Finnhub Alternative: Is the Finnhub API Free? Pricing, Limits and Finnhub vs Polygon vs iTick
Finnhub Alternative: Is the Finnhub API Free? Pricing, Limits and Finnhub vs Polygon vs iTick
Finnhub is one of the best-known stock APIs, with a generous free tier and very broad US fundamentals and alternative data. Teams usually start looking for a Finnhub alternative for one of three reasons: markets outside the US, real-time forex, or the price jump from free to commercial. Here is how the options compare.
Is the Finnhub API free?
Yes, for personal use. Finnhub's free tier allows roughly 60 API calls per minute, focused on US data, and is limited to personal, non-commercial use. Apps that make money or redistribute data need a paid plan, and many international markets sit in separately priced packages. Always confirm current terms on finnhub.io/pricing.
Finnhub vs iTick
| iTick | Finnhub | |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | 5 REST calls / min + 1 WebSocket connection | ~60 calls / min, personal use, US-focused |
| Paid plans | $99 / $199 / $399 per month, or custom | Priced per market and dataset |
| Hong Kong & China A-shares | Real-time quotes, ticks, depth | Higher-priced packages |
| Forex | Real-time, tick-level | Available |
| WebSocket | Quotes, ticks, Level 2 depth | Trades |
| Fundamentals & alternative data | Core fundamentals, corporate actions | Very broad |
To be clear: Finnhub's free tier gives you more calls per minute than iTick's. iTick's advantages are elsewhere - Asian market coverage, depth data over WebSocket, and published self-serve commercial plans.
Finnhub vs Polygon vs iTick: which should you choose?
- Polygon - best for deep US equities and options history.
- Finnhub - best for broad US fundamentals, estimates, filings and sentiment.
- iTick - best when you need real-time prices across US, Hong Kong, China A-shares, forex and crypto in one API.
Migrating from Finnhub
| Finnhub | iTick |
|---|---|
/quote?symbol=AAPL | /stock/quote?region=US&code=AAPL |
/stock/candle?resolution=1 | /stock/kline?kType=1 |
/stock/candle?resolution=D | /stock/kline?kType=8 |
/forex/candle | /forex/kline |
| WebSocket trades | wss://api.itick.org/stock with types: "tick" |
import requests
H = {"accept": "application/json", "token": "YOUR_ITICK_TOKEN"}
# One loop, three markets
for region, code in [("US", "AAPL"), ("HK", "700"), ("SH", "600519")]:
q = requests.get("https://api.itick.org/stock/quote",
params={"region": region, "code": code}, headers=H).json()["data"]
print(region, code, q["ld"])
The region parameter is the main difference: the same request works for Tencent (HK, 700) or Kweichow Moutai (SH, 600519).
FAQ
Is the Finnhub API free? There is a free tier of about 60 calls per minute for personal, non-commercial use.
How much does Finnhub cost? Paid plans are priced by market and dataset; check finnhub.io/pricing.
Is iTick cheaper than Finnhub for commercial use? iTick's self-serve plans are $99, $199 and $399 per month with commercial use included - see pricing.
Does iTick support Finnhub-style WebSocket? Yes - connect, subscribe to symbols such as AAPL$US, and receive pushed JSON. See the market data feed.
Get a free iTick API key and benchmark latency and coverage against your Finnhub setup.