually use.
- Does it handle metered vendors like Databento?
- It models metered vendors at a representative scenario spend rather than your exact bill. Treat that figure as a starting estimate and confirm against the vendor's own quoting tool, since metered cost depends on your specific data volume.