Is Twelve Data or Polygon cheaper for real-time stock data?

For real-time on a tight budget, Twelve Data, which includes it from the $79/month Grow tier. Polygon's $29 Starter and $79 Developer tiers are 15-minute-delayed; full real-time SIP only starts at its $199 Advanced tier. For deep US tick data, though, that Advanced tier buys granularity Twelve Data does not emphasize.

Did Polygon.io change its name?

Yes, to Massive on October 30, 2025, though api.polygon.io and existing keys still work. It remains the same US equities-and-options provider known for granular tick and aggregate data, with the same Stocks ladder: free Basic, $29 Starter and $79 Developer (delayed), $199 Advanced (real-time SIP). Verify current tiers on the Massive pricing page before building.

Which has better asset coverage, Twelve Data or Polygon?

Twelve Data for breadth, spanning stocks, forex, and crypto under one API, ideal when you need several asset classes without separate integrations. Polygon (now Massive) for depth, centered on US equities and options with tick-level granularity. So forex or crypto alongside equities favors Twelve Data; microstructure or options-aware US work favors Polygon.

Twelve Data vs Polygon.io (now Massive) 2026

The short answer

Twelve Data vs Polygon.io (now Massive) in 2026 is rate-tiered multi-asset breadth versus US tick-level depth. Twelve Data prices by API-call throughput (free Basic, $79/mo Grow, $229/mo Pro, $999/mo Ultra) across stocks, forex, and crypto. Polygon's Stocks API runs free Basic, $29/mo Starter and $79/mo Developer (delayed), and $199/mo Advanced for real-time SIP, with granular US equities-and-options data. Twelve Data wins breadth; Polygon wins depth.

For real-time and historical US market data in 2026, Twelve Data vs Polygon.io (now Massive) is a rate-tiered multi-asset API against a depth-focused US equities-and-options provider. Twelve Data prices by API-call throughput: a free Basic plan (8 calls/minute, 800/day), a Grow plan from $79/month, Pro from $229/month, and Ultra from $999/month with an uptime SLA, spanning stocks, forex, and crypto. Polygon.io (now Massive) prices its Stocks API in tiers (free Basic, $29/month Starter and $79/month Developer for 15-minute-delayed data, $199/month Advanced for full real-time SIP), and is known for granular tick and aggregate data on US equities and options. Twelve Data wins multi-asset breadth and call-tiered pricing; Polygon wins tick-level US depth. Model the cost for your usage in the Data-Vendor TCO Calculator.

TL;DR

Dimension	Twelve Data	Polygon.io (now Massive)
Free tier	8 calls/min, 800/day	yes (limited)
Entry paid	$79/mo (Grow)	$29/mo Starter (delayed)
Real-time entry	included in paid tiers	$199/mo Advanced (SIP)
Pricing basis	API-call throughput tiers	data access + rate tiers
Asset coverage	stocks, forex, crypto	US equities and options (tick depth)
Known for	rate-tiered multi-asset breadth	granular tick/aggregate data

Pricing verified against each provider's plans on 2026-05-26. Polygon.io rebranded to Massive in late 2025; the API and pricing posture continue under the new name. Verify current tiers before building.

Throughput tiers versus tick depth

Twelve Data and Polygon optimize for different things. Twelve Data structures itself around API-call throughput across multiple asset classes: you pick a plan by how many calls per minute you need, and you get stocks, forex, and crypto under one API. Polygon, now operating as Massive, is built around granular US equities-and-options data, exposing tick-level and aggregate data with the depth a microstructure-aware strategy wants.

The decision turns on what you are building. If you need broad multi-asset coverage at a predictable call-rate price, Twelve Data fits. If you need deep, granular US equities and options data, Polygon is the depth play.

Pricing: Polygon enters cheaper, both diverge on real-time

Twelve Data's free Basic plan allows 8 calls per minute and 800 per day; its Grow plan starts at $79/month with higher per-minute limits and no daily cap, Pro at $229/month, and Ultra at $999/month with an uptime SLA. You pay for throughput.

Polygon (Massive) prices its Stocks API in four tiers: free Basic, $29/month Starter and $79/month Developer (both 15-minute-delayed), and $199/month Advanced for full real-time SIP data. The practical difference: Twelve Data includes real-time in its paid throughput tiers from $79, while Polygon gates full real-time SIP behind its $199 Advanced tier, with the cheaper tiers delivering delayed data.

Coverage: multi-asset breadth versus US depth

Twelve Data spans stocks, forex, and crypto, which suits a strategy or app that needs several asset classes from one vendor without separate integrations. Its depth on any single asset class is good but its draw is breadth and predictable call-tiered pricing.

Polygon's coverage centers on US equities and options, where its tick-level and aggregate data depth is the selling point. For backtesting against historical depth, microstructure analysis, or options-aware strategies on US markets, that granularity is hard to match at the price. It is less of a fit if you need forex or non-US breadth.

The decision

Need stocks, forex, and crypto from one vendor: Twelve Data. Multi-asset breadth under one API.
Need deep US equities and options tick data: Polygon (Massive). Granular depth is the draw.
Want predictable call-tiered pricing: Twelve Data. Plans scale by calls per minute.
Real-time on a tight budget: Twelve Data includes it from $79; Polygon's real-time SIP starts at the $199 Advanced tier.
Microstructure or options-aware backtesting on US markets: Polygon. Tick-level granularity matters.

The split is breadth versus depth. Twelve Data for multi-asset coverage with call-tiered pricing; Polygon for granular US equities-and-options depth.

Price it against your real call pattern

The decisive variable here is whether you need real-time, because that one answer moves Polygon from $79 to $199 while leaving Twelve Data's $79 tier intact. Feed your call volume, real-time-versus-delayed requirement, and asset mix into the Data-Vendor TCO Calculator to see which vendor actually costs less for your shape, and if you backtest on tick data, replay fills against historical depth in the Order-Book Replay.

Twelve Data vs EODHD vs FMP 2026: the three-way data-vendor comparison.
Polygon.io Pricing 2026: the full Polygon (Massive) plan breakdown.
Databento vs Polygon.io 2026: Polygon against an institutional-grade depth provider.

Connects to

Data-Vendor TCO Calculator: total data cost for your usage.
Order-Book Replay: test execution against historical tick depth.

Sources

Twelve Data, "Pricing," twelvedata.com/pricing (accessed 2026-05-26).
Massive, "Pricing," massive.com/pricing (accessed 2026-05-26).
"The 2026 Market Data API Scorecard," EODHD APIs Academy (accessed 2026-05-26).

Frequently asked questions

Is Twelve Data or Polygon cheaper for real-time stock data?: For real-time on a tight budget, Twelve Data, which includes it from the $79/month Grow tier. Polygon's $29 Starter and $79 Developer tiers are 15-minute-delayed; full real-time SIP only starts at its $199 Advanced tier. For deep US tick data, though, that Advanced tier buys granularity Twelve Data does not emphasize.
Did Polygon.io change its name?: Yes, to Massive on October 30, 2025, though api.polygon.io and existing keys still work. It remains the same US equities-and-options provider known for granular tick and aggregate data, with the same Stocks ladder: free Basic, $29 Starter and $79 Developer (delayed), $199 Advanced (real-time SIP). Verify current tiers on the Massive pricing page before building.
Which has better asset coverage, Twelve Data or Polygon?: Twelve Data for breadth, spanning stocks, forex, and crypto under one API, ideal when you need several asset classes without separate integrations. Polygon (now Massive) for depth, centered on US equities and options with tick-level granularity. So forex or crypto alongside equities favors Twelve Data; microstructure or options-aware US work favors Polygon.