Comparator
Data-Vendor TCO Calculator
Compare Databento vs Polygon vs Alpaca vs Tiingo vs FMP vs Alpha Vantage annual cost. Configure universe, bars, history, real-time. Browser-only. Free.
- Inputs
- Scenario form
- Runtime
- Instant
- Privacy
- Client-side · no upload
- API key
- Not required
- Methodology
- Open →
1 · Describe your data needs
Cheapest qualifying
$0
Alpaca Markets
per year, tier requirements met
Monthly equivalent
$0
Free (IEX feed)
of the cheapest qualifying tier
Potential annual savings
$3,000
vs. Alpha Vantage
vs. most expensive qualifying vendor
2 · Ranked vendors
Based on list pricing as of methodology. No affiliate tags, no sponsored rows.
| Vendor | Recommended tier | Monthly | Annual | Live | Opts | Fits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alpaca Markets ↗ Broker-bundled market data. Generous free tier via IEX feed; SIP feed requires paid plan. | Free (IEX feed)
| $0 | $0 | ✓ | — | yes |
| Financial Modeling Prep ↗ Fundamentals-heavy. Earnings, filings, transcripts. Price data is a secondary offer. | Ultimate
| $79 | $948 | ✓ | — | yes |
| Databento ↗ Per-unit metered pricing. Strong for institutional-quality tick + L2 data. No subscriptions on base offer. | Databento metered (typical retail)
| $125 | $1,500 | ✓ | — | yes |
| Polygon.io ↗ Flat-rate subscription. Real-time + historical for US equities. Popular retail default. | Stocks Advanced
| $199 | $2,388 | ✓ | — | yes |
| Alpha Vantage ↗ Budget tier with broad coverage. Rate limits tight. Workable for low-frequency research. | Premium 600
| $250 | $3,000 | ✓ | — | yes |
| Tiingo ↗ Strong fundamentals + EOD pricing at low cost. Limited intraday. Favorite for long-horizon research. | Tiingo Starter
| $10 | $120 | ✗ | — | no |
How this ranking works
Each vendor is scored by picking its cheapest tier that satisfies every requirement in your scenario. Tiers that don't meet the requested bar resolution, real-time need, or asset class (options / futures) are skipped. If no tier qualifies, the vendor is shown dimmed with "Fits: no."
Metered vendors like Databento don't have a flat subscription — the displayed monthly is a modeled estimate based on your universe size and resolution. See the methodology page for the exact multipliers and primary-source citations.
Pricing last checked 2026-04-20. Vendor rates drift; always verify on the vendor's pricing page before committing.
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