Does the-odds-api have a free tier?
A straight answer about the-odds-api's free plan, what 500 credits covers, and how ParlayAPI's free tier compares.
Yes. the-odds-api has a free plan with 500 credits per month, enough for light testing and small projects. For comparison, ParlayAPI's free tier includes 1,000 credits per month, also without a credit card. Both meter an odds request as markets multiplied by regions, so the two free allowances are directly comparable.
More detail
the-odds-api's free tier is a real free tier, not a trial: 500 credits refresh monthly and no card is required. If your project polls one sport's h2h market in one region a few times a day, it fits inside that allowance.
The allowances are metered the same way, so the comparison is simple arithmetic: 1,000 credits buy twice as many identical requests as 500. Beyond the number, the differences that matter are coverage: ParlayAPI adds DFS apps, exchanges, and prediction markets alongside traditional sportsbooks, plus MCP and agent discovery surfaces for AI tooling.
Because ParlayAPI keeps request and response compatibility with the-odds-api, trying both against the same code is a base URL swap, and the honest way to choose is to run your real queries against each free tier.
Endpoint
GET /v1/sports/{sport_key}/odds
curl 'https://parlay-api.com/v1/sports/americanfootball_nfl/odds?regions=us&markets=h2h' -H 'X-API-Key: YOUR_KEY'
Why developers use it
- Honest competitor facts: their free tier is real and works
- ParlayAPI free tier doubles the monthly allowance at 1,000 credits
- Drop-in compatibility makes an A/B test a base URL swap
FAQ
How far does 500 credits per month go?
One single-region single-market odds request costs one credit on both providers, so 500 credits is roughly 16 board pulls per day. Multi-market or multi-region requests consume proportionally more.
Can I test ParlayAPI with code written for the-odds-api?
Yes. Point the base URL at parlay-api.com and keep the same paths and parameters. The /v4 compatibility layer accepts existing client code, including the apiKey query parameter.
Does either free tier require a credit card?
No. Both providers issue free keys with only an email signup.
Related
/compare/the-odds-api/alternatives/the-odds-api/from-the-odds-api/answers/cheapest-sports-odds-api